In late November 2021, The Scientist’s editorial team convened to discuss mounting case reports, coming mostly from South Africa, of patients infected with the newly described Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. We talked about this latest development in the COVID-19 pandemic, which we’ve been covering since before it was even called a pandemic, and how we might report on it. During that meeting, I expressed something to the effect of: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we’re not even talking about Omicron two weeks from now.” How wrong I turned out to be.
Here we are, well into a new year (the third of the COVID era), and the Omicron variant has washed over our pandemic-weary globe, adding to the case and body counts mounted by its viral predecessors. Hospitals around the world strained to treat COVID-19 patients in early 2022 while at the same time delivering much-needed, and in some cases ...
