Omicron spreads as cases detected in Netherlands, Denmark, Australia

Omicron spreads as cases detected in Netherlands, Denmark, Australia

13 Flyers Test Positive For Variant, Say Dutch Authorities; Austria Reports 1 Suspected Case

London/Amsterdam:29.11.2021

The Omicron coronavirus variant kept spreading around the world on Sunday, with 13 cases found in the Netherlands and two each in Denmark and Australia even as more countries imposed travel restriction to try to seal themselves off.

Dutch health authorities said the 13 cases of the variant were found among people on two flights that arrived in Amsterdam from South Africa on Friday. Authorities had tested all of the more than 600 passengers on those two flights and had found 61 coronavirus cases, going on to test those for the new variant. “It is not unlikely more cases will appear in the Netherlands,” health minister Hugo de Jonge told a news conference in Rotterdam. “This could possibly be the tip of the iceberg.” The discovery of Omicron, dubbed a “variant of concern” last week by the WHO, has caused worry around the world that it could resist vaccinations and prolong the nearly two-year Covid-19 pandemic. First discovered in South Africa, it has now been detected in Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Denmark, Belgium, Botswana, Israel, Australia and Hong Kong. Omicron is potentially more contagious than previous variants, although it is unclear whether it causes more or less severe Covid-19 compared to other strains. In new cases detected on Sunday, Denmark said it had registered two cases in travellers from South Africa, while officials in Australia said two passengers who arrived in Sydney from southern Africa had tested positive for the variant.

The top US infectious disease official, Anthony Fauci, said Americans should be prepared to fight the spread of the new variant, but that it was not yet clear what measure such as mandates or lockdowns would be needed. He has said the variant is likely already in the country, although no cases have been confirmed.

In Britain, where two linked cases of Omicron identified on Saturday were connected to travel to southern Africa, the government announced measures to try to contain the spread, including stricter testing rules for people arriving in the country and requiring mask wearing in some settings. British health minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday he expected to receive advice imminently on whether the government can broaden a programme of providing booster shots to fully vaccinated people, to try to weaken the impact of the variant.

Although epidemiologists say travel curbs may be too late to stop Omicron from circulating, many countries - including the United States, Brazil, Canada, European Union nations, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand - have announced bans or restrictions on travel from South Africa and other southern African nations.

More countries imposed such curbs on Sunday, including Indonesia and Saudi Arabia. The South African government has denounced the travel measures as unfair and potentially harmful to its economy, saying it is being punished for its scientific ability to identify coronavirus variants early. The WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, also criticised some of the travel bans targeting African countries as divisive, and urged countries to follow science and international health regulations in their decision-making. "With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, putting in place travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity," she said in a statement. AGENCIES

SHOW TO GO ON: Israel will host the Miss Universe pageant in the Red Sea resort town of Eilat (above) on December 12 despite imposing travel curbs to try to stave off the Omicron variant, tourism minister Yoel Razvozov said on Sunday. He added the contestants and other participants would be granted waivers while possibly undergoing PCR testing every 48 hours

Israel shuts borders to foreigners, use phone-tracking tech to contain spread

Israel on Saturday said it would ban the entry of all foreigners into the country, making it the first country to shut its borders completely in response to a new and potentially more contagious coronavirus variant, and said it would use counter-terrorism phonetracking technology in order to contain the spread of the Omicron variant. PM Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the ban would last 14 days. Officials hope that within that period there will be more information on how effective Covid-19 vaccines are against Omicron. “Our working hypotheses are that the variant is already in nearly every country,” interior minister Ayelet Shaked said, “and that the vaccine is effective, although we don’t yet know to what degree.” Israelis entering the country, including those who are vaccinated, will be required to quarantine, Bennett said. The ban will come into effect at midnight between Sunday and Monday. A travel ban on foreigners coming from most African states was imposed on Friday. The Shin Bet counter-terrorism agency's phone-tracking technology will be used to locate carriers of the new variant in order to curb its transmission to others, Bennett said. Used on and off since March 2020, the surveillance technology matched virus carriers’ locations against other mobile phones nearby to determine with whom they had come into contact. Israel has so far confirmed one case of Omicron, with seven suspected cases. REUTERS