WHO classes new Covid strain ‘variant of concern’ and names it ‘Omicron’

The highly infectious strain of coronavirus that emerged in South Africa has been classed as a ‘variant of concern’ by the World Health Organisation.

It is the fifth Covid mutation to be given this designation, and has been assigned the Greek name Omicron.

The WHO said that preliminary evidence suggests the variant, previously referred to as B.1.1.529, has an increased risk of reinfection and may spread more rapidly than other strains.

It added: ‘The first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on 9 November 2021.  

‘This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. 

‘Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs (Variants of Concern).

‘The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa.’

The variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa on Wednesday.

It has also been identified in Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.

The WHO says it will take a few weeks to understand the impact of the new variant.

It comes as countries impose travel bans on countries in southern Africa in a bid to contain the variant.

Earlier today EU Member States agreed to introduce restrictions on all travel into the bloc from 7 countries in the Southern Africa region: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe.

It followed a similar move from the UK government yesterday.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said earlier there is ‘huge international concern’ over the strain.

South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia are all on the UK’s red list, meaning British citizens returning from those countries must quarantine in a government-approved hotel for 14 nights, at the cost of around £2,000.

Although there have been no cases in the UK yet, ministers are facing calls to go further to prevent a wave of Omicron arriving in Britain while a Delta surge is ongoing.

There is heightened concern after Belgium became the first country in Europe to announce a case.

This is a breaking news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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