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Omicron has taken over in South Africa as countries tighten borders

Omicron has taken over in South Africa as countries tighten borders

The number of new cases reported in South Africa doubled from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Johannesburg:

The heavily mutated Omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly becoming dominant in South Africa, less than four weeks after being identified there, authorities said on Wednesday. authorities said on Wednesday, as other countries tightened their borders against the new threat.

The United States requires airlines to hand over the names of passengers from southern African regions affected by Omicron, which the World Health Organization (WHO) says has now reached at least 24 countries, with mild to severe cases.

Early signs that Omicron may be more contagious than previous variants have roiled financial markets, as fears that new worldwide restrictions could hamper the expected recovery. ​from the economic devastation of the pandemic.

South Africa’s National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NICD) says Omicron’s records and initial epidemiological data suggest it may evade some immunity, but existing vaccines still have to protect against serious illness and death.

It said 74% of all the samples it sequenced last month were of the new variant, which was announced a week ago but was first found in a sample taken on Nov. in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province.

The number of new cases reported in South Africa doubled from Tuesday to Wednesday.

WHO epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove told a news conference that data on Omicron’s infectivity would be available “within the next few days”.

BioNTech’s CEO says the vaccine they’ve developed in partnership with Pfizer has the potential to provide strong protection against serious disease from Omicron.

The president of the European Union’s Executive Committee said there was a “race against time” to contain the new variant while scientists determine how easily it can spread and whether it can can evade the protection of the vaccine or not.

The EU has announced the start of the roll-out of the vaccine for children aged 5 to 11 on December 13 a week.

Prepare for the worst case scenario

“Prepare for the worst, hope for the best,” Ursula von der Leyen told a news conference.

According to the scientists, full vaccination and booster shots will provide the best possible protection.

But the WHO’s emergencies director, Mike Ryan, has criticized developed countries for pushing booster shots for a large portion of their fully vaccinated population while even the most vulnerable. Vulnerable in many poorer areas are also unvaccinated.

“There is no evidence that I know of that would suggest that boosting the entire population would provide better protection for healthy people against hospitalization or death,” he said.

The UK and the US have both expanded vaccination programs in response to the new variant, highlighting the disparity between the massive immunization push in rich countries and the sparse vaccination coverage in the developing world. develop.

The WHO has noted many times that the coronavirus will continue to produce new variants as long as it is allowed to circulate freely in large unvaccinated populations.

Ghana, Nigeria, Norway, Saudi Arabia and South Korea were among the most recent countries to report variant cases.

He said their total of 22 cases is certain to increase.

Australia says at least two people have visited parts of Sydney while there is a possibility of infection, and Denmark says one infected person attended a large concert.

Japan, which has banned all new foreigners from entering, reported a second case of the new variant and said it would expand travel restrictions.

Travel restrictions

About 56 countries are believed to have implemented travel measures as a precaution against Omicron as of November 28, the WHO said.

Hong Kong added Japan, Portugal and Sweden to their travel restrictions, while Uzbekistan said it would suspend flights with Hong Kong as well as South Africa.

Malaysia temporarily banned visitors from eight African countries and said Britain and the Netherlands could join the list.

“Travel bans will not stop the spread internationally and they impose a burden on lives and livelihoods,” the WHO said, warning people who are unwell, at risk or aged 60 and over. or older and unvaccinated should postpone travel.

The United States has banned nearly all foreigners who have been in one of the eight South African countries.

On Tuesday, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) directed airlines to release the names and other information of passengers who have been to those countries.

Shares around the world fell sharply on Tuesday after remarks by the head of drugmaker Moderna raised questions about the effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine against Omicron.

But Fitch Ratings said it had downgraded its global air passenger traffic forecast for 2021 and 2022, with the emergence of new variations highlighting the unpredictability of the situation.

“It feels like we’re going back to where we were a year ago,” said Deidre Fulton, a partner at consulting firm MIDAS Aviation.

“And that’s not a great prospect for the industry and beyond.”

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and was automatically generated from the feed provided.)

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