(Reuters) – Australia and several other countries joined countries that banned travel from southern Africa on Saturday after a new version of the Omicron coronavirus was discovered, raising global concerns and a wave of asset sales in financial markets. Ran.
But signaling that such restrictions may not contain the spread of tension, the UK said on Saturday it had detected two cases and officials in Germany and the Czech Republic also said they had suspected cases.
Omicron, classified as an “anxiety type” by the World Health Organization, is potentially more contagious than earlier forms of the disease, although experts do not yet know whether it is more or less severe than other coronavirus strains. will cause disease.
The variant was first discovered in South Africa and has since been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.
Dutch officials said 61 of the nearly 600 people who arrived in Amsterdam on Friday on two flights from South Africa tested positive for the coronavirus. Health officials are conducting further tests to see if the new version is involved in these cases.
Dutch photographer Paula Zimmermann, a female passenger who arrived from South Africa on Friday, said she tested negative but was looking forward to the coming days after spending hours on a flight that had several infected passengers.
“I’ve been told that hopefully more people will test positive after five days. The idea is a little scary that you’re on a plane with a lot of people who test positive,” she said.
It may take weeks for scientists to fully understand the strain’s mutation and whether existing vaccines and treatments are effective against it. Micron is the fifth strain of concern designated by the WHO.
