WHO hosts special meeting on worrying new Covid-19 variant

Geneva: The World Health Organization’s advisors held a special session Friday to flesh out information about a worrying new variant of the coronavirus that has emerged in South Africa, though a top expert says its impact on Covid-19 vaccines may not be known for weeks.

Experts held a virtual meeting to discuss the so-called B.1.1.529 variant that has caused stock markets to swoon and led the European Union to recommend a pause in flights to southern Africa.

The group could decide if it’s a “variant of concern” — the most worrying type, like the well-known delta variant — or a “variant of interest”, and whether to use a Greek letter to classify it.