Omicron: what we know about the COVID variant seen in at least 11 states
CBSN
The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 is the latest strain of the coronavirus to be designated a "variant of concern" by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: more and more cases are being reported around the world, and it has an unusual combination of mutations that may enable it to spread faster and overcome some of the body's defenses. The coronavirus variants experts are most concerned about
At least 29 cases have been confirmed across 11 states: California, New Jersey, Utah, Colorado, Missouri, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Nebraska, Hawaii, New York and Minnesota.
Some local leaders have warned Omicron is likely spreading undetected in the community, spotting several cases in people who had not left the country. Forty countries have also reported cases, CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said on Friday.
Two climbers were waiting to be rescued near the peak of Denali, a colossal mountain that towers over miles of vast tundra in southern Alaska, officials said Wednesday. Originally part of a three-person team that became stranded near the top of the mountain, the climbers put out a distress call more than 30 hours earlier suggesting they were hypothermic and unable to descend on their own, according to the National Park Service.
There's no making up for what Olympic hurdler Lashinda Demus lost on the day she finished .07 seconds behind a Russian opponent who, everyone later learned, was doping. What the American 400-meter hurdles champion will finally receive is a great day under the Eiffel Tower where she'll be presented with the gold medal she was denied 12 years ago at the London Olympics.