On today's episode of the 5 Things podcast: Omicron becomes the dominant COVID strain in the US

The variant has taken over in a matter of weeks. Plus, health inequities reporter Nada Hassanein discusses a disturbing leading cause of death of pregnant women, kidnapped missionaries in Haiti have escaped, minimum wages are set to rise in 21 states and the winter solstice is here.

Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Taylor Wilson:

Good morning, I'm Taylor Wilson and this is 5 Things you need to know Tuesday, the 21st of December 2021. Today, omicron becomes the dominant variant. Plus how kidnapped missionaries in Haiti escaped, and more.

Here are some of the top headlines:

1. Armed gangs have killed 47 people in recent days in Northern Nigeria. No group has claimed responsibility, but they're expected to be the work of bandits who have killed at least 2,500 people in the region so far in 2021.
2. A strong magnitude 6.2 earthquake has hit Northern California. The quake came just after noon yesterday about 200 miles northwest of San Francisco. Damage was limited since the earthquake happened in a rural area.
3. And glaciers in the Himalayas are melting at what scientists are calling an exceptional rate. A new study finds that's because of global warming and is threatening the...

Read Full Story: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2021/12/21/omicron-overtakes-delta...