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Cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus surfaced in countries on opposite sides of the world on Sunday, and many governments rushed to close their borders, despite scientists warning that it is not clear whether the new variant is more alarming than other versions of the Virus.
The variant was identified days ago by researchers in South Africa, and not much is known about whether it is more contagious, more likely to cause serious illness, or whether it is more likely to be vaccine-protected. But many countries rushed to act, reflecting fears of anything that could prolong the pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people.
Israel decided to ban foreigners from entering the country, and Morocco said it would suspend all incoming flights for two weeks starting Monday – among the most drastic of a growing series of travel restrictions imposed by nations around the world to help spread the variant slow it down. Scientists in several places – from Hong Kong to Europe – have confirmed its presence. The Netherlands reported 13 Omicron cases on Sunday, Australia two.
Since the variant has already been discovered in many countries and border closings often have only limited effects, the World Health Organization has called for the borders to be kept open.
Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, emphasized that there is still no data to suggest that the new variant causes more serious illnesses than previous COVID-19 variants.
“I think it’s more contagious when you look at how quickly it is spreading across several districts in South Africa. It therefore has the intention that it is particularly likely to spread from one person to another. … What we don’t know is whether it can compete with Delta, “Collins said on CNN’s State of the Union.
Collins reiterated several experts who said the news should get everyone to redouble their efforts to use the tools the world already has, including vaccinations, booster shots and measures like wearing masks.
“I know America, you are really tired of hearing these things, but we are not fed up with the virus,” said Collins.
The Dutch health authority confirmed that 13 people who entered from South Africa on Friday have so far tested positive for Omicron. They were among 61 people who tested positive for the virus after arriving on the last two flights to Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport before a flight ban was imposed. They were immediately isolated, most of them at a nearby hotel.
Australian authorities said two travelers who came to Sydney from Africa were the first in the country to test positive for the new variant. Arrivals from nine African countries now have to be quarantined upon arrival at a hotel. Two federal states reported a total of three cases of return travelers at the weekend.
Israel has banned the entry of foreigners and ordered a quarantine for all Israelis arriving from abroad.
“Restricting national borders is not an easy step, but a temporary and necessary step,” Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said at the beginning of the weekly cabinet meeting.
The Moroccan Foreign Ministry tweeted on Sunday that all incoming air travel to the north African country would be suspended in order to “preserve the achievements of Morocco in the fight against the pandemic and protect the health of its citizens”. Morocco pioneered vaccinations in Africa and kept its borders closed for months in 2020 due to the pandemic.
The USA is planning bantravel from South Africa and seven other South African countries from Monday.
“It will give us time to improve our preparation,” said leading US infectious disease expert Dr. Anthony Fauci, on the banning of ABC’s “This Week”.
Many countries are introducing such bans despite contradicting the advice of the WHO, which warned of overreaction before the variant is thoroughly investigated.
The South African government reacted angrily to the travel bans, which it said were “akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genome sequencing and the ability to identify new variants more quickly”. She said she would try to reconsider the countries that they imposed.
WHO sent out a statement saying it “stands with African nations” noting that travel restrictions “could play a role in slightly reducing the spread of COVID-19, but putting a heavy toll on life and livelihoods” . be present, they should be scientifically sound and not intrusive.
In Europe, which has been struggling with a sharp rise in cases in recent weeks, officials have been on guard.
The UK tightened rules on wearing masks and testing international comers on Saturday after finding two Omicron cases, but UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the government is nowhere near being able to work from home or reintroduce stricter social distancing measures.
“We now know that these types of measures come at a very high price, both economically and socially, in terms of non-COVID health outcomes such as the mental health impact,” he told Sky News.
Spain announced it will stop accepting unvaccinated British visitors from December 1st. Italy went through the lists of air passengers who have arrived in the past two weeks. France continues to push vaccinations and booster vaccinations.
David Hui, a respiratory medicine expert and government advisor on the Hong Kong pandemic, agreed to this strategy.
He said the two people who tested positive for the Omicron variant received the Pfizer vaccine and had very mild symptoms, such as a sore throat.
“Vaccines should work, but they would be less effective,” he said.
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Moulson reported from Berlin, Collins from Columbia, South Carolina. Zen Soo in Hong Kong, Adam Schreck in Bangkok, and Associated Press writers around the world contributed to this report.
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Follow AP’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic
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