Once again, the world seems to have been caught off guard by a new variant of COVID spreading at a time when most people functionally consider the pandemic to be over and done with. Just as everything from malls to schools is beginning to fully reopen, this new variant has brought back the familiar terror of an unknown variant spreading worldwide. The variant, referred to as B.1.1.529, has been labelled as the Omicron variant by the WHO which has designated it as a variant of concern. The variant was only distinctly identified in the last week and sparked concerns due to it having a large number of mutations. In total, the variant has been observed to have more than 30 mutations on its spike protein, more than double the number carried by the Delta variant that wreaked havoc across the world this year. The variant is considered concerning due to its potential to evade immunity, potentially carrying an increased likelihood of infecting or even reinfecting people who have immunity to previous variants of COVID. The variant is causing a surge of new cases in South Africa, particularly in the Gauteng province where the variant was first identified. Scientists have stated that the large number of mutations exhibited by the variant may have emerged from a chronic infection of an immunocompromised individual like an HIV/AIDS patient. All this, naturally, sounds concerning. Just like Delta, this variant has been noted to be a variant of concern that seems to be spreading quickly at the moment. The possibility that its many mutations would make it more effective at dodging immunity is also concerning as much of the progress that has been made to bring an end to the pandemic is based on building up this immunity to COVID through the use of vaccines, etc. Now, it should be noted that there is no indication that vaccines, our best hope against this pandemic, will be a complete failure against this new variant. What scientists expect is that, just as was the case with Delta, vaccines will simply be less effective at preventing Omicron infections. It is also important to emphasise that vaccine companies are already working to tailor the vaccines to this new, unusual variant. Other treatments, like Merck's antiviral drug, would likely work regardless as such drugs do not target the protein spike. The new variant is already causing a global panic. Flight restrictions from in and around South Africa have been followed by a notable drop in global markets as panic selling ensued on expectations of further border closures and travel bans. Global events are no exception. The WTO Geneva conference has been cancelled for the second time. More recently, ICC cancelled the Women's World Cup Qualifier in Zimbabwe citing the risk of the new variant spreading. Such concerns may be a little too late, however. Many experts say that the variant has already likely spread across the world and these new pockets of infection will soon become apparent. This means that, short of going for hard and fast measures like lockdowns, there is very little meaning to simply putting travel bans in place. Of course, lockdowns come with their own consequences and most world governments would be unwilling to shutter their economies during a time of post-COVID recovery. For now, as new cases of this variant are found in Europe and elsewhere, it has become important to accept that while the world as a whole may be in a rush to leave COVID behind as a bad memory of 2020 and 2021, the virus is not so keen on letting us go just yet. Even with vaccines and new treatments, the world is still not out from under the dark clouds of this pandemic. While we can optimistically hope that the worst is already behind us, the real problem with such optimism is there is no way to know this for a fact. Overall, this variant does not necessitate some radical new approach or treatment to tackle it. For the most part, it requires more of the same that we have already been doing since the beginning of the pandemic. Taking the vaccine, taking sensible precautions when out and about and not letting complacency and COVID-fatigue guide your day-to-day actions.