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November 26, 2021 – The World Health Organization on Friday classifies a new version of COVID-19 from South Africa as a “worry option”, meaning it could be more contagious, cause more severe disease and reduce the effectiveness of vaccines and treatments.
The WHO convened an independent group of experts on Friday to evaluate the new option based on the rapid increase in COVID-19 infections in South Africa this week. Scientifically known as B.1.1.529, the variant is called Omicron.
“Omicron has some disturbing properties. This variant has a large number of mutations and some of these mutations have some alarming characteristics, “said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO technical director for the coronavirus pandemic, in a video statement.
“Preliminary data suggest an increased risk of re-infection with this option compared to others [variants of concern]”, Said in a statement by the WHO. “It appears that the number of cases of this option is increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa.”
In response, the White House announced new travel restrictions against flights from South Africa, Botswana, Esvatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Foreign nationals from these countries will be barred from entering the United States. .
“These new restrictions will take effect on November 29,” President Joe Biden said in a statement. As we move forward, we will continue to be guided by the advice of science and my medical team. “
The United States has not yet found any cases of the new option, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN.
“We are currently collecting the material with our South African counterparts to come to a situation where you can actually test it directly,” Fauci said. “So you’re talking about a red flag right now that this could be a problem – but we don’t know.”
Scientists in South Africa began tracking the variant this week after the jump in COVID-19 cases and announced the WHO variant on Wednesday. The first known confirmed infection came from a sample collected on November 9th, the WHO said.
Several laboratories have found that a widely used test can be a reliable way to detect a new variant. The WHO Advisory Group on Virus Evolution has launched a “series of studies” to evaluate Omicron and will announce new findings if necessary, Van Kerch said on Friday.
Based on the evidence to date, the WHO has advised countries to improve their monitoring and genomic sequencing efforts to better understand the option. The WHO has also asked countries to present genomic sequences in public databases, such as GISAID. 66 sequences of option B.1.1.529 were reported to GISAID on Friday, including 58 in South Africa, six in Botswana and two in Hong Kong.
The WHO also asked the parties to conduct field research and laboratory analyzes on the severity of the variant, as well as immune responses, antibody neutralization and the effectiveness of public health and social measures.
“People are reminded to take measures to reduce the risk of COVID-19, including proven public health and social measures such as wearing well-fitting masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, improving indoor ventilation, avoiding overcrowding. spaces and vaccination, ”said the WHO.
Biden called on other nations to increase vaccine donations to poorer nations.
“The news of this new option needs to become clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations,” Biden said. “The United States has already donated more vaccines to other countries than any other country combined. It’s time for other countries to catch up with America’s speed and generosity. “
Israel has imposed a travel ban covering most of Africa after finding the first case of a man who recently traveled from Malawi. Increasing list of countries with suspended or restricted flights, including Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Singapore, New York Times reported.
“We are currently on the verge of an emergency,” Naftali Bennett, Israel’s prime minister, said in a statement.
“I ask everyone to be prepared and to be fully involved in the work around the clock,” he said.
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