The new Coronavirus variant Omikron has arrived in Europe.
Israel is closing its borders again.
Spain decides to take a tough step and South Africa is making vaccinations mandatory.
News from abroad.
The coronavirus variant Omikron (B.1.1.529) is causing unrest worldwide, and the WHO also classifies it as "worrying".
In Europe, cases with the new Coronavirus variant Omikron are increasing
(update from November 28, 9.45 a.m.)
.
Spain tightened entry regulations for people from Great Britain
(update from November 28, 7:31 p.m.).
South Africa is relying on compulsory vaccination in some areas and would like to tighten the vaccination rate
(update from November 28, 8:28 p.m.)
.
Spontaneous meeting of the G7 health ministers because of the Omikron variant on Monday
(update from November 28, 9:23 p.m.).
Update from November 28, 9:23 p.m.:
To discuss the dramatic Corona situation, London convened the G7 health ministers for a meeting on Monday (November 30).
The ministers of Germany, France, Canada, Italy, Japan and the USA should discuss how to deal with the new Omikron virus variant.
Coronavirus: After discovering the Omicron variant, South Africa tightened its corona rules
Update from November 28, 8:28 p.m.:
South Africa is currently in the focus of the whole world. The new Corona virus variant Omikron was discovered here on Thursday (November 25th). Now President Cyril Ramaphosa is reacting to the increasing number of infections. In a speech on television he promised mandatory vaccinations for certain areas, which areas would still be determined. The previously applicable low alert level will, however, remain in place.
41 percent of the 60 million South Africans have been vaccinated so far.
Ramaphosa calls for greater efforts here.
At the same time, e criticized the travel restrictions of numerous states against the countries of southern Africa as unjustified.
"These restrictions are unfair discrimination against our country and our sister states," said Ramaphosa.
Corona: Spain decides to take a tough step because of Omikron
Update from November 28, 7:31 p.m.:
Spain also reacts to the Omikron virus variant. As of Wednesday, only fully vaccinated people will be allowed to enter the country from Great Britain. This emerges from a publication by the Ministry of the Interior. So far, those who have recovered and who have been tested have also been able to enter. “The emergence of new variants of the pathogen causing the disease is
forcing stricter travel restrictions in these times,” says the paper. Hard news for the tourism industry: About 20 percent of tourists in Spain come from Great Britain, since the vaccination rate there is around 70 percent, part of the business will collapse.
Travelers from the African countries South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe must be fully vaccinated and also present a negative test result.
Update from November 28th, 6.30 p.m.:
Many countries have already reacted to the spread of the Omikron variant, stopping entries from South Africa and closing their borders.
Now the World Health Organization (WHO) is making an appeal to the world.
Travel restrictions attack global solidarity, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Africa director in Brazzaville, Congo.
Entry bans against people from southern African countries have shown that the pandemic "exploits" rifts between states.
Moeti calls for common solutions.
The WHO praises the South African and Botswana governments for "speed and transparency" with regard to information about Omikron.
According to the WHO, South Africa has one of the most advanced systems on the continent for recording and sequencing viruses.
Corona variant Omikron: Israel wants cell phone surveillance to contain it
Update from November 28, 4:25 p.m.:
The Israeli domestic secret service Schin Bet is now again monitoring the cell phones of those infected with the Omikron variant and their contacts. The government around Prime Minister Naftali Bennett approves the use of the technology. "The aim of the mission is to locate infected people and thus break the chain of infection," says a press release from Bennett's office. For the time being, the monitoring should only be carried out until December 2nd. Only in the morning did Israel announce that it would close its borders again.
Update from November 28, 2:28 p.m
.: Infections with the Omikron variant of the coronavirus have now also become known in Denmark.
The state health institute SSI confirmed two cases that had previously been classified as suspicious cases.
The two infected people came from South Africa by plane and are now in quarantine.
Their close contacts should also go into isolation.
The director of the institute, Henrik Ullum, said that one wanted to slow down the widespread spread of the variant in order to vaccinate as many people as possible beforehand.
13 Omicron infections in the Netherlands
Update from November 28, 1:48 p.m
.: The Netherlands are now reporting 13 Omikron cases among returnees from South Africa.
The infected have tested positive for Corona at Amsterdam Airport.
The Dutch health authorities announced on Sunday that further cases with the new Corona variant are possible.
Of 600 returnees from South Africa, 61 had previously tested positive for Corona.
Meanwhile, a suspected Omikron case in Hesse has also been confirmed in Germany.
Update from November 28, 9.45 a.m
.: The new Coronavirus variant Omikron puts the world on alert.
In Europe, the corona cases are increasing with variant B.1.1.529, which was first discovered in South Africa.
In Bavaria, the authorities confirmed two cases of travelers returning from South Africa on Saturday evening.
The infected entered the country on Wednesday via Munich Airport and are in isolation at home after a positive PCR test.
In Munich (Bavaria), two corona cases with Omikron were confirmed on Saturday evening.
Hessen reports a returnee from South Africa who was initially suspected of being infected with the new variant.
The UK reports two related Omicron cases.
Italy reports Omikron case on Saturday (see below).
The Czech Republic confirms infection in a patient who has traveled from Namibia.
Austria reports a suspected case.
61 travelers from South Africa tested positive for Corona at Amsterdam Airport.
"The Omikron variant was probably found among the people tested," announced the national health department.
So far, one case of the new virus variant Omikron has been confirmed in Israel.
Israel closes its borders again because of the omicron variant
Update from November 28, 8:12 a.m
.: Israel closes its borders because of the Omikron variant.
"Entry into Israel for foreign nationals is prohibited, except in cases approved by a special committee," said Prime Minister Naftali Bennett's office.
The government has yet to approve the measure decided by the corona cabinet.
So far, one case of the new virus variant Omikron has been confirmed in Israel.
Vaccinated Israeli citizens are therefore still allowed to enter the country, but must present a PCR test and quarantine for three days.
Unvaccinated Israelis are quarantined for seven days.
Israel had closed its borders for more than a year and a half due to the corona pandemic and did not reopen them to vaccinated travelers until the beginning of November.
Italy reports the first case of infection with the Omikron variant
Update from November 27, 8:46 p.m.:
Now the first detected infection with the novel coronavirus mutation Omikron is also being transmitted from Italy.
The corresponding sample was found in a Milan laboratory, it was a tourist who had traveled the country by flight from Mozambique, Africa.
As
Tagesschau.de
describes, the patient with a positive result is in good physical condition.
+
Omikron.jpg
© Sascha Steinach via www.imago-images.de
New Corona variant Omikron is spreading - also in Great Britain
Update from November 27, 5:52 p.m.:
After Belgium, Great Britain has also reported the first infections with the new Corona variant Omikron.
Health Minister Sajid Javid said two related cases had been discovered that were linked to a trip to southern Africa.
He also announced that four more African countries would be added to the list of travel restrictions.
The government of the country with the most corona deaths on the continent acted "quickly", said Javid.
One case was discovered in the central English city of Nottingham, the other in Chelmsford, east of the capital, London, according to health authorities.
Those affected are in isolation, the contact follow-up is ongoing, said Javid.
Corona: New variant also in Europe - lack of clarity regarding vaccination protection
The UK had already imposed travel restrictions on South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana on Friday.
From Sunday morning, entries from Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola will also be affected.
The UK government had been heavily criticized for its travel and quarantine policies at the start of the pandemic when it kept borders open to foreign travelers while infection rates soared.
The new variant, which the World Health Organization (WHO) has classified as "worrying", was first reported worldwide on Thursday in South Africa. According to scientists, the variant with the scientific name B.1.1.529 could be even more contagious than the currently rampant Delta variant because of the unusually large number of mutations and make the vaccines less effective.
Update from November 27th, 9.45 a.m.:
The new virus mutation, called
Omicron
, provides one bad news after another. As the evaluation of two PCR tests in Hong Kong showed, the confirmed Omikron infected people had an increased viral load, according to the
dpa
news agency
. According to the epidemiologist Eric Feigl-Ding, the Ct value of the two men affected is "incredibly high". It therefore looks as if the variant
could
actually escape vaccination protection
.
Omikron was brought in by a traveler from South Africa, according to the Hong Kong government.
He has been in a quarantine hotel since arriving on November 11.
Despite the strict isolation, however, he probably infected a 60-year-old in the opposite room.
The reason for this is probably that the man who had traveled from South Africa did not wear his mouthguard properly when he opened his hotel door to receive food.
Corona variant from South Africa: WHO classifies B.1.1.529 as "worrying"
Update from November 26th, 7:16 pm:
The World Health Organization (WHO) has classified the new Corona variant B.1.1.529 as "worrying". The UN agency announced on Friday after consultations with experts. According to the WHO definition, this classification is a signal that a variant is more contagious or leads to more severe disease courses. In addition, with "worrying variants" there is a risk that conventional vaccinations, medication or corona measures will be less effective.
This variant, now called Omicron, has a large number of mutations, some of which are worrying, it said.
Preliminary indications indicated an increased risk of reinfection with this variant compared to other worrying variants, which also include the currently predominant delta variant.
+
The new corona mutation has been classified as "worrying" by the World Health Organization (WHO).
© Michael Bihlmayer / Imago
According to the WHO, B.1.1.529 was discovered in South Africa using genetic analysis from November 9th.
In total, the variant has so far been genetically detected less than 100 times.
It has many mutations that scientists believe could potentially lead to easier transmission.
However, according to the WHO, it will be weeks before it becomes clear what the exact effects of the mutations are.
New mutation includes alpha, beta, gamma and delta
So far, the international health authority had identified four "variants of concern": Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta, which contributed to the fourth wave of pandemics due to their high transferability.
In addition, two "variants of interest" are listed that appeared in South America at the turn of the previous year.
Corona variant from South Africa arrived in Europe: first case known from neighboring German country
Update from November 26, 2:18 p.m
.: The coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 has arrived in Europe. Belgium has registered a first case with the new corona variant B.1.1.529, which was initially found in southern Africa. Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke announced this at a press conference on Friday. Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo also announced travel restrictions for travelers from countries in southern Africa. Caution is needed, but don't panic, Vandenbroucke said.
At the same time, Belgium is reintroducing stricter rules for private parties, restaurants and nightlife. "The situation
today is worse than any of the scenarios that the experts had calculated for us," said De Croo.
Update from November 26, 1:38 p.m
.: The World Health Organization (WHO) advises against travel restrictions for the time being because of the new coronavirus
variant
detected in South Africa. The WHO recommends that the countries "continue to use a risk-based and scientific approach to the imposition of travel restrictions," said WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier on Friday at a regular press conference in Geneva, reports the news agency afp. "There is a warning against the imposition of travel restrictions," he added.
According to the WHO spokesman, it will take “a few weeks” before scientists can understand the effects of the new variant B.1.1.529 discovered in South Africa.
“Researchers are working to find out more about the mutations and how contagious and dangerous this variant is”.
"Variant of concern" - WHO is examining coronavirus variant B.1.1.529
Update from November 26th, 11:13 am
: The WHO is already investigating whether the new coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 must be classified as worrying.
That said WHO expert Maria van Kerkhove in a briefing.
It will also be examined to what extent the variant has consequences for diagnostics, therapies and vaccination campaigns.
The WHO currently lists four Variants of Concerns - VOC for short: Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.
As Corona Variants of Interest - VOI for short - two are currently under observation: Lambda and Mu (alternatively My).
It is considered fairly certain that the WHO will assign a letter from the Greek alphabet to the new variant - it would probably be "Ny".
According to the definition of the WHO, "worrying variants" are more easily transferable or lead to more severe courses of the respiratory disease Covid-19.
They can also reduce the effectiveness of vaccines, drugs, virus tests or corona measures.
Expert: Vaccinations "almost certainly" less effective against B.1.1.529
Names are one thing - but one question seems to be much more important at the moment: Do the vaccines work against the new variant B.1.1.529?
British experts are "almost certain" that the currently available corona vaccines are less effective against the new variant discovered in South Africa.
That is what James Naismith, professor of structural biology at Oxford University, said on the BBC 4 Today radio show on Friday.
Whether the variant is also easier to transfer cannot be said with certainty based on the available data.
"We suspect so, and there is some early data," Naismith continued.
If easier transferability is confirmed, it is inevitable that the variant will also reach Great Britain, the expert continues.
Netherlands imposes landing ban for flights from southern Africa
Update from November 25th, 11.07 a.m.:
Another EU country is reacting to the new virus variant.
The Netherlands has now imposed a landing ban for flights from southern Africa.
This will apply from Friday, 12 noon, announced the government in The Hague, as reported by the dpa news agency.
In addition, South Africa and other affected countries in the region would be declared high-risk areas.
Passengers who are still traveling from the region would have to be tested after arriving at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol and then put into quarantine.
Corona variant: Lufthansa will initially continue to fly to South Africa
Update from November 25, 10:28 a.m
.: Lufthansa will initially continue to fly to South Africa.
"We are implementing the specifications and will continue to fly, also to bring people home and transport freight," said a Lufthansa spokesman on Friday morning when asked by the dpa.
Lufthansa is closely monitoring the situation and complying with all legal requirements and rules.
South Africa is declared a virus variant area tonight
Update from November 25th, 10:20 am
: "The last thing we are missing now is a new variant that has been brought in that causes even more problems," said Health Minister Jens Spahn about the new coronavirus variant in South Africa at the press conference in Berlin.
Spahn asks travelers to act responsibly.
People who entered from South Africa today or three days ago should also do a PCR test.
He points out that the 14-day quarantine obligation for travelers will not legally come into force until
tonight (see update from 8:59 a.m.)
.
Italy restricts entry due to Corona variant B.1.1.529
Update from November 25, 10:07 a.m
.: Italy's Minister of Health Roberto Speranza has restricted entry from several South African countries due to the coronavirus variant B.1.1.529 by order.
His ministry announced on Friday that anyone who has been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini in the past 14 days cannot enter Italy.
Italian scientists worked to study the variant.
In the meantime, according to Speranza, "maximum caution" applies.
Corona variant B.1.1.529: Austria imposes an entry freeze
Update from November 25, 9:51 a.m.:
Austria is also imposing an entry ban because of the new Corona variant. The countries of South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini are classified as virus variant areas, the Ministry of Health said on Friday, as the ORF reported. The entry regulations will be adapted accordingly. Only Austrian citizens are allowed to return to their homeland. Particularly strict quarantine rules apply to them - such as a ten-day quarantine, PCR test upon entry and registration.
Update from November 25, 9:36 a.m
.: Due to the spread of a new, possibly more dangerous coronavirus variant, the EU Commission wants to limit travel from southern Africa to the EU to an absolute minimum.
EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced on Twitter that the Brussels authority will propose to the EU states that they trigger the emergency brake provided for this in order to suspend air traffic.
New Corona variant from South Africa: Germany is now also massively restricting travel
Update from November 25th, 8:59 a.m
.: The federal government is now restricting air traffic from South Africa because of the new Corona variant B.1.1.529. “As a result, airlines are only allowed to carry German citizens to Germany.” In addition, all those who have entered would have to be in quarantine for 14 days - even if they are fully vaccinated. The decision is not a surprise. The executive minister of the Chancellery, Helge Braun, had previously expected a swift decision to suspend air traffic.
Germany will declare South Africa a virus variant area because of the newly emerging coronavirus variant B.1.1.529.
The regulation will come into force tonight (Friday), airlines will then only be allowed to transport German citizens to Germany, said Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) on Friday morning.
If necessary, neighboring countries in South Africa are also affected.
Corona mutation from South Africa causes unrest - First Nations significantly restrict travel
First report from November 25, 2021:
Berlin - While the corona pandemic and the delta mutation are currently causing increasing numbers in many parts of Europe and also in Germany, the discovery of a new corona variant in South Africa is causing international unrest.
In view of the current developments on Thursday, two countries announced a temporary suspension of travel to six African countries.
Initial findings have shown that vaccines may be less effective against the new corona mutation.
New corona mutation is causing international unrest - the first countries are restricting travel to six countries
The WHO announced on Thursday that it would "closely" observe the variant. It should then be decided on Friday whether B.1.1.529 is classified as a variant "of interest" or as "worrying". "Early analyzes show that this variant has a high number of mutations that will require further studies," said the WHO. South African scientists had previously announced that the new variant with the scientific name B.1.1.529 was "cause for concern". In the meantime, the variant has also been detected in Botswana and Hong Kong among travelers from South Africa.
South Africa's Minister of Health, Joe Phaahla, described the variant as "seriously worrying" and as the cause of an "exponential" increase in reported cases in his country.
The effectiveness of the vaccine against this virus variant is therefore still unclear.
UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said there was evidence that the variant "may be more transmissible than the Delta variant and that vaccines (...) may be less effective".
So far, the variant has not been proven in Great Britain, he added.
British scientists, however, have expressed "very worried" about the development.
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New Corona variant B.1.1.529: Germany drastically restricts air traffic with South Africa (here an archive photo from OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg).
© Yeshiel / imago
Corona mutation discovered in South Africa - British government reacts immediately
The British government announced on Thursday evening a temporary suspension of travel to six African countries. Health Minister Sajid Javid said that all flights to Great Britain from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Botswana would be canceled from Friday noon. And Israel also imposed immediate travel restrictions on several African countries on Thursday. South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe,
Mozambique, Namibia and Eswatini have been classified as "red countries" after a special consultation, said the office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett.
The executive head of the Chancellery, Helge Braun, anticipates that air traffic from Germany to southern Africa will have to be interrupted "shortly" due to a new Corona variant.
"The scientists are all very alarmed," said Braun on Friday morning in the ARD morning magazine.
The number of new corona infections reported daily in South Africa has recently risen dramatically.
On Wednesday, the authorities reported 1,200 new infections within 24 hours.
At the beginning of November this value was still 106 cases.
In South Africa, 35 percent of adults are fully vaccinated against Covid-19.
The beta variant of the virus was discovered in South Africa last year.
With around 2.95 million corona cases and more than 89,600 deaths, South Africa is the hardest hit country in Africa according to official figures.
The fourth corona wave is sweeping inexorably across Europe.
The number of infections is skyrocketing not only in Germany, there are also terrifying reports elsewhere.
List of rubric lists: © Florian Gaertner / photothek.de via imago images