NAIROBI, Dec 15, 2021 (AFP) – Kenya has detected its first cases of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, the country’s health minister said on Wednesday. “We have detected the Omicron variant among passengers in airports,” said Mutahi Kagwe, without specifying when and where the variant was first identified. Kagwe said those hospitalised with Covid-19 in Kenya … Read more
WASHINGTON, Dec 3, 2021 (AFP) – The United States and Australia announced their first locally transmitted cases of the Omicron variant as authorities worldwide rushed on Friday to stem the spread of the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain. The World Health Organization has warned it could take weeks to determine whether Omicron is more transmissible and whether it causes … Read more
OSLO, Dec 3, 2021 (AFP) – At least 17 people who came down with Covid-19 after a Christmas party gathering over 100 guests in Oslo last week are suspected of having the Omicron variant, city officials said on Friday. “So far 60 people have tested positive (for Covid) with PCR tests, and four with antigen tests. … Read more
NAIROBI, Dec 2, 2021 (AFP) – The African Union’s health watchdog on Thursday appealed for calm over Omicron, the new, heavily mutated Covid-19 variant which has prompted many governments to impose new restrictions. The new variant was first reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) by South Africa a week ago, and has quickly showed up across … Read more
LONDON: British airline EasyJet warned on Tuesday that it was “too soon” to assess the impact of the Omicron coronavirus variant on the aviation sector, after logging narrowing annual losses as skies reopened. The emergence last week of Omicron, a new concerning Covid variant first detected in southern Africa, has prompted some nations including Britain … Read more
GENEVA, The World Health Organization warned Monday the new Covid-19 Omicron variant poses a “very high” risk globally, despite uncertainties about the danger and contagion levels of the new strain. The UN health agency said the Covid strain first discovered in southern Africa was a “highly divergent variant with a high number of mutations… some of which are concerning … Read more
Bitcoin led a rout in cryptocurrencies on Friday as investors fled assets considered riskier, including stocks and commodities, and headed for the refuge of government bonds, the Japanese yen and the US dollar, Arab News reported. Concerns over a new Covid-19 variant that may evade vaccines and spread more quickly than previous mutations were seen as responsible … Read more
