US President Joe Biden and White House medical adviser Dr. Anthony Fauci have caused concern with repeated mistakes pronouncing the Omicron variant, insisting it is not a “cause for panic.”
During a Monday press conference, Biden urged calm in the face of the latest coronavirus variant, announced last week by the World Health Organization (WHO).
During his address, Biden defended the travel restrictions placed on multiple African countries and urged Americans to get vaccinated and then subsequently get booster shots to protect from Omicron, which health experts are still gathering data on.
Many noticed during Biden’s talk, however, that he repeatedly pronounced Omicron as ‘Omnicron’.
“It’s called the Omnicron,” he said, going on to repeat the mistake multiple times. Though he had difficulty pronouncing the actual name, Biden said the variant was a “cause for concern,” but not for panic, among the American people.
Fauci, who Biden said led his Covid briefing, would repeat the president’s mistake, saying, “even before Omnicron came in, we had a situation where we’ll be able to test,” he said at one point in response to a reporter’s question.
Many have pointed out Biden’s repeated mispronunciations as he addressed the variant, with many pointing out how easy the mistake is, but noting the oddness as Biden has been briefed more than most on the subject.
In multiple tweets from Biden’s official account during his speech, Omicron was referenced and correctly spelled multiple times.
Omicron is the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet. The variant that has taken the name has been identified in multiple African countries, as well as nations such as the UK, Australia, Hong Kong, and others.