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Where did Omicron come from? Three key theories

The highly transmissible variant emerged with a host of unusual mutations. Now scientists are trying to work out how it evolved.
  1. Smriti Mallapaty
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Soweto residents walk past a mural educating people about the dangers of the coronavirus and mask wearing

People in Johannesburg, South Africa, near where cases of Omicron were first identified. Credit: Kim Ludbrook/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock

Little more than two months after it was first spotted in South Africa, the Omicron variant of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has spread around the world faster than any previous versions. Scientists have tracked it in more than 120 countries, but remain puzzled by a key question: where did Omicron come from?

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Nature 602, 26-28 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-00215-2

References

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