WHO warns new COVID-19 variant is spreading quickly in parts of Europe
March 11, 2022, 6:46 am

WHO warns new COVID-19 variant is spreading quickly in parts of Europe

The World Health Organization (WHO) at their headquarters in Geneva amid the COVID-19 outbreak. (AFP)

The Arab News reported, the World Health Organization has warned that a new COVID-19 variant, which is a combination of the previously identified delta and omicron versions, is spreading quickly in parts of Europe.

The organization said on Wednesday that the variant, dubbed “deltacron” by some, “has been found to be spreading in France, Holland and Denmark. WHO also believes it has also identified two cases in the US. It plans to publish a report of its findings soon.

The worrying announcement came just days before March 11, the second anniversary of the day on which the WHO declared a global pandemic. The organization issued grave warnings that the new variant has the potential to become a major problem in both Europe and US. Some experts, however, are not so concerned.

Covid-19 (File photo: Shuterstock) — World Health Organization warns that a new COVID-19 variant is spreading quickly in parts of Europe (File photo: Shutterstock)

William Lee, chief science officer at Helix, a lab in California that sequences COVID-19 samples, told the Daily Mail: “The fact that there is not that much of it, that even the two cases we saw were different, suggests that it’s probably not going to elevate to a variant-of-concern level.”

Overall numbers of deltacron cases remain low, even in countries where some person-to-person spread has been detected. Lee said he does not even expect the variant to warrant its own name based on Greek letters.

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In the US and most of Europe, where virus cases and deaths generally have been falling, the highly infectious omicron variant remains the dominant strain.

Source: arabnews

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BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”