BRUSSELS (AP) — The world is confronting a new coronavirus variant, and officials have named it "omicron."
A World Health Organization panel has classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern. Its discovery in southern Africa sent a chill through much of the world as nations raced to halt air travel, markets fell sharply and scientists held emergency meetings.
RELATED:Â Stocks sink on new COVID variant; Dow loses 905 points
The overall risks of omicron are not yet known. But the 27-nation European Union and some other countries quickly suspended air travel from southern Africa and stepped up other precautions.