In a statement to the World Health Organization (WHO) following the emergency meeting of its technical group on HIV assessment, WHO named "Omicron," a Greek alphabet for the new strain of corona virus, which it called "disturbing."

The statement said that "the B.1.1.529 strain was first reported in South Africa on 24 November 2021... In recent weeks, the number of casualties has risen sharply, as has the monitoring of the B. 1.1.529 . "

It noted that the first confirmed case of B.1.1.529 was in a sample taken on 9 November 2021.

The organization asserted that "the strain has a large number of mutations, some of which are of concern. Preliminary data indicate a higher risk of recurrent infections than other strains. The increase in the incidence of this strain is monitored in almost all provinces of South Africa. "

She noted that available PCR tests were capable of monitoring this strain of HIV and might have advances over other strains in terms of prevalence, based on data on the rise in infection numbers.

WHO added that its HIV evaluation team will continue its studies of the new strain and provide information to Member States.