LATEST: World Health Organization names the new B.1.1.529 variant Omicron and classifies it as a SARS-CoV-2 “variant of concern.”
Belgium’s health department has confirmed its first case of the new B.1.1.529 variant.
Hong Kong has two confirmed cases and Israel has one other confirmed case of the B.1.1.529 variant. Several cases have been reported in South Africa and Botswana. The European Union's executive branch said Friday that it wants to suspend air travel to the bloc from southern Africa due to concerns over a newly identified variant of the novel coronavirus.
The variant, called B.1.1.529, was first detected in South Africa earlier this week and has quickly spread. At least 22 cases have been confirmed in the country so far, according to South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases. South African scientist Tulio de Oliveira told reporters Thursday that the new variant carries"a very high number of mutations," but it's unclear whether it will limit the effectiveness of vaccines.
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