other four previous variants of concern. so it has mutations that are similar to the delta variants. so we re expecting it to transmit faster and based on the early evidence we see in south africa, it s certainly transmitting faster than the delta variant. reporter: already confirmed in at least 15 countries, it s clear omicron is making its way across borders. we re going to see cases of this new variant here in the united states. reporter: trying to slow the spread, the u.s. along with almost 50 other countries who have put travel restrictions on countries in southern africa are sparking criticism. it s outrageous that south africa, southern africa is being pu punished for having good surveillance and ensuring we wanted to be transparent and share this data with the rest of the world as soon as we knew it and confirmed it. reporter: these restrictions have left travellers in limbo. we ve probably already had about ten flights booked that we