Omarion has responded to the ongoing jokes comparing his name to the new COVID-19 variant, omicron. The R&B singer played into the memes on TikTok, Saturday.
“Hi everybody, this is Omarion. I am an artist, not a variant,” he says in a video. “So please be aware that if you just so happen to run into me on the street, you don’t have to isolate for five days, nor do you have to have a negative test result in order to dance to my music. So please, be safe, be healthy, happy new year.”
It isn’t the first time the “Touch” singer has played into the joke. Over the holidays, he shared memes on social media accusing him of “ruining Christmas for everybody.”
Bennett Raglin / Getty Images
Around Christmas, omicron overtook delta to become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that it was responsible for 60% of all variants by Christmas.
Experts have told CNN that omicron is expected to reach its peak by the end of January.
“I think it’s likely that we’ll see this wave come and go and that the spring and summer will look a lot better than right now looks to us,” Dr. Ofer Levy recently told the outlet.
Check out Omarion’s new TikTok below.
@omarion