The World Health Organization (WHO) panel of experts meeting today to evaluate the new, mutated strain of the new coronavirus found in South Africa has decided to call it a “variant of concern”.
The variant B.1.1.529 was given the name “Omicron” from the letter of the Greek alphabet.
According to the WHO, the first indications are that this variant carries a higher risk of re-infection, compared to the other “variants of concern”.
Health Minister Joe Faala confirmed that preliminary studies have so far shown that this variant may be more contagious, but called “unjustified” the decision of other countries to impose travel restrictions. In a press conference, the minister stressed that South Africa is acting transparently and that travel bans are contrary to the recommendations of the World Health Organization. He stressed that he would not even think about not sharing information about different strains of the new coronavirus in the future, since this is done for “the good of the world”, as he said.
Faala added that the South African government has no plans to impose compulsory vaccination on citizens because of this variant. He noted that some measures will need to be taken, but the exact restrictions have not yet been decided.
South Africa’s leading epidemiologist, Salim Abdul Karim, said the B.1.1.529 variant had spread to 53 countries within three weeks of its detection. “So it does not really help to close the border. We have to find solutions to this variation together. “And part of that means not overreacting,” he told Reuters, calling it a “panicked reaction” to Britain’s decision to ban travel from South Africa.
Omicron cases appear to be on the rise in almost all South African provinces.
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