Omicron variant, Von der Leyen (EU): “It’s a race against time.” Japan closes its borders, the first cases in Canada
“It’s a race against time.” So said the President of the European Union Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, on the Omicron variant that imposes the closure of all countries of the world to prevent its spread. London, the current head of the Group of Seven, has called an emergency meeting of health ministers for today. Japan, Israel and Morocco closed their borders, and in the Netherlands, half of the closures came into effect. On the other hand, South Africa has not closed down, but it is evaluating the hypothesis of commitment to vaccination. For physicians in South Africa, who at first find themselves isolating and analyzing it, the symptoms of those with it are mild, as in delta, but its many spikes (perhaps 10, compared to 2 of delta and 3 of beta) command a maximum of attention. “It will take two to three weeks to get a full picture,” von der Leyen explained, renewing the challenge to speed up vaccines and third doses.
On Omicron, scientists are working to understand how it is developing, how dangerous it is, and how far it can override current vaccines.
In Great Britain, three cases have been registered, and as of tomorrow there is an obligation to wear a mask in stores and transport, and an obligation to conduct a monoclonal test for all arrivals, with quarantine until the result.
In Europe, all the pluses are the people arriving from South Africa. In addition to Belgium, the Czech Republic, Italy and Germany, Denmark has been added, and there is a suspected case in Austria. In the Netherlands, there are at least 13 confirmed cases among
A traveler on two round trips from South Africa.
Japan will close its borders to all foreign visitors, just three weeks after easing some of it
Restrictions to allow business travelers, students and foreign trainees to enter the country. The Japanese government announced the extension of the hotel quarantine to ten days for visitors from South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe. Tokyo extended the measure this weekend for visitors from Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia.
Canada Confirms First Case of Omicron: It was discovered in the capital, Ottawa, Ontario, and related to two people who had recently arrived from Nigeria. The two injured are in isolation, and the Canadian health authorities are following their movements in recent days to identify the people they were in contact with.
New Zealand closed its borders to travelers from nine South African countries last night in an effort to prevent the spread of the Omicron variant. CNN reports.
New Zealand citizens will only be able to enter the country from South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Eswatini,
Seychelles, Malawi and Mozambique. For them, however, there is a 14-day quarantine period, announced the minister responsible for managing Covid, Chris Hepkins.
At the same time, the government announced that the lockdown in the city of Auckland, which has lasted for more than 100 days, will come
Canceled next Friday.
Stefania Lusito
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