It has previously urged against border closures, noting they have limited effect and can cause major disruptions, but said they could buy some countries time
A building of the International School of Geneva, which was closed after two cases of Omicron were found, in Founex, Switzerland. At least 2,000 people including 1,600 children, are in quarantine. Pic/AFP
Measures used to counter the delta variant should remain the foundation for fighting the coronavirus pandemic, even in the face of the new omicron version of the virus, World Health Organisation officials said Friday, while acknowledging that the travel restrictions imposed by some countries may buy time.
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While about three dozen countries worldwide have reported omicron infections, including India on Thursday, the numbers so far are small outside of South Africa, which is facing a rapid rise in COVID-19 cases and where the new variant may be becoming dominant. Still, much remains unclear about omicron, including whether it is more contagious, as some health authorities suspect, whether it makes people more seriously ill, or whether it can evade vaccine protection.
“Border control can delay the virus coming in and buy time. But every country and every community must prepare for new surges in cases,” Dr Takeshi Kasai, WHO regional director for the Western Pacific, told reporters Friday during a virtual news conference. “The positive news in all of this is that none of the information we have currently about omicron suggests we need to change the directions of our response.”
That means continuing to push for higher vaccination rates, abiding by social-distancing guidelines, and wearing masks, among other measures, said WHO Regional Emergency Director Dr Babatunde Olowokure. He added that health systems must “ensure we are treating the right patients in the right place at the right time, and therefore ensure that ICU beds are available, particularly for those who need them.” Kasai warned, “We cannot be complacent.” WHO has previously urged against border closures, noting they often have limited effect and can cause major disruptions.
‘1 in 100 infected with virus in Germany’
Germany’s health minister said Friday that more than 1 per cent of the population is currently infected by COVID and called on citizens to get vaccinated if they haven’t been. There were confirmed 74,352 new daily COVID-19 cases and 390 additional deaths, as per the federal disease control agency.Health Minister Jens Spahn said, “If all German adults were vaccinated, we wouldn’t be in this difficult situation.”
WHO experts team in South Africa
The WHO has rushed a team of experts to South Africa’s Gauteng province, the epicentre of the new Omicron variant of COVID-19, to ramp up surveillance and contact tracing efforts as the country grapples with rising cases of infections. “We are deploying a surge team in Gauteng province to support surveillance and contact tracing,” WHO’s Regional Emergency Director for Africa Dr Salam Gueye said.
New York confirms 5 omicron cases
Health officials have confirmed at least five cases of the omicron coronavirus variant in New York, Governor Kathy Hochul said Thursday evening. A 67-year-old woman from Suffolk County, two Queens residents, a Brooklyn resident and a fifth person believed to be a visitor to the state tested positive.
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