It is too early to tell if the new B.1.1.529 strain of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, which may soon be classified a variant of concern (VOC), will pose a real threat, said experts - but the world is taking its emergence seriously.
This strain was first detected in South Africa on Nov 11, and has also been found in Botswana and Hong Kong. It has 32 mutations in the spike protein - about double that of the Delta strain, which now dominates Covid-19 infections around the world.
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