Omicron may become the dominant new variant of COVID-19, and has the world waiting for data on just how transmissible and severe the latest incarnation of this virus could turn out to be.

If this new mutated strain is confirmed to be a mild version of the virus, then that could be a big victory in the near two-year war against the disease. Still, this is unlikely to be the final battle, as other variants will surely follow in omicron’s wake.