Coronavirus Watch: What to know about the new 'variant of concern'

There's a new COVID-19 "variant of concern," the World Health Organization said Friday.
First discovered in South Africa, the new variant, dubbed "omicron," appears to have a high number of mutations in the virus’ spike protein, which has prompted worry about how easily it will spread.
Dr. Anthony Fauci said American officials will have a call with South African officials to find out more about the variant. He said there was no indication the variant had arrived in the U.S. yet. Learn more here.
It's Friday, and this is Coronavirus Watch from the Paste BN Network. Here's more news to know:
- The U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa, as well as Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, according to a statement from senior Biden administration officials Friday. The policy does not apply to American citizens and permanent residents.
- Several nations, including Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and Japan, also responded to news of the variant by moving to restrict air travel from several southern African countries. The European Union is recommending a ban on flights from the countries.
- Israel announced it detected the country's first case of the newly discovered variant in a traveler returning from Malawi.
- Amid news of the variant, stocks sank Friday, with the Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly falling more than 1,000 points.
Today's numbers: The U.S. has reported more than 48.1 million COVID-19 cases and 775,800 deaths, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. Worldwide, there have been more than 260.3 million cases and more than 5.1 million deaths. About 70% of people in the U.S. have received at least one vaccine shot, and about 59% are fully vaccinated, according to the CDC. Among U.S. adults, 82% have received at least one shot, and about 71% are fully vaccinated.
Tracking the pandemic: See the numbers in your area here. See where cases are rising here. See vaccination rates here. And here, compare vaccinations rates worldwide and see which countries are using which vaccines.
– Grace Hauck, Paste BN breaking news reporter, @grace_hauck