Omicron

Nov
30
2021
0 Comments
By Troy Warren
World Health Organization Against Omicron Travel Bans

World Health Organization Against Omicron Travel Bans

COVID-19, Travel, , , ,
JANEEN CHRISTOFF | TravelPulse.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Travel  #COVID-19   The World Health Organization praised the countries of South Africa and Botswana for their swift identification of the new Omicron variant of Covid-19 and criticized travel restrictions. "Travel restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of COVID-19 but place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods," said WHO's regional director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti in a statement. "If restrictions are implemented, they should not be unnecessarily invasive or intrusive, and should be scientifically based, according to the International Health Regulations, which is a legally binding instrument of…
Read More
Nov
29
2021
0 Comments
By Troy Warren
Will the vaccines stop omicron? Scientists are racing to find out

Will the vaccines stop omicron? Scientists are racing to find out

COVID-19, Health, In The News, ,
By Apoorva Mandavilli, The New York Times Troy Warren for CNT #COVID-19  #Health As nations severed air links from southern Africa amid fears of another global surge of the coronavirus, scientists scrambled Sunday to gather data on the new omicron variant, its capabilities and — perhaps most important — how effectively the current vaccines will protect against it. The early findings are a mixed picture. The variant may be more transmissible and better able to evade the body’s immune responses, both to vaccination and to natural infection, than prior versions of the virus, experts said in interviews. The vaccines may well continue to…
Read More
Nov
28
2021
By Troy Warren
New Omicron COVID-19 Variant Prompts Swift Travel Bans on Africa

New Omicron COVID-19 Variant Prompts Swift Travel Bans on Africa

COVID-19, Travel, ,
LAURIE BARATTI | TravelPulse.Com Troy Warren for CNT #Travel  #COVID-19   A new COVID-19 strain, which originated in southern Africa, has been identified and classified by a special panel of the World Health Organization (WHO), which named it “omicron”. The WHO panel flagged it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, placing it (at least for now) into the same category as the delta variant. Not much more is currently known about omicron, though South African researchers are still working to better understand the strain. The WHO said that early evidence is suggesting omicron could carry an increased risk of…
Read More