SATURDAY, APRIL 27, 2024
The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday assigned the Greek letter Omicron to the variant. This new variant is known as B.1.1.529 and it has been detected in small numbers in South Africa. It has so far been detected in Botswana, South Africa and Hong Kong. Samples of B.1.1.529 variant have also been confirmed in the UK, Belgium, Italy, Australia and Israel. On Saturday, two cases of the new Omicron have been detected in Britain, UK’s Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, Sajid Javid said. However, the comforting news is that the currently available vaccines against COVID-19 appear to be effective against the newly detected Omicron. According to South African Health Minister Joe Phaahla, vaccines are still effective in preventing severe COVID from the variant, media reported. Phaahla added that the Omicron variant may be more transmissible due to its genetic composition.
Meanwhile, Germany on Saturday reported that it has discovered a new positive case resembling the Omicron variant. Germany’s social affairs minister Kai Klose said that genome sequencing of the virus isolated from an individual with travel history to South Africa shows similar mutations. He added that a full sequencing of the variant was being carried out and that the person has been placed in isolation.
After a long hiatus of more than 20 months, the Union government had on November 26 announced the resumption of scheduled international commercial flights from December 15. Plans are also ready to have chartered flights from Russia land in Goa. The Union home ministry spokesperson said at the meeting, chaired by the home secretary that the overall global situation in the wake of the Omicron virus was comprehensively reviewed and various preventive measures put in place and to be further strengthened were discussed.
Meanwhile, the island country Maldives is barring travellers from seven African countries from Sunday over concerns about Omicron. Travellers will not be allowed into Maldives from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini, the health ministry of Maldives said in a statement. Also, Israel is closing its borders to all foreigners later Sunday in a bid to stem the spread of the new Omicron. “The entry of foreign nationals into Israel is banned except for cases approved by a special committee,” the prime minister’s office stated. Israeli citizens will be required to present a negative RTPCR test and quarantine themselves for three days if they have been vaccinated against the virus and seven days if they have not. It was only four weeks ago that Israel reopened its borders to foreign tourists after a prolonged closure due to COVID. Meanwhile, Australian health officials said Sunday they had detected the COVID Omicron strain in Australia for the first time after testing two passengers from southern Africa who flew into Sydney. The eastern state of New South Wales’ health authority said it had conducted urgent genomic testing and confirmed the new strain was present in two passengers who arrived Saturday in Sydney. It is spreading and also very quickly.
In our neighbouring Karnataka two COVID cases have been detected who returned from South Africa. State Health secretary T K Anil Kumar told the media that, “We fastened the process of sequencing. Both samples are Delta, not Omicron. They are returnees from South Africa in November. Sequencing was done at a Bengaluru lab itself." As a precautionary measure the Karnataka government has stepped up its vigilance on COVID-19. Screening of international passengers at the airports will be intensified and RT-PCR tests will now be mandatory for visitors from Maharashtra and Kerala. The international arrivals from South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong will have to undergo Covid testing and those who test positive will be placed under a 10-day institutional isolation said a government circular. All the travellers from these countries who entered the State in the last 15 days will have to undergo repeat RT-PCR testing, it said.
Being a tourist State and after the Diwali festivities Goa is cautious. Ahead of the St Francis Xavier feast, Christmas-New Year celebrations, the tourism sector which is expecting the international Chartered flights to land in the state from mid December is keenly watching the likely impact of a new variant. It is important both for the physical and financial health of the state. Yes, domestic tourists are surely there for Goa but what needs to be done is to exercise caution and follow the COVID protocols at all cost to prevent the spread of this new variant. Also, the government needs to have a fresh look regarding reopening of schools when almost all the school-going children have not been vaccinated yet.
