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Corona
Omicron continues to spread around the world: "Wake-up call to get vaccinated"
The Netherlands diagnosed the variant among 13 travelers from South Africa, saying that "it may be the tip of the iceberg".
First cases in Belgium and Australia, and Morocco joined Israel and closed the sky for two weeks.
"There are clear indications that the variant could spread rapidly," warned American expert Pauchi
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Corona virus
South Africa
Europe
News agencies
Sunday, 28 November 2021, 21:18 Updated: 21:22
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Airport in South Africa in the shadow of the spread of variant Omicron (Photo: Reuters, Edited by: Aviad Ballali)
The new corona variant Omicron continued to spread around the world today (Sunday), despite the efforts of other countries to close their gates to flights from the South African region.
The concern among health experts around the world is that the new strain, which according to the World Health Organization is a source of concern, will harm the effectiveness of vaccines.
In the Netherlands, health authorities have announced that they have detected 13 cases of the new strain among 61 passengers who returned to the country on Friday on two flights from South Africa and were diagnosed positive for the virus.
"It is not improbable that more cases will appear in the Netherlands," the country's health minister, Hugo de Jong, said at a news conference in Rotterdam.
"It might just be the tip of the iceberg."
Denmark and Australia today reported first cases of the variant among passengers returning from South Africa, while Austria announced it was investigating a suspicious case.
In France, Health Minister Olive Varane said the new variant was likely already spreading in the country and the UK reported a verified third case of the new strain.
First cases were also diagnosed in Germany and Italy.
Europe is already in the midst of a fourth wave, and many countries have returned to closures and restrictions, with the onset of winter and ahead of the holiday season.
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Students return to their residence in South Africa, last night (Photo: AP)
The omicron may be more contagious compared to previous variants, including the delta that led to severe waves in Israel and Europe, but it is not yet known if it causes more severe disease compared to other variants.
Fears of renewed damage to the global economy, which has been dealing with the corona epidemic for nearly two years and its accompanying restrictions, have led to declines in world stock markets and a drop in oil prices.
The strain, first identified by experts in South Africa, has since been identified in many countries in Europe, Australia, Hong Kong and Israel, which has decided to close the entrance to foreigners for two weeks and reactivate GSS personnel. Tonight Morocco announced the closure of airports for 14 days .
Vaccinated medical staff worker in Dublin, today (Photo: Reuters)
The South African government has attacked the decisions of many countries to impose restrictions on flights to and from it, which some experts say are too late to stem the spread, claiming it is being punished for its scientific ability to detect the variant early.
Experts in Africa and elsewhere in the world claim that the huge disparities in vaccination rates in developed countries compared to developing countries are causing the emergence of new strains, which have the potential to be resistant to vaccines.
According to medical and human rights organizations, while many countries in the West are already vaccinating their citizens in a third dose, less than 7% of the citizens of poor countries received the first dose.
The omicron is a "wake-up call" to go get vaccinated.
Pucci (Photo: Reuters)
Anthony Fouchi, the most senior cause in the United States of infectious diseases, said U.S. citizens should be prepared to fight the spread of the new strain, but noted that it was too early to know what steps would be needed on the issue.
"There are clear indications that the variant could spread rapidly," he told NBC.
According to him, the omicron is a "wake-up call" to go and get vaccinated against the virus.
Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese specialist in respiratory diseases, said it would take some time to reach a conclusion regarding the new variant.
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