RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The World Health Organization (W.H.O.) decided to include the B.1.1.259 coronavirus strain (now called Omicron) as a “variant of concern” after a Technical Advisory Group on the Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 Virus analysis conducted on Friday, November 26.
According to the Advisory Group, the Omicron strain was reported by South Africa to the W.H.O. on November 24, and its first known infection dates back to a sample collected on November 9.
In a statement, the multilateral organization points out that the variant has a large number of mutations, “some of which are worrisome,” and presented a high risk of reinfection compared to other variants classified as of concern, according to preliminary evidence.
According to the W.H.O., Omicron has emerged at a time when Covid-19 cases are surging in South Africa. Therefore, the organization recommends that countries enhance surveillance of new cases, issue new data on the variant to a public database, and promote studies on the strain in nations where there is clinical research capacity.