WHO names new coronavirus variant as Omicron and classes it to be 'of concern'

WHO names new coronavirus variant as Omicron and classes it to be 'of concern'
November 27, 2021, 5:54 am

Africa-Ghana-Crowded street/Pixabay

The BBC reported, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a new coronavirus variant to be "of concern" and named it Omicron.

The WHO said, it had a large number of mutations, and early evidence suggested an increased reinfection risk.

It was first reported to the WHO from South Africa on 24 November, and has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.

A number of countries around the world have now decided to ban or restrict travel to and from southern Africa.

COVID-19-Virus/Pixabay

Travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini will not be able to enter the UK unless they are UK or Irish nationals, or UK residents.

The WHO said it would take a few weeks to understand the impact of the new variant, as scientists worked to determine how transmissible it was.

A top UK health official warned that vaccines would "almost certainly" be less effective against the new variant.

Professor James Naismith said mutations in the variant suggested it may spread more quickly - but transmissibility "is not just as simple as 'this amino acid does this'" and was determined by how mutations worked together.

Source: BBC

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