The risk of the Omicron variant of the new coronavirus found in South Africa spreading to Europe is “high to very high”, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) announced last night.
Earlier on Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) panel of experts held an extraordinary meeting, calling the strain a “variant of concern”, noting that the first signs indicate a higher risk of re-infection than the other “variants of concern”.
Omicron cases appear to be on the rise around almost the entire southern tip of the African continent.
Apart from the Republic of South Africa, cases have been reported in Malawi, but also in Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium.
At the same time, the Dutch health authorities have been alerted as dozens of the approximately 600 passengers on two flights from South Africa that arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport yesterday may have been infected with the new coronavirus.
Further tests are performed to determine if and to what extent they are infected with the so-called Omicron variant of the virus.
The approximately 600 passengers, who were immediately isolated from the rest of the passengers at the airport upon arrival, faced long delays and examinations.
Based on the first data, the Dutch Ministry of Health estimated that the number of passengers infected with SARS-CoV-2 is about 85.
EU, Britain, US, Canada and other countries ban travelers from African countries where Omicron cases have been detected
Hundreds of travelers rushed to Johannesburg Airport hoping to find a seat on one of the last flights home
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