Cases and excess deaths are up in many countries, so it's early to say that it's mild. There is an additional wrinkle: a lineage of Omicron (BA.2) has recently

Cases and excess deaths are up in many countries, so it's early to say that it's mild. There is an additional wrinkle: a lineage of Omicron (BA.2) has recently been discovered that requires full genetic sequencing to be detected as "Omicron" rather than "regular COVID", because it lacks a feature that allowed PCR tests to detect BA.1. It's becoming known as "stealth Omicron", which is a delightfully rad name. It's possible this lineage has spread widely, which could explain much of the recent rise in seemingly non-Omicron COVID cases and deaths.