THE World Health Organization (WHO) has declared the recently discovered B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19, first detected in southern Africa, as a variant of concern and renamed it Omicron yesterday.

The classification puts the strain into the most-troubling category of Covid-19 variants, along with the globally dominant Delta, as well as its weaker rivals Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

Nations rushed to ban flights to slow the spread of Omicron yesterday, while oil prices and stock markets plunged on fears surrounding the variant, potentially dealing a heavy blow to the global economic recovery.

“Based on the proof presented indicative of a detrimental change in Covid-19 epidemiology… WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a variant of concern (VOC), named Omicron,” said the United Nations health agency in a statement.

WHO said it can take a few weeks to complete Omicron studies to see if there is any change in transmissibility, severity or implication for vaccines, tests and treatments.

Reinfection concerns

WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution came up with the change in classification after a virtual meeting.

The body first heard of the variant from South Africa on Wednesday.

Omicron’s first known confirmed case is from a specimen collected on November 9. In recent weeks, infections have steeply increased in South Africa, coinciding with the detection.

“This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning,” said WHO, pointing to worrying characteristics.

“Preliminary proof suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant, compared with other VOCs.”

The number of such cases appeared to be increasing in almost all provinces of South Africa, it added.

On testing for the strain, it said: “Current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics continue to detect this variant.”

Greek alphabet names

All viruses mutate over time, including SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

During late last year, the emergence of variants that pose an increased risk to global public health prompted WHO to start characterising them as variants of interest, and the more-worrying variants of concern, to inform the response to the pandemic.

The UN health agency decided to name the variants after the letters of the Greek alphabet, to avoid the countries that first detected them being stigmatised.

It called on countries to increase their surveillance and virus sequencing efforts to better understand circulating variants yesterday.

WHO Covid-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove urged people to reduce their chances of catching the virus.

“We understand that people are concerned. What is really important as an individual is to lower your exposure.

“These proven public health measures, have never been more important,” she said, citing distancing, mask-wearing, good ventilation, avoiding crowded areas, “and when it is your turn, get vaccinated”. – AFP, November 27, 2021.