The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is spreading at a rate not seen with any previous variant. According to scientists, the higher transmission rate of Omicron is largely due to the sheer number of genetic mutations it carries - about 50 overall, and 32 mutations on spike protein alone. For comparison, Delta had only 13 mutations. The combination of all the mutations in Omicron makes it difficult for our body’s antibodies to recognize COVID. This makes Omicron 20x more transmissible than the original strain of COVID-19 and 2.5 times as transmissible as Delta, irrespective of the vaccination status.