Nearly two years since the start of the pandemic that has claimed more than 5 million lives around the world, countries are on high alert. Many have already imposed travel restrictions on flights from southern Africa as they seek to buy time to assess whether the omicron variant is more transmissible than the current dominant delta variant.
Among the measures announced, Johnson said anyone arriving in England must take a PCR test for COVID-19 on the second day after their arrival and self-isolate until they provide a negative test. And if someone tests positive for the omicron variant, then he said their close contacts will have to self-isolate for 10 days regardless of their vaccination status — currently close contacts are exempt from quarantine rules if they are fully vaccinated.
Many countries have slapped restrictions on various southern African countries over the past couple of days, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Thailand and the United States, in response to warnings over the transmissibility of the new variant. This goes against the advice of the World Health Organization, which has warned against any overreaction before the variant was thoroughly studied.
In Germany, the Max von Pettenkofer Institute, a Munich-based microbiology center, said the omicron variant was confirmed in two travelers who arrived on a flight from South Africa on Nov. 24. The head of the institute, Oliver Keppler, said that genome sequencing has yet to be completed, but it is “proven without doubt that it is this variant,” German news agency dpa reported.
A number of pharmaceutical firms, including AstraZeneca, Moderna, Novavax and Pfizer, said they have plans in place to adapt their vaccines in light of the emergence of omicron. Pfizer and its partner BioNTech said they expect to be able to tweak their vaccine in around 100 days. Some experts said the variant’s emergence illustrated how rich countries’ hoarding of vaccines threatens to prolong the pandemic.
VaccinEquity NOW! 💉🌍 🇺🇸 JoeBiden 🇫🇷 EmmanuelMacron 🇬🇧 BorisJohnson 🇩🇪 OlafScholz 🇨🇦 JustinTrudeau 🇮🇹 Palazzo_Chigi 🇯🇵 JPN_PMO 🇺🇳 antonioguterres 🇪🇺 vonderleyen 🇪🇺 CharlesMichel
Thankfully I’m getting my booster to weather another wave of COVID deaths. 🤗
This virus is not going away anytime soon, without a worldwide, coordinated, combined action.
maybe? OK good enough, torch the lot!
Its the next 8 million variants that are going to be tough to identify. All the real scientists will have been snuffed out by then for trying to expose the truth.
That picture accurately depicts Boris' grasp of the situation.
It is already in the US and by next week they will say that the current vaccines don’t work against it. 😞
Still don't understand how we can say any certain variant is anywhere when admittedly the positive tests can not identify which mutation it is, instead only confirming that is the Rona. Seriously, if anyone 'expert' thinks they have googled it more than me?
Viruses mutate and then they get weaker wake up people
Yeah, if it's been reported in as many far-flung locations as that, you know it's already going to be here as well.
Could of originated elsewhere. But as long as the majority of the global population isn't vaxed this isn't going to end well. International travel needs to stop. All you whining adult toddlers need to stop having hissy fits and grow up and get with the program. 🩹🍭🍭🍭
Just feeding more BS to the gullible!
The new rules are not UK wide. Not across Great Britain. They are across England. Scotland, Wales and N Ireland already have the restrictions that England are bringing back
Beijing Olympic will be forced to stop due to omicron.
This is variant was created to scare you into getting the booster shot every 6 months.
you guys gotta stop write terrorism
Borris John son should come Vietnam with air plane ✈️ empty and bring his citizens go 🏡!Cause Vietnam immigration said :foreign peoples quit soon for opposites Covid. Show they certificate stranded by Covid for get visa exit;embassy England not give.Stupid laws 2 nations 🤪☠️😷
🖕🏻
The guy who to blame.
Spread that fear
Xi variant
It will be everywhere by Monday.
It’s either the UK scientists have not been testing or they have been lying (hiding info on the new variant). South Africa is being punished for its efficiency & ethical standards.
Covid will always be with us. It is becoming endemic.
It's probably everywhere and has been for awhile
Maybe is such a lame answer. The answer is yes but since there isn’t transparency there can’t be admission. Texas took a break from reporting on pandemic metrics for the holiday.
There could be a million Covid mutations. It's not going to change the fact that we are free and they have no power over us.
You can be sure it's here in The United States.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »
Source: Reuters - 🏆 2. / 97 Read more »