I have expressed my skepticism for the novelty of the omicron variant; it's been circulating worldwide for more than a year, undifferentiated from delta dominant pandemic that captured the imaginations of vaccine marketers and infectious disease "experts" who influence gov trade and domestic policies.

Yet in a period of 27 days, between "discovery" of SARS-CoV-2 omicron variant in South Africa (24 Nov- 21 Dec), despite federal "travel ban" between US and eight (8) sub-Saharan nations and "shortages" of COVID-19 "rapid antibody" test kits--none of which approved by FDA to detect the omicron variant--several US cities have announced a suspiciously ubiquitous increase of 73% COVID-19 cases, attributed to the omicron variant... alone.

Neither publicly reported COVID-19 data nor abstruse mRNA technical audits appear to support such a SURGE of "excess death," attributed to delta communicability... alone. Nonetheless, to conform to a widely publicized prediction by such experts as Mr Fauci that "raging" omicron variant would rapidly replace delta as the leading cause of death, US press quickly has assembled a feature story to stimulate "herd" vigilance, "mandates," and demand for brand-name prophylactic ahhh devices.
First confirmed US OMICRON DEATH reported in Houston, usurping earlier UK tabloid boasting death with omicron. Sadly, this PR is itself short on novelty.

"The death reported this afternoon was of a man between the ages of 50-60 years old who was unvaccinated and had been infected with Covid-19 previously. The individual was at higher risk of severe complications from Covid-19 due to his unvaccinated status and had underlying health conditions," Harris County Public Health announced Monday.

Omicron has displaced the delta variant as the dominant coronavirus strain circulating in Harris County, whose seat is Houston, with Houston Methodist Hospital's director of microbiology Dr. Wesley Long reporting on Sunday that the new variant accounts for 82% of its symptomatic* patients since late last week.

* symptoms in vivo: easily the least reliable "bio marker" of a specific variant or its "high transmissibility", much less onset of COVID-19 severity. My Z-informant, for example, attended an employee holiday event 10 Dec. assuming all guests were vaccinated. No one was masked. Monday, the CEO advised, one guest tested positive over the weekend. A rush to test ensued (public sites, as kits were scarce), resulting in ~50% pos, 0 hospitalizations.