WHO designates new COVID strain Omicron as ‘variant of concern’
Al JazeeraThe World Health Organization has designated a new coronavirus strain detected in South Africa as a “variant of concern”, prompting countries around the world to impose travel restrictions amid fears over its potential spread. Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s COVID-19 Technical Lead, said on Friday that Omicron was designated as a “variant of concern” because it has some “worrying” properties. “Number two, it penalises countries like South Africa for being open and sharing this data.” Meanwhile, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson – whose government imposed travel restrictions on Thursday – praised South Africa’s transparency in sharing scientific data during a phone call with the country’s President Cyril Ramaphosa, Downing Street said. “They discussed the challenges posed globally by the new COVID-19 variant, and ways to work together to deal with it and reopen international travel,” the UK government said in a statement describing the call.