Black Twitter had users on the social site in stitches after finding humor in the news of another Covid-19 variant. By now, you’ve likely heard that Covid-19 remixed itself once again. We went from standard Covid-19, to the Delta variant and now the global is facing the Omicron variant. Still, the virus doesn’t seem to be curbing feel-good laughter. Early Tuesday, thousands of tweets engaged in renaming or acknowledging the variant’s new nickname: Omarion.
“Waking up to find out Black ppl have collectively decided the new Covid variant is not the Omicron…but the Omarion variant. I love us forreal,” account holder @_priestly wrote.
And The Jokes Keep Hittin’
The moment is another listing on Omarion’s viral resume. Earlier this year, the artist gave fans a lil’ rigid dance on a stage while wearing a now famed red, trench coat. A short clip of the moment sent the internet into a frenzy. For days, users across social media platforms created and engaged with memes and remake videos. Now, that same look and video is inspiring memes about the variant Omicron.
“They say in order to keep the Omarion variant away, you have to do this routine 3 times in the mirror,” user @aura_of_gold tweeted along with a video of Omarion’s viral dance.
Twitter users also dug through Omarion’s music catalogue to push out more funnies. From his lyrics to his music videos, folks found ways to relate Omicron to its unofficial name and face. On the other side, some people seemed to think “Omarion” was the variant’s true name.
“I’m crying I saw the Omicron variant and read Omarion and said “damn who names these things,” user @RanIstheITgirl tweeted.
“N***a I’m sitting here like “Omarion got that sh*t,” user @ConsciousBuddah said.
President Biden Speaks On Omicron
Jokes aside, the variant is causing some distress as scientists work to figure out its effects. Several countries, including the US, Canada, Japan, United Kingdom and Russia to name a few, have already imposed travel restrictions from southern African countries, per NPR.
Just yesterday, President Joe Biden addressed the nation regarding Omicron.
“First, this variant is a cause for concern, not a cause for panic. We have the best vaccine in the world. The best medicines, the best scientists, and we’re learning more every single day. And we’ll fight this variant with scientific and knowledgeable actions and speed. Not chaos and confusion,” President Biden said.
