An attempt to rebrand Omicron to keep the populace scared? Maybe. Meantime, while admittedly more contagious, the new sub-variant known as BA.2 can be detected using regular PCR tests but will not be any different from the original. For most people contracting the BA.2, the results are symptoms similar to a bad cold.

PHOTO CREDIT: By NIAID Rocky Mountain Laboratories (RML), U.S. NIH – https://www.niaid.nih.gov/news-events/novel-coronavirus-sarscov2-images, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=87089606