HONG KONG: Shares in Hong Kong and mainland China opened with more losses Monday morning to extend a sell-off across world markets fuelled by fears about the new Omicron variant.

The Hang Seng Index dropped 0.71 percent, or 170.03 points, to 23,910.49.

The Shanghai Composite Index lost 0.99 percent, or 35.42 points, to 3,528.67, while the Shenzhen Composite Index on China's second exchange fell 1.10 percent, or 27.67 points, to 2,479.48.