UK imposes testing and isolation on all travelers due to omicron variant | Globalism

“We need to buy time while our scientists do research, while we immunize and promote,” Johnson said at a news conference.

The Prime Minister stated that flights will not be canceled but that Anyone entering the country must take a mandatory PCR test. (One on a cotton swab) on the second day after arrival.

In addition to, All travelers must self-isolate until they receive the test result, He can then exit as long as the result is negative.

“We need to limit the spread of this variant in the UK,” the prime minister said. “Help contain it by promoting the use of masks indoors and on public transportation.”

According to the British government, the measures can be reviewed after ten days. The Prime Minister also said that the Ministry of Health will release more information during the week.

Johnson also said that although there is not enough data on the effectiveness of vaccination against this specific strain, boosting vaccination may provide more protection against the virus.

“We will scale up the booster campaign and reduce the time between the second dose and the booster dose,” Johnson said.

However, he acknowledged that it is too early to draw conclusions about the virus and that current data shows that the new variant is spreading more quickly and that it can also be transmitted between vaccines.

None of the current Covid-19 vaccines prevent infection and transmission 100%. However, the vaccinators’ chances of getting infected and transmitting are lower—and even less, the chances of getting seriously ill.

England’s chief medical officer and government adviser Chris Whitty bolstered Johnson’s warning and said there was a “reasonable chance” that the Omicron variant “has some degree of escape from the vaccine.”

“There is a reasonable possibility that there will be at least some degree of vaccine escape with this alternative,” Witty told a news conference.

Two confirmed cases in the country

The country’s health minister, Sajid Javid, said the UK had reported two cases of the new omicron variant on Saturday. See the video below.

He stated that the two cases were identified in England for travelers who had recently passed through countries in southern Africa.

“These individuals will be isolated with their families while further testing and contact tracing continues,” Javid said.

The United Kingdom announced, on Friday, restrictions on several South African countries after the release of the variant of the new Corona virus that was first found in South Africa.

Doubt in Germany and the Czech Republic

In Germany, there is a case COVID-19 It has a “high probability” of being an omicron variant, according to a The country’s territorial authority.

A traveler returning from South Africa tested positive for the disease, and preliminary analyzes indicated similar mutations to the new variant in the virus strain.

“There is a high probability that the alternative Omicron has arrived in Germany,” Kai Klose, Minister of Social Affairs for the Hessen region, said on a social network.

The Czech Republic is also studying a suspected case of Omicron in a person who passed through Namibia.

The variant is worrying because it contains 50 mutations – something never seen before – with more than 30 in protein S (spike) – the “key” the virus uses to attach itself to cells, the target of most vaccines available.

health authorities in Dutch He said 61 people who arrived in the country on two flights from South Africa, on Friday (26th), have tested positive for the virus. COVID-19.

There is no information, until the most recent update of this report, about what type of coronavirus is present in these infected individuals.

All infected passengers have been isolated, and will undergo tests on Saturday (27) to see if It is a newly discovered type of corona virus, omicron, may be common to them.

Also on Friday, travelers faced many hours of waiting and testing due to the new surge of the virus, classified by World Health Organization (WHO) How do “variable anxiety”.

Health Minister Hugo de Jong has ordered passengers who were already on their way to the Netherlands to undergo tests and quarantine upon arrival in the country.

The first case in Belgium, the border closed

on Friday, and Belgium Discovery of a case of Covid-19 infection associated with the omicron variant of the coronavirus. went to For the first time a new alternative has been identified in Europe.

The United Kingdom on Thursday (25) imposed travel restrictions on South Africa and five other countries on the continent. The European Commission has proposed suspending flights from South Africa to the European Union.

Germany has announced that it will not accept travelers from South Africa and Italy has announced a ban on entry to its territory for anyone who has visited 7 countries in South Africa in the past 14 days.

Passengers trying to return from South Africa were stranded after the omicron type of coronavirus was discovered at the airport amid flight cancellations and restrictions. See the video below.

As of the last update of this report, there were no cases of a new variant of Covid-19 recorded in Brazil.

The federal government has announced that, from Monday (29), it will restrict travelers from South Africa, Botswana, Swatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

The announcement follows a recommendation made by the National Health Surveillance Agency (Anvisa). See the video below.