The Omicron COVID-19 variant (B.1.1.529) was first identified in South Africa and reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) on November 24th, 2021. After being designated as a Variant of Concern by the United States on the first of December, Omnicron has quickly become the focus of the new COVID-19 winter 2021 surge. According to the CDC's data, as of December 6th, 2021, the Omnicron variant has been detected in over 15 U.S States and territories. Similar to the Delta variant, Omnicron is also reported to spread with greater ease and pace than the original COVID-19 variant. Early data from the WHO suggest Omnicron may spread up to twice as fast as the Delta variant.