Nation New COVID variant dubbed ‘omicron’ by WHO; vaccine makers already have contingency plans: Latest updates November 26, 2021November 27, 2021 Michael James, USA TODAY Comments Off on New COVID variant dubbed ‘omicron’ by WHO; vaccine makers already have contingency plans: Latest updates A COVID-19 variant in South Africa has been dubbed "omicron" and classified as a highly transmissible "variant of concern."