More and more countries are detecting cases of omicron, the variant that the World Health Organization (WHO) described as "worrying".
The Netherlands detected 13 cases of the new variant on Sunday and Australia confirmed that two foreign travelers arriving in Sydney tested positive.
These were part of a group of 14 others who came to the country from southern Africa.
Both were asymptomatic and vaccinated.
The remaining 12 travelers were quarantined.
The announcement came just one day after
the UK announced that it also detected two cases of the new variant.
Other countries that have detected cases in recent days are: Germany, Italy, Belgium, Israel and Hong Kong.
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Although no cases have yet been announced in the United States, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases, said Saturday that he would not be surprised if the contagious and worrying variant was already in the country.
Restrictions increase
Faced with the rapid expansion of omicron, many countries have imposed restrictions on several countries in southern Africa in recent days, such as Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Iran, the United States, New Zealand or Thailand in response to warnings about the transmissibility of the new variant.
Israel went further and banned all foreigners from entering
and quarantined all Israelis arriving from abroad and redlisted trips to 50 African countries.
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It also approved the use of the controversial telephone surveillance technology of
the internal security agency Shin Bet to track the contacts of people confirmed with the new variant.
This goes against the recommendations of the World Health Organization, which has warned against any overreaction before the variant has been thoroughly studied.
Experts encourage you to get vaccinated
Although there are doubts about whether current vaccines offer complete protection against this variant, experts insist that
getting vaccinated is still essential.
"I am saying this very clearly: if there has ever been a reason for unvaccinated people to get vaccinated, and for those who have been vaccinated, when their time comes, to
go get a booster shot
," Fauci said.
[How the new variants of COVID-19 emerge as omicron and why they cause concern]
"As bad as omicron is, our vaccine will still be partially effective," Dr. William Schaffner, a professor at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, told CNN.
"Booster shots give a very, very important advantage," he added.
Peter Openshaw, professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London, told The Associated Press news agency that it was "extremely unlikely" that current vaccines will not work, noting that they are effective against other variants.
The WHO describes the new variant of COVID-19 named omicron as worrisome
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What is known so far
It has more mutations.
The genetic profile of omicron is unique compared to other variants in circulation, which means that it represents a new lineage of the virus.
Unlike other variants, it has
a greater number of mutations: more than 30 in the spike protein,
the part of the virus that binds to human cells and allows it to enter, said Tulio de Oliveira, director of the Epidemic Response Center. and South African Innovation, in an interview with The Washington Post.
Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, described the variant as
"the most mutated version of the virus we have seen,"
including potentially worrying changes never before seen in the same virus, according to The Associated Press.
It is more transmissible.
Sharon Peacock, who has led the genetic sequencing of the virus at the University of Cambridge, told the AP that the data so far indicates that the new variant has mutations "consistent with increased transmissibility," but said that "the significance of many of the mutations are not yet known ”.
Although some of the genetic changes in the omicron variant seem concerning, it is not yet clear whether they will pose a threat to public health.
Some earlier variants, such as the beta variant, initially alarmed scientists, but did not end up getting very widespread.
