Omicron COVID variant: "Reason to be worried," but South African scientists feel punished for their good work
CBSN
Durban, South Africa — The Omicron variant of the coronavirus that was first detected in South Africa has now spread to at least 14 countries. Some experts believe it's likely already reached the U.S., but as governments including America's race to impose travel restrictions, scientists are racing to figure out how much more dangerous than previous strains this mutated virus really is.
From Monday, the U.S. was imposing restrictions on travelers from South Africa and seven other countries in the region. Already the new variant has been confirmed in Canada, with two cases in people who recently arrived from Nigeria — not one of the nations under the new U.S. travel restrictions.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, former head of the Food and Drug Administration, told CBS News' "Face the Nation" on Sunday that the new variant was likely already in the United States, but he said the government was better positioned to detect cases of the new strain than it was a year ago.
American adults are looking for love — and many are reporting they found someone. For the first time in almost two decades, the share of unpartnered adults — who are neither married nor living with an unmarried partner — in the United States has declined, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of Census Bureau data released on Wednesday. This decline coincided with a slight rise in couples who reported being married, from 50% to 51%, Pew found, signaling a possible change in America's relationships.