The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday declared the new COVID-19 variant from southern Africa a "variant of concern," and named it Omicron, according to Anadolu Agency. The declaration came after the Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution
New coronavirus found in bats in China, scientists deeply worried - Researchers say their discoveries in a single, small region of Yunnan province, southwestern China show just how many coronaviruses there are in bats.
20 May 2021, 05:05 am
Singapore required Facebook and Twitter to notify its users that the statement claiming that there is a new COVID-19 variant from the country is not true at all. The two social media platforms have responded and said that they are legally bounded to comply.
Singapore s ministry of health said, on May 19, that it is aware that a misleading statement has been spreading on social media, Reuters reported.
(Photo : by Ore Huiying/Getty Images)
SINGAPORE, SINGAPORE - JULY 07: Marina Bay Sands Hotel is seen reflected in the pond at the Art Science Museum on July 07, 2020 in Singapore. Residents will go to the polls to elect members of parliament on July 10.
South African variant of Covid could significantly reduce vaccine protection: Pfizer
Premium
A nurse shows a vial of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine at the Santo Tomas Hospital, in Panama City, Panama February 17, 2021. REUTERS/Erick Marciscano
(REUTERS)
. Updated: 18 Feb 2021, 08:37 AM IST Agencies
Pfizer and BioNTech said they were doing similar lab work to understand whether their vaccine is effective against another variant first found in Brazil
Share Via
Read Full Story
A laboratory study released on Wednesday suggests that the South African variant of Covid-19 may reduce antibody protection from the Pfizer-BioNTech SE coronavirus vaccine by two-thirds, and it is not clear if the shot will be effective against the mutation, the companies said.
New Covid strain in South Africa may escape immune system, warn researchers
The new, mutated coronavirus variant may be able to slip parts of the immune system, according to researchers.
advertisement
UPDATED: January 22, 2021 14:06 IST
If the virus continues to evolve and become resistant to the antibodies, it could also mean that the current vaccines developed may need to be redesigned to produce an antibody response, according to experts. (Photo for representation: AFP)
According to researchers, the new coronavirus strain in South Africa may be of greater concern to healthcare professionals and the general public.
The new, mutated coronavirus variant may be able to slip parts of the immune system, reports said, adding that the novel coronavirus may be able to reinfect more than half the people who have already been sick with the Covid-19.