With the number of countries reporting the Omicron (B.1.1.529) COVID-19 variant rising steadily and viral activity increasing in South Africa, the global health community is closely watching for new clues about whether other countries will see similar rises and if the variant will behave differently than earlier versions.In related developments, the World Health Assembly (WHA) began a special session today with a goal of forging a pandemic preparedness agreement.More natiions report cases, travel bansSince the new variant was first identified by South African scientists a few days ago, at least 17 countries have reported confirmed Omicron cases, mostly in Europe but also in Australia and Canada.The European Centre for Disease Prevention