"Omicron" - This is the name of the new African strain of corona that threatens the world

"Omicron" - This is the name of the new African strain of corona that threatens the world, according to the World Health Organization. Omicron is the 15th letter in the Greek alphabet. According to the organization in its announcement today (Friday), there is evidence that this strain causes increased infection and is considered a "cause for concern". This is the fifth variant of the virus that has been defined as such since the outbreak of the plague.
The new strain of corona virus has recently been identified in South Africa. Scientists claim that it is a cause for concern due to its large number of mutations (at least 50 different mutations, 32 of them in the spike protein associated with the virus' infectious abilities and on which the vaccines were developed) and its rapid spread among young people. The new strain has so far also been identified in Israel, among travelers who came from Africa.
The British government has subsequently banned the entry of flights from a number of African countries. Other countries later took a similar decision, with the White House even announcing that it would restrict flights from eight countries: South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Aswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.
Meanwhile an unvaccinated young woman from Belgium has been diagnosed as carrying the new strain of corona. This is the first case identified in continental Europe. The young woman was found positive earlier this week, after returning to the country from Egypt via Turkey about two weeks ago.
Dr Anthony Pauchi, an adviser to US President Joe Biden on tackling the corona plague, said in an interview with CNN that US health officials had discussed the matter of the new South African variant. "There is no decision regarding a travel ban," he noted. "There is no indication that the new variant is already in the US - and it is unclear whether it is resistant to the vaccine," he said.
The total number of corona cases in the world since the outbreak of the epidemic today crossed the 260 million mark, and the death toll from the virus has exceeded 5.18 million, according to information collected by Johns Hopkins University.
The US is still at the top of the list with 48 million infected and almost 776,000 deaths. The average death toll in the country is still over 1,000 a day, and the number of infected and hospitalized is on the rise again. India is in second place after 34.6 million and 467 A thousand deaths. Brazil is in third place with 613,000 deaths from corona and 22 million cases of infection. In Europe, Russia is the leader in the number of deaths with 265 thousand, followed by Britain with 145 thousand.