A summary of today's developments
- Boris Johnson has announced that arrivals to the UK have to take a PCR test by the second day of their arrival and self-isolate until they have a negative result after the first two cases of the new variant were reported in Nottingham and Essex. Face coverings will also become compulsory in shops and on public transport in the UK from next week.
- Israel is to ban the entry of visitors from all countries due to the Omicron variant, Reuters reports. The country’s government will also reintroduce counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology for contact testing in order to contain the spread of the new strain.
- Health officials in New South Wales, Australia, have begun urgent testing after two people who arrived on a flight from southern Africa overnight tested positive to the coronavirus, Reuters reports. Australia imposed new restrictions on Saturday on people who have been to nine southern African countries.
- Some of the 61 Covid-19 cases detected among a group of passengers that arrived in the Netherlands from South Africa this week are likely to be the Omicron variant, health authorities said.
- Two people with the new variant entered Germany at Munich airport on 24 November, before South Africa was designated a virus variant area and were now isolating, Bavaria’s health ministry said. Earlier, officials in the western state of Hesse, home to Frankfurt airport, said a suspected case of the Omicron variant had been found in a passenger arriving from South Africa.
- A case of the Omicron variant has been detected in Italy, Reuters reports. The genome was sequenced at the Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Virology and Bioemergency Diagnostics of the Sacco Hospital in Milan from a positive sample of a patient coming from Mozambique.
- Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he “would not be surprised” if the Omicron variant was already in the US.
The US has praised South Africa for quickly identifying the new Covid strain and sharing the information with other countries, AFP reports.
The secretary of state, Antony Blinken, spoke to South Africa’s international relations and cooperation minister, Naledi Pandor, and they discussed cooperation on vaccinating people in Africa against Covid-19, the state department said.
“Secretary Blinken specifically praised South Africa’s scientists for the quick identification of the Omicron variant and South Africa’s government for its transparency in sharing this information, which should serve as a model for the world,” the statement said.
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The introduction of compulsory PCR tests for Covid-19 for everyone arriving in the UK has been described as a “huge blow” for the travel industry.
Abta, a trade association for tour operators and travel agents in the UK, said the added cost of testing for all arrivals to the UK will have an impact on customer demand for holidays, adding pressure to an industry which has been among the “hardest hit” during the pandemic.
Without a negative result, people will have to self-isolate for 10 days.
“While Abta understands that this is a rapidly evolving situation and public health must come first, the decision to require all arrivals to take a PCR test and self-isolate until a negative result is returned is a huge blow for travel businesses, many of whom were only just starting to get back on their feet after 20 months of severe restrictions,” an Abta spokesman said.
“These changes will add cost to people’s holidays, which will undoubtedly impact consumer demand and hold back the industry’s recovery, so it’s vital that this decision is kept under careful review and restrictions are lifted promptly if it becomes clear there is not a risk to the UK vaccination programme.
“The government must also now consider offering tailored support for travel businesses, which have been amongst the hardest hit during the pandemic.”
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A football game in Portugal’s top divison was abandoned in the second-half after a Covid outbreak forced Belenenses to start the match with Benfica with just nine men, two of them goalkeepers.
Instead of postponing the game when news emerged that 14 players and three staff members had tested positive, Portuguese league authorities sanctioned it going ahead due to both clubs still being able to field the minimum required seven players.
Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa recommended on Saturday that travel restrictions be widened to include Angola, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia due to the Omicron variant.
The recommendation comes a day after Brazil shut its borders to travelers arriving from South Africa, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe, Reuters reports.
The Anvisa recommendation will need to be implemented by the government, as the regulator does not have the authority to enforce such travel restrictions.
Health officials in New South Wales, Australia, have begun urgent testing after two people who arrived on a flight from southern Africa overnight tested positive to the coronavirus, Reuters reports.
Australia imposed new restrictions on Saturday on people who have been to nine southern African countries, as the new Omicron variant raises concerns about another wave of the pandemic, Reuters reports.
“Urgent genomic sequencing is underway to determine if they have been infected by the new omicron … variant of concern,” the health department of New South Wales said in a release. The passengers arrived in Sydney on Saturday evening and were transported to a hotel for 14 days of quarantine. Other passengers on the flight may be considered close contacts and will need to get tested immediately and isolate for 14 days, and compliance checks will be undertaken, NSW Health said.
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Brazil reported 229 new Covid-19 deaths and 9,233 additional cases, according to data released by the health ministry on Saturday.
In total, Brazil has registered 614,186 deaths due to Covid-19, the world’s second highest death toll behind the US, Reuters reports.
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Brazil reported 229 new Covid-19 deaths and 9,233 additional cases, according to data released by the health ministry on Saturday.
In total, Brazil has registered 614,186 deaths due to Covid-19, the world’s second highest death toll behind the US, Reuters reports.
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Switzerland has widened quarantine requirements to stem the spread of the new Omicron coronavirus variant to travellers arriving from Britain, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Egypt and Malawi, where cases have been detected, its health ministry said.
On Friday, Switzerland banned direct flights from South Africa and the surrounding region due to the detection of the new variant while also imposing restrictions on travel from other countries including Hong Kong, Israel and Belgium.
Entry from those countries would only be possible for Swiss citizens or those with a residence permit in Switzerland or the broader Schengen area, Reuters reports.
It did not state whether travel from those countries would be limited to Swiss citizens and residents or not.
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Israel to ban all foreign visitors due to Omicron variant
Israel is to ban the entry of visitors from all countries due to the Omicron variant, Reuters reports.
The country’s government will also reintroduce counter-terrorism phone-tracking technology for contact testing in order to contain the spread of the new strain.
Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the ban, pending government approval, would last 14 days.
Israel, the first country to shut its borders completely over the Omicron variant, has so far confirmed one case of the variant and seven other suspected cases.
Bahrain has banned entry to travellers from four more African states over the spread of Covid-19, the state news agency BNA reported.
The four additional countries are Malawi, Mozambique, Angola and Zambia, Reuters reports.
The ban excludes Bahraini citizens and those with Bahraini residency visa holders, it said.
Bahrain on Friday banned entry to travellers from South Africa and five other southern African nations.
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The Barbarians have claimed a decision by Public Health England led to their rugby fixture against Samoa at Twickenham being called off 90 minutes before kick-off despite their having enough players who had returned negative tests.
A statement released by the Rugby Football Union revealed that four players and two members of staff from the invitational side had tested positive for Covid-19.
The scrapping of the game followed last year’s fixture against England being called off after 13 players broke the Covid protocols, leading to widespread condemnation of the players’ behaviour.
Boris Johnson has been accused of ignoring a senior official’s plan to prepare Britain for the emergence of vaccine-resistant Covid variants, the Observer can reveal.
With the government announcing on Saturday that the first UK cases of the Omicron variant had been detected, the former head of the government’s vaccine taskforce said he could see no evidence that his blueprint for tackling the most worrying variants – submitted in the spring – had been acted upon.
In an interview with the Observer, Clive Dix, a leading figure in drug development who chaired the taskforce until April, said that he believed the UK was no longer “on the front foot” in tackling the pandemic. “I wrote a very specific proposal on what we should put in place right now for the emergence of any new virus that escaped the vaccine,” he said. “That was written and handed into the [vaccine taskforce] at the end of April when I left. I haven’t seen a sign of any of those activities yet.”
In response, a government spokesperson said: “This past year we’ve witnessed unprecedented scientific innovations and breakthroughs, made possible by collaboration between medical experts, governments and industry.
“Earlier this year, we joined the 100 Days Mission, which will ensure industry is part of a robust collaboration alongside governments, international organisations and academia over the coming months and years to take action towards a common goal: protecting people from future pandemics through developing and deploying safe, targeted and effective diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines at scale.”
Saudi Arabia will allow entry to travellers “from all countries” as long as they have received one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine inside the kingdom, it has said, after suspending flights from seven African countries due to the Omicron variant on Friday.
The ministry said the travellers would be allowed in from next Saturday and would need to quarantine for three days. It did not mention the flight suspensions, Reuters reports. Saudi Arabia has suspended flights to and from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini.
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Dr Nathalie MacDermott, National Institute for Health Research academic clinical lecturer, King’s College London, said the detection of two individuals in England infected with the Omicron variant is unsurprising given the news of the rapid spread of the variant in southern Africa and the emergence of cases in Europe.
“The action to ban flights from the most affected countries is never a decision that should be taken lightly, but for a brief period it can buy the time needed to better understand the threat posed by this new variant and ensure the implementation of more robust identification and targeted contact tracing for individuals arriving from those countries now placed on the red list.
“The decision by the government to reimplement the need for a PCR test from all individuals arriving in the UK from abroad on day two, with self-isolation until a negative test is reported, while frustrating for those travelling, is essential in order to rapidly identify cases of infection with the Omicron variant and implement prompt isolation and targeted contact tracing to limit the spread of the variant in the UK.
“The decision to implement a requirement to wear face masks on public transport and in shops is welcomed, and while it is not yet a requirement to wear them in other environments, the British public would be wise to consider wearing them in all circumstances when they are indoors with gatherings of anyone other than close family and friends.”
Less than a week ago, UK cabinet minister Nadhim Zahawi took to the airwaves to predict that such was the progress of the vaccine programme, Britain would be the first big country to use vaccines to end the pandemic. Hours after he made those comments, scientists 9,000 miles away detected a worrying Covid variant that, just days later, prompted Boris Johnson to announce emergency measures that he had hoped would never be reintroduced.
The speed at which Omicron’s initial discovery has led to the detection of cases around the world and the imposition of new restrictions has been startling. It is also a sign of desperation in Downing Street to avoid a lapse back into more severe restrictions, such as those the prime minister was forced to introduce – with great reluctance – last Christmas.
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Some more details have emerged about the Omicron cases in Bavaria, Germany.
The two people with the variant entered Germany at Munich airport on 24 November, before South Africa was designated a virus variant area, and were now isolating, said Bavaria’s health ministry.
The two had come forward for further investigations after they heard about the new variant, Reuters reports.
The Bavarian ministry said anyone who had been in South Africa in the last 14 days should immediately reduce contacts, take a PCR test and contact their local health authority.
“Bavaria has responded early and quickly to the very new variant,” a ministry spokesperson said.
“Everything must be done to stop it spreading.”
Of passengers arriving from Cape Town on Friday, 50 are in quarantine in Bavaria.
Earlier, officials in the western state of Hesse, home to Frankfurt airport which is one of Europe’s busiest airports, said a suspected case of the Omicron variant had been found in a passenger arriving from South Africa.
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An update on an earlier story from the Netherlands. Some of the 61 Covid-19 cases detected among a group of passengers that arrived in the Netherlands from South Africa this week are likely to be the Omicron variant, health authorities said.
“In a number of the tested persons the Omicron variant is presumed to have been found,” the Netherlands Institute for Health (RIVM) said.
A spokesperson for the RIVM said it was “almost certain” the cases were of the new variant but further testing is needed, Reuters reports.
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Lyn Rickman and her family were hoping to travel across the ditch from Australia to visit her daughter Ellie, who lives in New Zealand and is due to graduate in Auckland at the beginning of May.
Rickman is one of many Australians frustrated by New Zealand’s gradual border reopening timeline, which keeps Australians out until at least 30 April.
Under the plan, fully vaccinated New Zealanders currently in Australia will be able to return home without quarantine from 17 January.
But fully vaccinated non-citizens won’t be able to enter the country until 30 April next year, and they will still need to isolate for a week.
Kuwait is to suspend direct flights from nine African countries from Sunday due to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus discovered in South Africa, the government communication centre said.
The countries are South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zambia and Malawi, Reuters reports.
Italy detects case of new Covid variant
A case of the Omicron variant has been detected in Italy, Reuters reports.
The genome was sequenced at the Laboratory of Clinical Microbiology, Virology and Bioemergency Diagnostics of the Sacco Hospital in Milan from a positive sample of a patient coming from Mozambique.
The patient and his family contacts were in good health, the ISS said, adding that the sequence of the sample, “attributable to the one now known as variant of concern (VOC) and defined yesterday by WHO as Omicron”, was in the process of further confirmation.
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The mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, welcomed the UK government’s decision to impose tighter restrictions on face masks.
He wrote on Twitter: “Today’s announcement that face coverings will be compulsory on public transport nationwide, as they already are across TfL [Transport for London], is welcome.
“Evidence shows they help stop the virus spreading, and this is a measure I’ve repeatedly urged the Government to take.”
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Here is the full story on the UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, announcing fresh measures to curb the spread of coronavirus, including mandatory masks in shops and PCR tests for travellers entering the country after two cases of the Omicron variant were detected.
Johnson said anyone arriving in the UK will be asked to take a PCR test for Covid-19 on the second day and must self-isolate until they provide a negative test. The rules on face coverings in shops and on public transport will also be tightened, he said.
Contacts of all confirmed cases of people infected with the Omicron variant will have to self-isolate for 10 days. Health officials are also examining the case for widening access to the booster vaccine programme, he added.
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The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the state department have advised against travel to eight southern African countries due to the Omicron variant, Reuters reports.
The CDC raised its travel recommendation to “Level Four: Very High” for South Africa, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, Malawi, Lesotho, Eswatini and Botswana while the state department issued parallel “Do Not Travel” advisories on Saturday.
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The Welsh government has confirmed it will introduce the same measures on international travel as announced on Saturday by Boris Johnson, PA reports.
A spokesperson said: “We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the UK Government about its decision to relax international travel rules quickly, precisely because of the risk of introducing new variants into the UK. We also warned against the removal of PCR tests for returning travellers.
We will be introducing the same measures on international travel as those announced this afternoon by the UK Government and the other devolved governments.
“The emergence of this new variant is a serious development in the ongoing pandemic and reinforces the need for everyone in Wales to get their vaccine or booster when offered, wear face coverings when necessary, and book a test if they develop symptoms.”
Face coverings to become mandatory from next week in UK
Face coverings will become compulsory in shops and on public transport in the UK from “next week”, a statement from 10 Downing Street said.
The statement said: “Face coverings will be made compulsory in shops and on public transport from next week.
“All hospitality settings will be exempt.”
Two new cases of the Omicron variant have been found in the German state of Bavaria, Reuters reports.
The press conference has now concluded.
On whether younger people should now be vaccinated as in other countries such as the US, Prof Whitty said the JCVI is looking into it.
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Sir Patrick Vallance has added that boosters will give high enough antibody coverage, which should be sufficient.
Also vaccine manufacturers are devising “broader vaccines” that are effective against potential new variants. And two companies have said they can tweak existing vaccines against the new variant “in about 100 days”.
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On reasons to be more optimistic about dealing with the new variant, Sir Patrick Vallance said we now have a “changeable platform” for vaccines and antiviral drugs coming along compared with a few months ago.
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In response to a question about why he is not implementing further plan B measures such as telling people to work from home, Johnson cited the differences between the Delta and Omicron variant and its approach to “slow the seeding” through the border measures being introduced, accelerating the booster programme and giving scientists more time to understand the variant.
Masks to become mandatory in shops and on public transport
Johnson has clarified that people must now wear face covering in shops and public transport with the health secretary to provide more details.
COVID UPDATE: Face coverings will become compulsory on public transport and in shops. Not including hospitality. pic.twitter.com/pq3TdftcOB
— UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) November 27, 2021
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On the new variant, Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser, said: “The reason this one is worrying is the combination of transmissibility and the potential for some degree of escape from vaccines because of the number of changes.”
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Johnson insists the UK is in a much stronger position, largely due to the vaccine and booster rollout.
On the ramifications for Christmas plans, he said he is “absolutely confident” that this year’s Christmas will be considerably better than last year’s festive period.
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Johnson acknowledges: “We don’t know how effective our vaccines will be” against the new variant.
“But we have good reasons to believe they will provide at least some measure of protection,” he added.
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Prof Chris Whitty is explaining a series of slides that show cases rose in November after a dip in October.
Hospitalisations and the number of deaths are down.
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Johnson said there will be ramping up of mask wearing in shops and indoor settings.
All these measures are “temporary and precautionary” and will be reviewed in three weeks, he added.
The prime minister said the health secretary is asking scientists to consider giving boosters to more people and reducing the gap from when an individual has their second dose.
Johnson said all close contacts of a positive Omicron case must self-isolate for 10 days regardless of their own jab status.
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Johnson announces new testing measures for arrivals to the UK
Johnson has stressed people can continue to travel but arrivals have to take a PCR test by the second day of their arrival and self-isolate until they have a negative result.
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He added that the new variant diverges from previous configurations of the virus and reduces protection from vaccines over time.
Johnson said it does appear that Omicron spreads very rapidly and can spread between two people who are double vaccinated.
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The UK’s prime minister, Boris Johnson, is due to give a live press conference now on the latest on the new variant which you can follow in the blog.
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UK death toll increases by 131
The UK has recorded a further 131 coronavirus-related deaths and 39,567 cases in the latest 24-hour period, government figures show.
After the Omicron variant was detected in Germany in a passenger arriving from South Africa, Peter Tinnemann, head of the Frankfurt Health Authority, said: “Our current routine procedures enable us, together with Frankfurt airport, to quickly implement the necessary measures to minimise the risk of spreading.”
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The Czech Republic’s president, Miloš Zeman, left a Prague hospital on Saturday to name the country’s new prime minister a day later, his spokesman told AFP.
Zeman is due to appoint Petr Fiala, head of the right-wing Civic Democratic party, as prime minister at his Lany chateau residence on Sunday morning.
However, it is still not clear how the ceremony will proceed as the 77-year-old Zeman has to isolate for two weeks under health ministry rules.
Zeman went to hospital on 10 October. He was released last Thursday but returned to hospital on the same day after testing positive for Covid-19.
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Essex county council in England has confirmed it is aware of a case of the new Omicron variant:
A spokesperson for Essex County Council said: “We can confirm that a single case involving the new Covid-19 Variant of Concern (B 1.1.529) , Omicron, has been identified in Brentwood. This is linked to a single case from Nottingham involving international travel to South Africa. pic.twitter.com/0AfNoydRSD
— Essex County Council (@Essex_CC) November 27, 2021
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Here are more details on the UK government adding four more countries to its red list after two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant were detected.
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Scientists in the UK are responding to the news that two cases of the Omicron variant have been detected in Brentwood and in Nottingham.
Infectious diseases expert Dr Neil Stone tweeted that it was no surprise that the variant had been found in the UK, but noted travels bans might not be “completely useless” as both confirmed cases were linked to travel in southern Africa.
He wrote:
Surprise surprise, Omicron has been found in the UK. As usual, by the time we discover it exists, it’s everywhere.
Importantly, both cases apparently linked to travel in Southern Africa..so maybe travel bans not COMPLETELY pointless just yet (they will be very soon though)
That’s it from me, Léonie Chao-Fong, for today. I’m handing over to my colleague Tom Ambrose.
Fauci 'would not be surprised' if Omicron already in US
Dr Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said he “would not be surprised” if the Omicron variant was already in the United States.
Speaking to NBC News today, the president’s chief medical adviser said there was yet to be a confirmed case of the variant in the US but added:
You know, I would not be surprised if it is.
We have not detected it yet, but when you have a virus that is showing this degree of transmissibility and you’re already having travel-related cases that they’ve noted in Israel and Belgium and other places, when you have a virus like this, it almost invariably is ultimately going to go, essentially all over.
Its ability to infect people who have recovered from infection and even people who have been vaccinated makes us say this is something you have to pay really close attention to and be prepared for something that’s serious.
It may not turn out that way, but you really want to be ahead of it.
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Singapore has recorded 1,761 new cases, up from 1,090 the previous day.
A further six deaths were also reported, compared with three on Friday. The latest figures take the total number of fatalities in the country of 5.7 million people to 690.
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England is to add four more countries to its travel “red list”, health officials have announced, after two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant were detected in the UK.
Following fresh advice from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), from 4am on Sunday Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola will join the red list. Travellers who have returned from these four countries in the last 10 days must isolate and get a PCR test, officials said.
The Guardian understands the UKHSA is now following up recent arrivals from these countries. Ministers are not ruling out adding further countries to the red list.
Sajid Javid, the health secretary, said:
We will do all we can to protect the UK public against this emerging threat and that is why we are surging testing capacity to the impacted communities and introducing travel restrictions on a further four countries: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola. We will not hesitate to take further action if required.
From 4am on Sunday non-UK and Irish residents who have been in Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola in the previous 10 days will be refused entry into England, officials said. This does not apply to those who have stayed airside and only transited through any of these countries while changing flights.
UK and Irish residents arriving from 4am on Sunday must isolate in a government-approved facility for 10 days. During their stay, they will be required to take a PCR test on day 2 and day 8.
South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia were added to the red list on Thursday and passengers arriving in the UK from these countries from 4am on Sunday will be required to book and pay for a government-approved hotel quarantine for 10 days.
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Asked if the UK public should now expect changes “as we head into Christmas”, the health secretary, Sajid Javid, said:
We’ve always been really clear that we will do whatever is necessary to protect the progress that we’ve made as a country.
We’ve come a long way, especially since the summer, and we keep all of this under review and if we need to take further action, we will.
Boris Johnson is due to take part in a news conference at 5pm with the chief medical officer for England, Prof Chris Whitty, and the UK’s chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, “to set out further measures”.
When asked what the public’s response should be, Javid replied:
If anyone is sitting at home, thinking what can I do – get vaccinated.
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Four more countries are being added to the UK’s travel “red list” from 4am on Sunday: Angola, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia.
Sajid Javid, the UK health secretary, said:
We have moved rapidly and the individuals are self-isolating while contact tracing is ongoing.
We will do all we can to protect the UK public against this emerging threat and that is why we are surging testing capacity to the impacted communities and introducing travel restrictions on a further four countries: Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia and Angola. We will not hesitate to take further action if required.
This is a stark reminder that we are not yet out of this pandemic.
Getting the vaccine has never been more important – please come forward for your first jab if you haven’t already and if eligible, book your booster as soon as possible.
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After overnight genome sequencing, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has confirmed that two cases of Covid-19 with mutations consistent with B.1.1.529 have been identified in the UK.
The individuals that have tested positive, and all members of their households, are being retested and told to self-isolate while further testing and contact tracing is under way, officials said.
One case has been located in Chelmsford and the other in Nottingham. The two cases are linked, officials said, and there is a link to travel to southern Africa. The UKHSA is carrying out targeted testing at locations where the positive cases were likely to have been infectious.
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Two cases of Omicron variant detected in UK
Two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in the UK, the health secretary has said.
Sajid Javid said the two individuals are now self-isolating and the cases are connected.
He added there would be targeted testing in the areas where the cases were found – in Chelmsford and Nottingham.
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A summary of today's developments
- The first suspected case of the Omicron Covid variant in the Czech Republic is under investigation. The prime minister, Andrej Babiš, said the suspected infection was a woman who stayed in Namibia, and then flew home via South Africa and Dubai.
- In Germany, a minister in the state of Hesse said the Omicron variant, known officially as B.1.1.529, had probably arrived in a traveller returning from South Africa. The country’s top health officials have raised the prospect of a national lockdown amid rapidly rising cases and hospitalisations.
- Dozens of people who arrived in the Netherlands on two flights from South Africa on Friday tested positive for Covid. Dutch authorities are scrambling to see if 61 passengers from South Africa who tested positive for Covid-19 have the new B.1.1.529 variant.
- There have been 77 fully confirmed cases of the Omicron variant in South Africa, four cases in Botswana and one in Hong Kong. Cases have also been reported in Israel and Belgium, although it is possible the variant has spread further.
- The Omicron variant is unlikely to “reboot” the pandemic in a population that has been widely vaccinated, according to Prof Sir Andrew Pollard, the director of the Oxford Vaccine Group.
- South Africa has complained it is being “punished” for detecting the Omicron variant, as countries around the world rushed to impose travel bans from southern African countries.
- Travel bans from certain African countries have been introduced by the UK, US, EU, Australia, Brazil, Turkey, Canada, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Sri Lanka, Oman and Thailand, among others.
- BioNTech, the company that developed the Pfizer jab, has said it could manufacture and distribute an updated version of its vaccine within 100 days if the new Covid variant is found to evade existing immunity.
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Hi, it’s Léonie Chao-Fong again. South Africa has complained it is being “punished” for detecting the Omicron variant.
The foreign ministry made the statement as countries around the world rushed to impose travel bans from southern African countries.
“Excellent science should be applauded and not punished,” it said.
The bans on flights was said to be “akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker”.
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Members of the UK’s Independent Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) have expressed concern at the emergence of the Omicron variant when Covid cases in the UK are high and people are socialising indoors.
Dr Zubaida Haque called on the government to take “early and preventative action now”, saying “high cases and no mitigations means spread of new variant is faster”.
It's not just the emergence of #Omicron - a more transmissible & possibly vaccine-resistant variant which is problematic (given more indoor socialising, low children's vaxx and incomplete booster protection); it's also that it's arriving at a time when cases are 50,000/day in UK https://t.co/AtvAyjhkel
— Dr Zubaida Haque (@Zubhaque) November 27, 2021
Meanwhile, Prof Susan Michie and Dr Kit Yates have thrown their weight behind Prof Stephen Reicher “debunking the idea of behavioural fatigue”.
“The evidence is that people respond to clear leadership from trusted sources,” Michie said.
Advocating for a policy of elimination, Dr Deepti Gurdasani stressed that “with every shift in the virus we risk dealing with a shift in the pandemic”.
“Progressive coordinated and supported global elimination was the only way to really deal with this threat. And with every new variant, it gets harder to do this,” she said.
Elimination zones struggled with delta but managed to do this through strong public messaging & aggressive action in many places. With every shift in the virus we risk dealing with a shift in the pandemic, and every step threatens elimination in places that fought hard for this.
— Deepti Gurdasani (@dgurdasani1) November 27, 2021
Gurdasani said a lack of mandatory hotel quarantine in the UK means “spread can happen in households and onward” and called for comprehensive mandatory border quarantines from all regions, mask mandates, mitigations in schools and limits on large gatherings. She also urged the booster programme and vaccine drive for children to be accelerated.
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Authorities in the Czech Republic reported the first suspected case of the Omicron variant has been identified in a passenger who arrived from Africa.
The prime minister, Andrej Babiš, said the suspected infection was a woman who stayed in Namibia, and then flew home via South Africa and Dubai.
This is Harry Taylor, bringing you Covid news for the next hour.
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A useful thread from Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, on what factors to look out for in terms of learning about the Omicron variant.
As a new variant many issues to resolve amid uncertainty. Having great public health & science people, teams, infrastructure & close links into informed policy makers committed to sharing evidence is crucial. Fortunately all that is true in South Africa.They need all our support
— Jeremy Farrar (@JeremyFarrar) November 27, 2021
Among the key points to look for are the variant’s epidemiology, its clinical impact and how it fares under existing public health measures. Farrar adds:
New variants are inevitable the virus remains highly plastic still evolving and will continue to do so. New variants are not a reason to stop doing what we know works.
New variants are a reminder if we needed it that the pandemic is far from over, inequity is what will extend the pandemic. We do need to do inclusive public health better including urgent equitable access to vaccines and all the tools needed stop pandemic.
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The unequal sharing of Covid vaccines globally is likely to lead to more variants like Omicron emerging, the international affairs thinktank Chatham House is warning.
“The emergence of a new Covid-19 variant with all its myriad mutations – on this occasion from South Africa – is not unexpected,” said Dr Osman Dar, the project director of Chatham House’s One Health Project and a specialist in public health and the control of communicable diseases.
What it highlights are the continuing and fundamental risks to everyone associated with not seriously addressing the inequalities still at play globally in the fight against disease and poor health.
Mutations will continue to surface, as will in all likelihood other infectious viruses with pandemic potential. This latest variant – rapidly detected thanks to South Africa’s relatively advanced genomic sequencing capability and willingness to engage with international partners and collaborating agencies – has for South Africa resulted in a series of travel bans restricting their citizens and impediments to international trade.
African states will pay the price of travel bans which are implemented to try to contain the spread of Omicron, while drug companies will benefit from the search for modified vaccines, he added.
Movement restrictions, including international travel bans do clearly slow and limit the spread of infectious disease, and as is the case is with the current pandemic, allow countries the time and breathing space to prepare medical countermeasures as well as adapt strategies to control local outbreaks.
While for drug and vaccine manufacturers, largely based in the global north, it represents the firing of a start-gun in the next race for market share and profit as they test whether their currently licensed IP-protected vaccines will be effective and whether or not a new, modified vaccine is necessary.
So in effect, a low/middle income nation – along with the continent it sits in – is economically penalised, socially ostracised and socio-politically stigmatised for demonstrating global solidarity and doing the right thing through their timely reporting and sharing of the variant’s genetic data. Meanwhile, a small group of hugely wealthy pharmaceutical companies find new opportunities to generate exorbitant profits as fear starts to once again grip politicians and the wider public.
What’s necessary, therefore, to limit the negative socioeconomic impacts of these restrictive measures on trade and travel, is to have a sufficiently resourced global regime in place. This should support countries reporting new variants through the significant financial and social hardships that then ensue – a disaster or pandemic fund specifically engineered around the impacts of trade and travel restrictions.
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Hello! It’s Léonie Chao-Fong here, taking over the live blog from Aamna Mohdin. Here’s a bit more on the 61 passengers onboard the two flights from South Africa to Amsterdam who tested positive for Covid-19.
Dutch health authorities said the positive cases were being quarantined in a hotel near Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport.
“We now know that 61 of the results were positive and 531 negative,” the Dutch health authority (GGD) said in a statement.
“The positive test results will be examined as soon as possible to determine whether this concerns the new worrisome variant, which has since been given the name Omicron variant.”
Those who tested positive will be required to stay in hotel quarantine for seven days if they show symptoms and for five days if they do not. Those who test negative are expected to isolate at home.
The Dutch government had banned all air travel from South Africa early on Friday because of concerns about the Omicron variant. Testing is required before flights.
Around 600 passengers arrived at Schiphol on the two KLM flights on Friday and then faced hours of delays and testing.
The passengers from the two aircraft, which landed shortly after each other, were kept separate from other people at the airport, De Telegraaf reports. One aircraft came from Cape Town and landed at Schiphol around 10.30 am on Friday. The other flight, from Johannesburg, arrived at around 11am.
Some people complained about the lack of information from airport officials and said it took seven hours before they were given anything to eat or drink.
Lorraine Blaauw, who runs a support group for South African families in the Netherlands, told DutchNews.nl she had been contacted by several people onboard the two flights.
“It was chaos,” she said. “No one knew what was going on. There was no food, no milk for the babies. KLM provided 30 blankets for 600 people. The KLM crew just went home.”
The Kennemerland health board, which is responsible for testing at the airport, said it understood the frustration under passengers about the situation. “People who have just had a long journey … were confronted with a situation we have never had to deal with before,” the health board said in a statement.
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Suspected Omicron case found in Germany, says state minister
A German state minister has warned that the Omicron variant has “very likely already arrived” in Germany, as mutations typical of the variant were detected in a traveller returning from South Africa.
“Last night several Omicron-typical mutations were found in a traveller returning from South Africa,” tweeted Kai Klose, the minister of state for social affairs and integration in the western German state of Hesse.
The full sequencing of the variant hasn’t yet been carried out, but he said health authorities had a “high level of suspicion” that the person has contracted the variant. The traveller has been isolated at home.
If confirmed, it would be the first case of Omicron in Germany.
No further details were given about the passenger or which airport the infected person arrived at. Frankfurt international airport, Germany’s busiest airport, is located in the state of Hesse.
“If you have returned from southern Africa in the last week, limit your contacts and get tested,” Klose warned.
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The UK should cut the gap between the second dose of a Covid-19 vaccination and the booster jab from six to five months, the Labour party said on Saturday, Reuters reports.
As the new Omicron variant sparked concern around the world, Alex Norris, Labour’s junior health spokesperson, said:
This new variant is a wake-up call.
The pandemic is not over. We need to urgently bolster our defences to keep the virus at bay.
Yesterday, Labour called on ministers to act quickly to “get a grip” of the issues before Omicron had a chance to take hold.
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Omicron variant unlikely to lead to 'reboot of pandemic' – director of Oxford Vaccine Group
The director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, which developed the AstraZeneca vaccine, expressed cautious optimism that existing vaccines could be effective at preventing serious disease from the Omicron variant and said it is unlikely to result in a reboot of the pandemic.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Prof Sir Andrew Pollard said:
If you look at where most of the mutations are, they are similar to regions of the spike protein that have been seen with other variants so far and that tells you that despite mutations existing in other variants, the vaccines have continued to prevent very severe disease as we’ve moved through Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta.
At least from a speculative point of view we have some optimism that the vaccine should still work against this variant for severe disease but really we need to wait several weeks to have that confirmed.
But it is extremely unlikely that a reboot of a pandemic in a vaccinated population like we saw last year is going to happen
Pollard added that it was still too early from the data in South Africa to make any decisive conclusions of the impact the Omicron variant will have.
He was also hopeful that a new vaccine, if needed, could be developed rapidly. He said:
The processes of how one goes about developing a new vaccine are increasingly well oiled.
So if it’s needed that is something that could be moved very rapidly.
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Morning, I’m Aamna Mohdin and I’ll be helming the blog for the next few hours. If you want to get in touch, you can email me (aamna.mohdin@theguardian.com) or message me on Twitter (@aamnamohdin)
Sri Lanka is the latest country to ban travellers from six southern African countries on Saturday over concerns about the new Omicron Covid variant.
From Monday, travellers will not be allowed into the country from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Eswatini, a statement from the director general of health services said, local publication the Deccan Herald reports.
Travellers who arrived from these six countries over the past two days will have to undergo mandatory 14 days quarantine.
Updated
South Africa's hospitals see rise in younger Covid patients
The number of confirmed Omicron Covid cases in South Africa is still relatively low, with 2,828 new confirmed cases recorded on Friday, but its speed in infecting young people in the country has alarmed health professionals, the Associated Press reports.
“We’re seeing a marked change in the demographic profile of patients with Covid-19,” Rudo Mathivha, head of the intensive care unit at Soweto’s Baragwanath hospital, told an online press briefing.
“Young people, in their 20s to just over their late 30s, are coming in with moderate to severe disease, some needing intensive care. About 65% are not vaccinated and most of the rest are only half-vaccinated,” said Mathivha.
“I’m worried that as the numbers go up, the public health care facilities will become overwhelmed.”
She said urgent preparations are needed to enable public hospitals to cope with a potential large influx of patients needing intensive care.
Diagnostic tests so far indicate the Omicron variant may be responsible for as many as 90% of the new cases, according to South Africa’s health officials.
Early studies show that it has a reproduction rate of 2 — meaning that every person infected by it is likely to spread it to two other people.
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Many passengers on the two flights that arrived from South Africa to the Netherlands last night did not wear face coverings, New York Times reporter Stephanie Nolen says.
Nolen, who was on one plane, said many passengers did not follow the health guidelines despite a mask mandate by Dutch airline KLM, which operated both flights.
We now know that dozens of those passengers tested positive for Covid, although authorities have yet to confirm the presence of the Omicron variant.
Passengers were stuck on the airport tarmac for about four hours before being sent to be swabbed, tweeted Nolen, who later said she tested negative.
“... still probably 30% of ppl are wearing no mask or only over mouth. Dutch authorities not enforcing. We’re just all in this unventilated room at hour 12, breathing on each other,” she added.
“After all that time with maskless yellers in an unventilated space – we shall see what the next days bring.”
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As Europe braces for a possible outbreak of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, here is a quick visual refresh of where the continent stands in its fight against the coronavirus.
This updated map indicates incidence rates across Europe.
Updated
Sixty-one travellers from South Africa in Netherlands test positive for Covid
Dutch health authorities said that 61 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa on Friday tested positive for Covid-19, Reuters reports.
Authorities are conducting further testing to see if any of the infections are with the recently discovered Omicron coronavirus variant.
Around 600 passengers arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol airport on the two KLM flights on Friday and then faced hours of delays and testing due to concerns over the new virus variant.
The Dutch health ministry said early on Saturday 61 tests had come back positive.
“Travellers with a positive test result will be placed in isolation at a hotel at or near Schiphol,” health authorities said in a statement. “Of the positive test results, we are researching as quickly as possible whether they are the new variant of concern, now named ‘Omicron’.”
The Dutch government banned all air travel from southern Africa early on Friday. The health minister, Hugo de Jonge, determined that passengers already en route to the Netherlands would have to undergo testing and quarantine upon arrival.
Updated
Thailand is now the latest country to ban entry of people travelling from eight African countries it designated as high-risk for the new B 1.1.529 Covid-19 variant, a senior health official said.
Starting in December, travel from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, will be prohibited, the official told a news conference, as reported by Reuters.
Hi everyone, it’s Samantha Lock here, ready to take you through all the new Covid developments this weekend.
It’s been a busy past 24 hours on the Covid front with nations racing to close borders and reimpose restrictions after a new Covid variant was detected last week.
Today, the World Health Organization named the variant “omicron” and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern.
Belgium detected Europe’s first confirmed case of the new variant on Friday as the US, the UK, Australia, Canada and multiple European nations imposed travel bans on south African nations.
Let’s dive right back in with a quick recap of all the key developments you may have missed from the past few hours.
- The US and Canada introduced new travel restrictions in response to the Omicron variant.
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EU members also agreed to restrict travel from seven African countries.
- The first European case of B.1.1.529 variant has been identified in Belgium.
- The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said no cases of the new Covid-19 Omicron variant detected in South Africa have so far been identified in the United States to date.
- New York governor Kathy Hochul issued a Covid-19 “disaster emergency” declaration on Friday, citing increasing rates of infections and hospitalisations. An order from the governor said the state was experiencing Covid-19 transmission “not seen since April 2020” and that hospital admissions has been increasing over the past month to over 300 a day.
- The UK reported a further 50,091 Covid cases and 160 deaths.
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India reported its lowest daily Covid case rise in 541 days, according to Union Health Ministry data updated today. The single-day rise of 8,318 new Covid infections and 465 deaths saw active cases decline to 1,07,019 - the lowest seen since March 2020.
- South Korea’s Covid deaths hit record high with new curbs expected. The country reported 4,068 new Covid-19 cases and 52 new deatgs. Critically ill patients hit an all-time high of 634, up 17 from the previous day, according to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).
- India will resume scheduled international flights from 15 December with a limited service to 14 nations, the Civil Aviation Ministry said.
- Australia confirmed it will close its borders to anyone who has been in southern Africa, and is not an Australian citizen. Australian citizens, residents and their dependents arriving from these countries will need to go into immediate supervised quarantine for 14 days.
- Brazil will shut its borders to travellers arriving from six southern African countries, chief of staff to president Jair Bolsonaro said.
- Germany reports an additional 67,125 Covid cases and 303 deaths, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute.
- Germany’s top health officials have raised the prospect of a national lockdown amid rapidly rising coronavirus cases and a dramatic increase in the number of patients in intensive care.
- The Netherlands will be “effectively closed from 5pm to 5am” according to remarks by caretaker prime minister Mark Rutte, announcing new Covid restrictions from Sunday.
- Dozens of people are likely to have tested positive for the virus within the 600 passengers who landed at Schiphol airport in the Netherlands from South Africa on Friday.
- The European Centres for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) has classified Omicron, B.1.1.529, a “variant of concern”, warning the risk is “high to very high”.
- Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, and Morocco have introduced varying bans on travellers from South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Lesotho and Eswatini according to AFP. Egypt has suspended direct flights to and from South Africa. Iran said it will ban foreign travellers from six countries, including South Africa.
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Canada introduced new border measures and ‘rigorous monitoring’, banning foreign travellers from seven African countries.
- Stocks in the US followed those in Asia and Europe by falling sharply on Friday in the wake of concerns about the new Covid variant.
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