at your peril. stephanie prentice reports. it's been three weeks since the first detection of the omicron mutation, but it's likely to be in most countries by now. that's according to the world health organization, who are pushing for increased vaccination, enforced mask wearing, and further social distancing as the new variant moves swiftly around the world. omicron is spreading at a rate we have not seen with any previous variant. we're concerned that people are dismissing omicron as mild. surely, we have learned by now that we underestimate this virus at our peril. even if omicron does cause less severe disease, the sheer number of cases could, once again, overwhelm unprepared health systems. 77 countries are now