The World Health Organisation has called the latest COVID-19 variant identified in South Africa, the Greek name ‘Omicron’.
WHO also labeled it a variant of concern because of its large number of mutations and possible faster rate of infection.
WHO said that preliminary evidence also suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant of concern, as compared to other strains, such as Delta.
According to the UN health agency, the number of cases currently appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa.
The organization explains that the variant has been detected at faster rates than in previous surges in infection, implying it “may have a growth advantage”.
Experts have charged countries to strengthen surveillance and genome sequencing efforts to better understand the variant.
