WHO’s warning came about Omicron, said – the risk of new variant is ‘very high’

GenevaThe World Health Organization warned on Monday that the risk associated with the new variant of the coronavirus, Omicron, is ‘very high’. The WHO said the B.1.1529 strain, which was first detected in South Africa, is ‘very isolated’ and has the potential to spread very rapidly internationally and potentially have ‘serious consequences’. Omicron has a number of spike mutations that are spreading rapidly in Europe and now in the UK. This statement by WHO is worrying, which states that the overall global risk assessment related to Omicron is too high. After Europe, Omicron is now spreading its feet in the UK. There have been six cases of Omicron in Scotland, taking the total to nine in the UK. Earlier, three cases of Omicron were reported in the UK. The Scottish government said four cases had been reported in Lanarkshire and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde region.

‘It’s too early to say anything’Scotland’s Deputy First Minister John Sweeney said: ‘In some cases, we know they do not involve any travel history. So this tells us that there has been some community transmission of this particular form of the virus.’ He, however, also said that it is too early to say whether there is a need for more stringent social distancing norms against this new pattern which has the potential to be highly contagious.

Britain included African countries in the ‘Red List’He also said that its response to current vaccines is yet to be ascertained. Omicron was first detected in South Africa and cases later emerged in countries around the world, including Australia, Germany, Israel and Hong Kong. Britain has added ten countries in southern Africa to the UK’s travel ban ‘red list’ and from Tuesday all foreign travelers arriving in the UK will be required to undergo a PCR test.