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The brand new Omicron coronavirus variant is quickly spreading all over the world, with two circumstances detected in Australia, whilst extra international locations tried to seal themselves off by imposing journey restrictions.
Well being officers in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, stated two passengers who arrived in Sydney from southern Africa on Saturday night had examined optimistic for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
Each folks had been asymptomatic, totally vaccinated and in quarantine, NSW Well being stated. One other 12 passengers from southern Africa had been additionally in 14 days of resort quarantine, whereas round 260 different passengers and aircrew have been directed to isolate.
The Australian circumstances had been the most recent indication that the variant might show laborious to include.
First found in South Africa, it has since been detected in Britain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong. Austria was investigating a suspected case on Sunday.
The invention of Omicron, dubbed a “variant of concern” final week by the World Well being Group, has sparked worries all over the world that it may resist vaccinations and extend the almost two-year Covid-19 pandemic.
Omicron is probably extra contagious than earlier variants, though consultants have no idea but if it would trigger roughly extreme Covid-19 in comparison with different strains.
Nations have imposed a wave of journey bans or curbs on southern Africa.
In probably the most far-reaching effort to maintain the variant at bay, Israel introduced late on Saturday it will ban the entry of all foreigners and reintroduce counter-terrorism phone-tracking know-how to include the unfold of the variant.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett stated the ban, pending authorities approval, would final 14 days. Officers hope that inside that interval there might be extra info on how efficient vaccines are in opposition to Omicron.
Many international locations have imposed or are planning restrictions on journey from southern Africa. The South African authorities denounced this on Saturday as unfair and probably dangerous to its economic system – saying it’s being punished for its scientific capability to determine coronavirus variants early.
In Britain, the place two linked circumstances of Omicron recognized on Saturday had been related to journey to southern Africa, the federal government introduced measures to attempt to include the unfold, together with stricter testing guidelines for folks arriving within the nation and requiring masks carrying in some settings.
The German state of Bavaria additionally introduced two confirmed circumstances of the variant on Saturday. In Italy, the Nationwide Well being Institute stated a case of the brand new variant had been detected in Milan in an individual coming from Mozambique.
Though epidemiologists say journey curbs could also be too late to cease Omicron from circulating, many international locations – together with the USA, Brazil, Canada, European Union nations, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand – have introduced journey bans or restrictions on southern Africa.
Extra international locations imposed such curbs on Sunday, together with Indonesia and Saudi Arabia.
Mexico’s deputy well being secretary, Hugo Lopez Gatell, stated journey restrictions are of little use in response to the brand new variant, calling measures taken by some international locations “disproportionate”.
“It has not been proven to be extra virulent or to evade the immune response induced by vaccines. They have an effect on the economic system and well-being of individuals,” he stated in a Twitter submit on Saturday.
Omicron has emerged as many international locations in Europe are already battling a surge in Covid-19 infections, with some reintroducing restrictions on social exercise to attempt to cease the unfold.
The brand new variant has additionally thrown a highlight on large disparities in vaccination charges across the globe. At the same time as many developed international locations are giving third-dose boosters, lower than seven per cent of individuals in low-income international locations have acquired their first Covid-19 shot, in response to medical and human rights teams.
Seth Berkley, CEO of the GAVI Vaccine Alliance that with the WHO co-leads the COVAX initiative to push for equitable distribution of vaccines, stated this was important to chase away the emergence of extra coronavirus variants.
Whereas we nonetheless must know extra about Omicron, we do know that so long as massive parts of the world’s inhabitants are unvaccinated, variants will proceed to seem, and the pandemic will proceed to be extended,” he stated in an announcement.
Reuters
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