Oil prices were collapsed after the appearance of news on the spread of a new strain of coronavirus B.1.1.529, recently found in Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong, testify the data of trading.
Brent Oil on Friday, November 26, lost 5.17 percent, dropping from 82.25 to 78 dollars per barrel. At 11:50, she cost 78.69 dollars (minus 4.29 percent). WTI brand oil fell from 78.39 to 73.41 dollars, losing 6.46 percent. Later it rose to 74.19 dollars (minus 5.36 percent).
Investors fear that the spread of a new strain will slow down economic growth and will lead to new locomothes around the world. Some countries, including India and Singapore, have already introduced more stringent rules of border control.
Coronavirus strain B.1.1.529 was first discovered in South Africa. On November 26, the head of the Technical Group of Emergency Diseases of the World Health Organization (WHO) Maria Wang Kerkhov said that a new strain has a large number of mutations. In WHO, it is concerned about what it may affect how the disease behaves. The organization will examine the influence of the mutations of the strain B.1.1.529 for diagnosis, drugs and vaccines.