NEWS: New COVID Omicron Subvariant Detected in Florida

As the situation with COVID-19 continues to change and develop, AllEars will be bringing you the latest relevant news that could affect a theme park visit.

The global health crisis has had a massive effect on the world for the past two years.

The current spread of COVID-19 has continued to impose travel restrictions, and case numbers have fluctuated in Florida (home of Disney World) and beyond. With variants on the original virus driving spread, namely omicron and delta, we’ve got an important update on COVID variants in Florida.

According to the Tampa Bay Times, two cases of the stealth omicron subvariant have been spotted in Florida last month.

Stealth omicron is called that because it is harder to detect than the original omicron variant due to specific genetic traits. It was first detected in Texas and Washington in the United States after it appeared in Denmark in December.

The new variants prevalence is rising quickly, even becoming the dominant variant in some countries. Some scientists note it could be 150% more contagious than the original omicron variant.

Map of where the original Omicron variant had been discovered as of January 18th, 2022 ©New York Times

The omicron subvariant was found in a 69-year-old woman and a 32-year-old-man in Florida in January. It is currently unknown whether this variant could be more severe.

Health officials continue to encourage vaccination and adherence to COVID precautions. We’ll continue to keep an eye on any COVID-19 updates that could impact your Disney World trip. Stay tuned.