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| WHO classifies B.1.1.529 as a Covid variant of concern named Omicron | WHO classifies B.1.1.529 as a Covid variant of concern named Omicron |
| (31 minutes later) | |
| The World Health Organization (WHO) has named the new Covid-19 variant first detected in southern Africa “Omicron”, the UN health agency said after a meeting on Friday. | |
| The global health agency met on Friday to name the B.1.1.529 strain and decided to classify it as a “variant of concern,” rather than the less serious designation of “variant of interest.” | |
| The Delta variant, which caused surging Covid-19 infections around the globe after it was first detected in late December 2020, was also categorized as a variant of concern by the WHO earlier this year. | |
| The agency adopted the practice of naming variants after letters in the Greek alphabet, at least partly to avoid geographic stigmas being attached to the areas where they were first identified. Many observers had expected B.1.1.529 to be named “Nu”. | |
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