It is just over a week since Omicron was designated a "variant of concern" by the World Health Organization on Friday, 26 November.
Officially reported as B.1.1.529, it has the most mutations of any variant and has spread to most countries across the globe since first being detected in southern Africa in mid November.
While WHO has urged people not to panic over the emergence of Omicron, pointing out no deaths have yet been linked to the variant, its potential threat was cited as a cause for concern by Taoiseach Micheál Martin when he introduced the latest Covid-19 restrictions.
Here is what we know so far ... Is it all bad news? The simple answer is we don't know yet and the concerns about the variant are mainly around the unknowns.