Omicron: everything you need to know about new Covid variant
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent from on (#5SC9E)
Key questions answered about coronavirus variant first detected in southern Africa
The variant was initially referred to as B.1.1.529, but on Friday was designated as a variant of concern (VOC) by the World Health Organization because of its concerning" mutations and because preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant". The WHO system assigns such variants a Greek letter, to provide a non-stigmatising label that does not associate new variants with the location where they were first detected. The new variant has been called Omicron.
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