Omicron: New COVID variant sparks international alarm | DW News

DW News published this video item, entitled “Omicron: New COVID variant sparks international alarm | DW News” – below is their description.

After an emergency meeting on Friday, the World Health Organization classified the new COVID variant as a ‘variant of concern,’ and gave it the name omicron.

The new B.1.1.529 variant was first discovered on November 11, 2021 in Botswana, a country just north of South Africa. Since then, it has been detected in South Africa, mostly in the province of Gauteng, which includes Johannesburg and Pretoria, where the incidence rates are currently about 1,200.

Concern over the variant has prompted several countries to suspend and limit flights from the region.

DW News YouTube Channel

Got a comment? Leave your thoughts in the comments section, below. Please note comments are moderated before publication.


About This Source - DW News

DW News is a global English-language news and information channel from German public international broadcaster Deutsche Welle, established in summer 2015.

Recent from DW News:

Congo president sworn in for second term | dw news 1

Congo president sworn in for second term | DW News

Iran Revolutionary Guards reportedly killed in airstrike in Damascus | DW News

US mulls seizing $300 billion in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine | DW News

In This Story: Botswana

Botswana, a landlocked country in Southern Africa, has a landscape defined by the Kalahari Desert and the Okavango Delta, which becomes a lush animal habitat during the seasonal floods. The massive Central Kalahari Game Reserve, with its fossilized river valleys and undulating grasslands, is home to numerous animals including giraffes, cheetahs, hyenas and wild dogs.

4 Recent Items: Botswana

UN Chief: “We need an international financial system that meets the needs of LLDCs” | COP28

Botswana: Central Banks in The Face of Heightened External Volatility – The Experience of Botswana

Enoh Ebong on Eskom grant, US-Africa trade

What is the economic cost of the riots in France? | Counting the Cost

In This Story: COVID-19

Covid-19 is the official WHO name given to the novel coronavirus which broke out in late 2019 and began to spread in the early months of 2020.

Symptoms of coronavirus

The main symptoms of coronavirus are:

  • a persistent new cough (non productive, dry)
  • a high temperature (e.g. head feels warm to the touch)
  • shortness of breath (if this is abnormal for the individual, or increased)

Latest News about Covid-19

Below are stories from around the globe related to the 2020 outbreak of novel Coronavirus – since the WHO gave the Covid-19 naming. Most recent items are posted nearest the top.

5 Recent Items: COVID-19

Global National: Jan. 19, 2024 | Health data shows influenza, COVID-19 cases decreasing in Canada

Stock market today: Dow, S&P 500 hit record highs as tech stocks soar | January 19, 2024

Stock market today: Stocks climb with techs ready to roar | January 19, 2023

Dr Anthony Fauci ‘became part of the problem’ when it came to the spread of Covid misinformation

WEF summit: Canada warns of future supply shocks amid global instability

In This Story: Omicron

The Omicron variant of Covid-19 (also known as B.1.1.529) has been declared a Variant of Concern.

The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of the virus. The TAG-VE was convened on 26 November 2021 to assess the SARS-CoV-2 variant: B.1.1.529 – which is known as Omicron – the group declared the variant a Variant of Concern.

5 Recent Items: Omicron

COVID-19: How worried should we be about new variant?

Health Canada authorizes updated Moderna vaccine as “COVID indicators at low levels” | FULL

Pirola! An asteroid? Football player? No, it’s the latest COVID strain! | ABC CORONACAST

COVID-19: Seniors with Omicron more susceptible to re-infection, study finds

Surge of new COVID-19 cases in Canada due to EG.5 sub-variant

In This Story: South Africa

South Africa is a country on the southernmost tip of the African continent, marked by several distinct ecosystems. Inland safari destination Kruger National Park is populated by big game. The Western Cape offers beaches, lush winelands around Stellenbosch and Paarl, craggy cliffs at the Cape of Good Hope, forest and lagoons along the Garden Route, and the city of Cape Town, beneath flat-topped Table Mountain.

2 Recent Items: South Africa

Can international justice stop Israel? | Inside Story

MPs call for Canada to reject genocide claim against Israel | Power & Politics

In This Story: World Health Organization

The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution, which establishes the agency’s governing structure and principles, states its main objective as “the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health.”

3 Recent Items: World Health Organization

WHO’s Science in 5: Sun and skin cancer #shorts

WHO’s Science in 5: Sun and skin cancer

WHO Describes ‘Atrocious’ Living Conditions in Gaza

Leave a Comment

We don't require your email address, or your name, for anyone to leave a comment. If you do add an email address, you may be notified if there are replies to your comment - we won't use it for any other purpose. Please make respectful comments, which add value, and avoid personal attacks on others. Links are not allowed in comments - 99% of spam comments, attempt to post links. Please describe where people may find additional information - for example "visit the UN website" or "search Google for..." rather than posting a link. Comments failing to adhere to these guidelines will not be published.