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BBC OS: 2021/11/29 16:06 GMT: Omicron variant: What we know so far

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Omicron variant: What we know so far

2021/11/29 16:06 GMT

2021/11/29 16:06 GMT: Omicron variant: What we know so far

BBC World Service - BBC OS, Omicron variant: What we know so far

Our health experts explain how concerned we should be about the "heavily mutated" variant

We bring you an update on Omicron, the latest and most heavily mutated coronavirus variant so far. Countries have imposed travel bans against South Africa, where the variant was first discovered. President Cyril Ramaphosa has said he is "deeply disappointed" by the move. Our health experts explain what we know about the variant and how concerned we should be. We also hear reaction from people in South Africa directly impacted by the travel bans.

We go to Portugal where a football club has been hit with 13 cases of the variant after a player returned from South Africa. Omicron was discovered after the team - Belenenses - played a match against Benfica in Lisbon on Saturday.

And we speak to our colleague in northern Iraq, where many of the people who died in the English Channel while trying to cross into the UK are thought to have come from. We find out what we know about the victims, what news their families are receiving and how the events are being covered in Kurdish media.

(Photo: A healthcare worker prepares a dose of Sinovac Covid-19 vaccine during a vaccination drive in Medan, Indonesia. The Indonesian government issued an entry ban for international travellers from ten African countries and Hong Kong to prevent the entry of Omicron. Credit: EPA/Dedi Sinuhaji)

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