"Stealth" variant no cause for alarm, but could slow case decline, experts say

• In recent days, headlines about a "stealth" omicron variant have conjured the notion that a villainous new form of the coronavirus is secretly creating a disastrous new wave of COVID-19. That scenario is highly unlikely, scientists say. But the new variant, which goes by the scientific name BA.2 and is one of three branches of the omicron viral family, could drag out the omicron surge in much of the world.