JIMMIE JOHNSON: HEALTH EXPERTS, WORLD LEADERS, AND NEWS ANCHORS ALL FLUBBING HOW TO SAY THE LATEST COVID-19 VARIANT.
DR. MARIA VAN KERKHOVE: “Today, we are announcing B.1.1.529 as a variant of concern named (Oh-my-kraan) Omicron”
PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN: “It’s called the (ah-me-cron) Omicron.”>
NEWS ANCHORS: “This new auh-muh-oh-my-cron variant. Oh-Moh-Mi-Cron. The rapidly spreading Oh-My-Cron variant.”
JIMMIE: DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO PRONOUNCE OMICRON?
EVEN MERRIAM- WEBSTER’S DICTIONARY IS CONFUSED.
THEY OFFER TWO PRONUNCIATIONS AN AMERICAN ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION AND A BRITISH ENGLISH PRONUNCIATION.
I’VE EVEN SEEN PEOPLE ON TWITTER JOKINGLY CALLING IT OMARION.
IT’S THE NAME OF THE FORMER LEAD SINGER OF THE GROUP B-2-K.
BUT ON A SERIOUS NOTE, THIS VARIANT HAS BEEN A CAUSE OF CONCERN FOR HEALTH EXPERTS TASKED WITH TRYING TO TRACK AND SLOW THE SPREAD OF COVID GLOBALLY.
I FIRST REPORTED HOW THE WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION DECIDED ON ITS NAME AND OTHER VARIANTS.
YOU CAN CHECK OUT THAT REPORT BY SEARCHING “AH-MUH-KRAAN” OMICRON ON OUR WEBSITE.
SO BACK TO OUR INITIAL QUESTION, SETTLING ON A COMMON PRONUNCIATION.
AS A NEWS ORGANIZATION, WE’VE DECIDED TO GO WITH AH-MUH-KRAAN AND WE’RE GOING TO STICK WITH THAT UNTIL AN OFFICIAL DETERMINATION IS MADE.
HOW ARE YOU PRONOUNCING IT? AH-MUH-KRAAN, OH-MUH-KRAAN OR OMARION?
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW.