We’re going to begin with a growing concern about a new variant of Coronavirus first discovered earlier this month in South Africa and since, turning up in Belgium, Israel even Hong Kong. The World Health Organization at an emergency meeting today, gave the highly transmissible variant of concern as they call it a name “Omicron”. Scientists are now working around the clock to learn if it is more dangerous than the delta variant which of course, sparked a fourth wave of global cases and fatalities earlier this year. That possibility sent shock wave through Wall Street. The Dow suffered its worst day of the year, plunging more than 900 points or about 2.5%. And the S&P 500 and NASDAQ also dropped by more than 2%. Well, this afternoon, the US responded, joining a growing list of nations in Europe and Asia, restricting travel from South Africa and Seven other countries in that region. And tonight, Moderna and Pfizer say they can adjust their vaccines if and when needed. Johnson and Johnson, meanwhile is already testing its vaccine effectiveness against the variant.
Once again South Africa has become ground zero for a new variant. Nearly a year ago, it discovered the Beta variant. Now it detected one that has over 30 mutations, the biggest jump in the virus’s evolution since the pandemic began. And what concerns scientists is whether the new variant, named Omicron, is more transmissible than other strains or vaccine resistance. The virus was first detected after a spike in cases near Johannesburg. Numbers are still low, but they are more than doubled in two days, and it’s mostly been found in young adults, a group with low vaccination rate. Scientists are now working around the clock, to find answers, but a jittery is not waiting for them. International visitors are scrambling to get home as the US joins countries in Europe and Asia who’ve already closed their doors to South Africa. The world has been here before. The highly transmissible delta variant, first identified in India, in December last year, quickly spread to become the dominant strain in a matter of months, forcing more lockdowns last summer.
:::tip jittery
- being in a tense state. 战战兢兢的
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