The new variant B.1.1.529 of the virus causing COVID-19, detected for the first time in southern Africa, was classified Friday of “concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO), and named “Omicron”.
“The B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to WHO by South Africa on November 24, 2021 […]. This variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are worrying, ”said the group of experts tasked by the WHO to monitor the evolution of COVID-19.
Biggest fall of 2021 on Wall Street
The New York Stock Exchange closed sharply on Friday, destabilized by the discovery of this new variant, which caused the Dow Jones’ biggest fall this year.
The flagship Wall Street index dropped 2.53%, much more than in the previous record of 2021 (-2.09%), which dated back to July. The Nasdaq index was down 2.23% and the extended S&P 500 index was down 2.27%, according to preliminary results.
Further details will follow.
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