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Articles on Omicron variant

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After South African scientists sounded the alarm about the new omicron variant, countries around the world closed their borders. Kim Ludbrook/EPA

South African scientists on the inside story of discovering omicron – and what their experience offers the world about future variants. Podcast

Plus, is the human emotional response to music innate or is it shaped by a person’s culture? Listen to The Conversation Weekly podcast.
Lynn Grieveson /Newsroom via Getty Images

New Zealand’s border quarantine has intercepted thousands of COVID cases, but is it time to retire the flawed system?

New Zealand’s system of managed quarantine at the border may soon be less important, but we could well need to stand it up again quickly if a new COVID-19 variant emerges.
Fiona Goodall/Getty Images

The most challenging phase of the Omicron outbreak is yet to come, but New Zealand may be better prepared than other countries

New Zealand has managed to stamp out onward transmission of the Delta variant, which means it’s not dealing with a “double epidemic” and has a better chance to tackle Omicron’s spread.
Preliminary research suggests that the omicron variant may potentially induce a robust immune response. Olga Siletskaya/Moment via Getty Images

Is the omicron variant Mother Nature’s way of vaccinating the masses and curbing the pandemic?

Some of the omicron variant’s unique properties – such as its ability to spread rapidly while causing milder COVID-19 infections – could usher in a new phase of the pandemic.
Ontario Premier Doug Ford gives a press conference at Queen’s Park regarding the easing of COVID-19 restrictions on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

The death of caremongering: Canadians are tired and most believe getting COVID-19 is inevitable

After Premier Doug Ford announced “positive news,” I think about the widening inequality in our province, who the news is “positive” for and the death of caremongering.
A new study found that the child tax credit advance payments immediately helped families who were suffering from food insufficiency. Spencer Platt/Getty Images News via Getty Images

The sunsetting of the child tax credit expansion could leave many families without enough food on the table

The 2021 child tax credit expansion helped lift millions of families with children out of hunger. After those payments ended in December 2021, those families may again face food insufficiency.
The list of SARS-CoV-2 variants – each with its own unique qualities that give it an edge – just keeps growing. Matt Anderson Photography/Moment via Getty Images

Alpha then delta and now omicron – 6 questions answered as COVID-19 cases once again surge across the globe

People are buzzing with questions about the omicron variant and whether it could help usher in herd immunity. A team of virologists deciphers the latest findings.

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