Connect with us

    Hi, what are you looking for?

    E-health

    WHO Names New COVID Strain, ‘Omicron’

    World Health Organisation (WHO) has named the latest COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa, the Greek name ‘Omicron’.

    According to NAN, the health body also labelled it a variant of concern due to its large number of mutations and possible faster rate of infection.

    WHO, in a statement on Friday, said there is an increased risk of reinfection with this variant of concern compared to other strains, such as Delta.

    It explained that ‘Omicron has been detected at faster rates than in previous surges in infection, suggesting that it “may have a growth advantage”.

    Experts have also asked countries to enhance surveillance and genome sequencing efforts to better understand the variant.

    Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s COVID-19 technical lead also stated that the information about the now ‘Omicron’ variant is still limited and there are fewer than 100 whole-genome sequences that are available.

    “What we do know is that this variant has a large number of mutations, and the concern is that when you have so many mutations it can have an impact on how the virus behaves,” she said.

    Kerkhove explained that researchers are currently trying to determine where the mutations are and what they potentially mean for diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccines.

    “It will take a few weeks for us to understand what impact this variant has, there’s a lot of work that is underway,” she added.

    The UN health agency, therefore, advised countries to adopt a risk-based and scientific approach to travel bans linked to the new variant identified in South Africa and Botswana.

    Kerkhove thanked researchers from these countries for openly sharing information with the UN health agency.

    Spread the love
    Click to comment

    Leave a Reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    ad

    You May Also Like

    News

    The Enugu State Government has accused Olasijibomi Ogundele, CEO of Sujimoto Luxury Construction Limited, of defrauding the state of N5.7 billion paid for the...

    Broadcasting

    Gauteng High Court, Johannesburg, has awarded damages of more than R2.6 million to the girlfriend of a Nigerian citizen who was suffocated to d3ath...

    E-Financial

    The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has announced the suspension of the foreign exchange trading licence of United Bank for Africa (UBA) Ghana, effective September...

    E-Financial

    The Bank of Ghana (BoG) has suspended the remittance partnerships of several fintech companies including Flutterwave, Tap Tap Send, and others for a period...