Coronavirus variant Omicron found in South Africa ‘of concern’, says WHO
- Biden orders US travel ban on visitors from eight African countries as a ‘precautionary measure’, joining governments from the EU, to the UK to Hong Kong
- Moderna to develop a booster shot to target the new threat, as scientists seek to ascertain whether the variant is resistant to existing Covid-19 vaccines
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday designated a new Covid-19 variant detected in South Africa with a large number of mutations as being “of concern”, the fifth variant to be given the designation.
The WHO said in a statement that it had assigned the B. 1.1.529 variant the Greek letter Omicron.
The UN health agency also said early evidence on the variant has shown an increased risk of reinfection compared to other highly transmissible variants, indicating that people who contracted Covid-19 and recovered could be more subject to catching it again with Omicron.
The WHO suggested that the variant could pose greater risks than the Delta variant, which has been causing ravages worldwide.
02:24
UK bans travel from South Africa after emergence of new heavily-mutated Covid-19 variant
The announcement marks the first time in months that agency has classified a Covid-19 variant as one “of concern”. The Delta variant is in the same category.