The New York Times reported that the new Omicron variant could cause it to spread quickly among people who are already fully protected against the coronaviruses.
The variant was first detected in South Africa. It has spread to several other countries, including Israel and Belgium, prompting travel restrictions across Europe, Asia, and North America.
It's not clear if existing COVID-19 vaccines will protect against the variant. The World Health Organization has labeled the rise of Omicron a "variant of concern-sars-cov-2-variant-of-concern." Vaccine manufacturers have begun to consider their options in response.
That's a distinction given to the most threatening coronaviruses. The last one to receive the label was Delta, the variant that surged all summer.
The director of the Centre for Epidemic Response & Innovation in South Africa said at a news conference that this variant did surprise them. The full significance is still uncertain.
The Omicron variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning, according to the WHO.
The Times reported that health officials worry that the mutations might be able to circumvent the body's resistance to the vaccine.
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases in South Africa said in a statement on Thursday that its experts are working overtime to understand the new variant and what the potential implications could be.
As scientists and vaccine manufacturers rush to learn more about the coronaviruses, health officials are still urging people to get a booster shot.
The professor of clinical microbiology at Cambridge University urged people to get vaccinations and masks in public as he said the virus likely would escape neutralising antibodies.
