Emergence of new virus variant in Africa stokes worldwide fears

People gather outside a bank while waiting to withdraw cash in Harare, Zimbabwe, after news of a new, potentially more transmissible Covid-19 variant emerging in southern Africa (Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi/AP))

The discovery of a new coronavirus variant has sent a chill through much of the world as nations raced to halt air travel, markets plunged and scientists held emergency meetings to weigh the exact risks, which were largely unknown.

A World Health Organisation panel named the variant Omicron and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the Delta variant, the world’s most prevalent.