Britain became the latest country on Saturday to report cases of the potentially more contagious Omicron variant of Coronavirus
Passengers at Johannesburg airport. Pics/AFP
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid confirmed that two people have tested positive with the Omicron variant in the southeastern English town of Chelmsford and in the central city of Nottingham. He said the cases were linked and related to travel from southern Africa.
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Javid said the two confirmed cases are self-isolating alongside their households while contact tracing and targeted testing take place. He also said that arrivals from Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia will have to quarantine from Sunday onward and stressed the importance of booster jabs. “This is a real reminder that this pandemic is far from over,” he said. “If we need to take further action, we will.”
Many countries have slapped restrictions on various African countries over the past couple of days including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Thailand and the United States, in response to warnings over the transmissability of the new variant—against the advice of the World Health Organisation (WHO). Pharmaceutical companies expressed optimism that they could finesse their vaccines to deal with the new variant though that would clearly take some time. Despite the banning of flights, there are mounting concerns that the variant has already been widely seeded around the world.
UK health authorities are now urging citizens to take their vaccine, including the booster
In addition to the UK, cases have been reported in travelers in Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong. Germany also said it suspected a positive case and Dutch authorities were testing whether 61 people who arrived on two flights from South Africa with Covid-19 have the Omicron variant.
New York declares emergency
New York State Governor Kathy Hochul on Friday declared a disaster emergency for the entire state through January 15, 2022, amid a new wave of Covid-19 infections. “We’ve taken extraordinary action to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and combat this pandemic,” Hochul said. He said the state must pursue a coordinated approach to ensure hospital capacity state-wide.
South Africa braces for wave from Omicron
As the world grapples with the emergence of the highly transmissible variant Omicron, worried scientists in South Africa are scrambling to combat its lightning spread across the country. In the space of two weeks, the omicron variant has sent South Africa from a period of low transmission to rapid growth of new confirmed cases. The country’s numbers are still relatively low, with 2,828 new confirmed cases recorded on Friday, but Omicron’s speed in infecting youngsters has alarmed health professionals. “We’re seeing a marked change in the demographic profile of patients with Covid-19,” said Rudo Mathivha, head of ICU at Soweto’s Baragwanath Hospital.
261,142,235
TOTAL Number OF CORONAVIRUS
CASES IN THE WORLD
5,210,450
Number OF DEATHS WORLDWIDE
235,912,819
Number OF RECOVERED PATIENTS
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