Omicron Trends High in Media

A new virus variant, Omicron, has again captured the attention of the world. In fact, it feels like November 2019 again when COVID-19 was lurking on the corridors of most countries, originating from China then. This time, it’s South Africa. 

Omicron is strain B.1.1.529 of COVID-19 and is expected to be more infectious. And this has put media publications across the world jumping into action again. To help you understand better, we’ve put together a glimpse of what’s already happening and what’s expected to be in news.

An infographic in Economic Times gives a clear picture

Newsrooms are pacing up and down, right and left to get every update and development on Omicron. Interestingly, this is very evident in the news trends.

Omicron had 3112 mentions on Nov 30 alone. In addition, it made it to the headline of 34% of the total of 8545 stories from Nov 26. Meaning, in 4 days, it has received 8545 news mentions. The conclusion is clear, Omicron has truly arrived.

Trendspotting and prediction on Omicron:

*Travelling:*  The chance of the virus spreading has immediately got the government to take action on international flights. Likewise, companies and individuals are changing their travel itineraries, and journalists are capturing the action and sentiment around traveling.

*Testing:* Insacorg, a consortium of Government institutions, advised a modified PCR test for Omicron. To this end, how would this testing spread? In what ways is the government going to ramp up? How will companies help their employees? All that’s in the news already.

*Trend prediction*

#BacktoHome: As early as this week, we expect companies to take action on #Backtohome strategies, rise in office commute. Hence, this will also make its way to news stories.

*Industry Impact*: Industries like Jobs, logistics, retail, transportation, aviation, education, and FMCG will witness some impact. In fact, early signals based on data will have newsrooms interested.

We had anticipated that the mainstream publications will be the first to capture this in its entirety, and it’s reflecting. And these journalists are writing the most on Omicron.

If your company’s newsroom is thinking, act on these trends now. To understand how Wizikey helps you identify and integrate these trends, talk to us.