Bank of Canada cuts key rate for first time in more than 4 years
The Bank of Canada has cut its overnight rate by 25 basis points, a move not seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
The name of a newly identified variant of the coronavirus has had some social media users scratching their heads about the World Health Organization's system for labeling certain versions of the virus.
The WHO chose on Friday to dub the variant, first reported to the agency by scientists in South Africa, "Omicron" -- continuing its use of the Greek alphabet for naming notable variants of the virus.
Social media users correctly noted, however, that the organization skipped two letters in doing so, leading to questions about the move.
Here's what we know about how Omicron ended up with its name.
THE CLAIM
The World Health Organization has labeled the new strain the "Omicron" variant, skipping over "nu" and "xi" without explanation.
THE FACTS
The WHO on Friday gave the name "Omicron" to a new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The agency also deemed it a "variant of concern."
Omicron was first reported to the UN health agency by scientists in South Africa and has been identified in several other countries as well, The Associated Press has reported.
The WHO has followed the Greek alphabet when labeling certain variants of the virus, SARS-CoV-2, since May. It said the system allows for variants to be referred to in a simpler way than by their scientific names, and that it helps prevent people from referring to variants by the location where they were detected and creating stigma.
Many people had expected the agency to label the latest variant nu, which comes after mu, a variant designated on Aug. 30.
Instead, the WHO skipped over nu as well as xi, the next Greek letter in line -- a move that many users on social media pointed out, while some questioned whether it was to avoid offending Chinese leader Xi Jinping.
In a statement provided to the AP, the WHO said it skipped nu for clarity and xi to avoid causing offense generally.
"'Nu' is too easily confounded with 'new,' and 'Xi' was not used because it is a common last name," the WHO said, adding that the agency's "best practices for naming disease suggest avoiding 'causing offence to any cultural, social, national, regional, professional or ethnic groups."'
Those best practices were outlined in a May 2015 document issued by the agency. The organization said at the time that it wanted to "minimize unnecessary negative effects on nations, economies and people" when naming infectious diseases.
This is the first time the organization has skipped letters since it began using the Greek alphabet for coronavirus variants; it has previously used the alphabet to label 12 others. Alpha, beta, gamma and delta are all currently "variants of concern" like Omicron. Lambda and mu are given the less serious "variant of interest" designation. Six other letters were assigned to former variants of interest.
The Omicron variant appears to have a high number of mutations in the coronavirus' spike protein, which could affect how easily it spreads to people. The WHO said Friday that preliminary evidence "suggests an increased risk of reinfection" compared to other variants of concern.
But scientists are still in the process of researching exactly what the genetic changes mean, to know if the variant is more transmissible or dangerous. So far, there is no indication the variant causes more severe disease.
The Bank of Canada has cut its overnight rate by 25 basis points, a move not seen since the beginning of the pandemic.
The Hospitals of Regina Foundation (HRF) issued an official apology on Wednesday following comedian Rob Schneider's set at a fundraising event on Saturday night.
If an Oilers fan in Edmonton has the spare time, they can not only potentially witness their hockey heroes win and take a step closer to claiming puck glory, they can brag that they journeyed the longest distance between two NHL markets to do it.
Air Canada is now offering free beer and wine on flights within Canada and the U.S. until the end of the year.
Billionaire Elon Musk is questioning diversity and inclusion hiring practices, using the social media platform he owns to criticize a job posting from the University of British Columbia.
Five people associated with the Hells Angels motorcycle gang are facing charges after police raided two homes and two unlicensed bars in Waterloo Region.
President Vladimir Putin warned Germany on Wednesday that the use of its weapons by Ukraine to strike targets inside Russia would mark a 'dangerous step.'
McMaster Children’s Hospital is pausing scheduled tonsil and adenoid surgeries for patients under the age of 18 after officials say two pediatric patients who underwent the procedure died shortly after being discharged.
It was Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre’s birthday on Monday, but he could've probably done without the package that one of his more obscure backbenchers dropped on his doorstep, writes former NDP leader Tom Mulcair in his latest column for CTVNews.ca.
Marking a milestone, Lakeshore resident Olga White celebrated her 107th birthday in style Wednesday.
The municipality of Tantramar, N.B., is holding a sale to get rid of surplus items it acquired after the Town of Sackville amalgamated with smaller communities last year.
For several weeks, a mysterious social media user has apparently been leaving $50 bills hidden across Metro Vancouver.
A statue dedicated to the Royal Regina Rifles Regiment has been officially unveiled in France just ahead of the 80th anniversary of D-Day.
A Cape Breton is this year's recipient of the McEuen Scholarship, which gives him basically a full ride to the medical school at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland.
Mounties in Kelowna nabbed a would-be burglar with an apparent sweet tooth over the weekend.
When Alyssa Anklewich’s history teacher assigned her Westwood Collegiate class an essay about D-Day, the 15-year-old had other ideas.
Many people are familiar with the benefits of being in nature, but forest therapy goes a step further than a simple walk in the woods.
The Stanley Cup was passing through town Friday, and Lanny Legend took it upon himself to take it for a surprise visit.