Home / Health / New Covid-19 variant 'Omicron' triggers global alarm, market sell-off

New Covid-19 variant 'Omicron' triggers global alarm, market sell-off

WHO said Omicron may spread more quickly than other forms, and preliminary evidence suggested there is an increased risk of reinfection

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The variant has a spike protein that is dramatically different than the one in the original coronavirus that vaccines are based on, the UK Health Security Agency said, raising fears about how current vaccines will fare

David Shepardson and Stephanie Nebehay | Reuters Washington/Geneva

5 min read Last Updated : Nov 27 2021 | 3:41 AM IST

The discovery of a new coronavirus variant named Omicron triggered global alarm on Friday as countries rushed to suspend travel from southern Africa and stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic suffered their biggest falls in more than a year.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) said Omicron may spread more quickly than other forms, and preliminary evidence suggested there is an increased risk of reinfection.

Epidemiologists warned travel curbs may be too late to stop Omicron from circulating globally. The new mutations were first discovered in South Africa and have since been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.

The United

Topics : Coronavirus WHO Coronavirus Tests

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