Nearly for two years, the world is fighting against the Covid-19 pandemic, the world is racing to control a new coronavirus type that might be even more dangerous than the one that has reeked on almost every continent, Dawn news reported.
The variety was given the name “Omicron” by a World Health Organization (WHO) panel, and it was categorized as a highly infectious virus of concern, the same category as the prevalent Delta version, which continues to be a problem in Europe and parts of the United States.
“It seems to spread rapidly,” US President Joe Biden said on Friday of the new variant, only a day after celebrating the resumption of Thanksgiving gatherings for millions of American families and the sense that normal life was coming back at least for the vaccinated. In announcing new travel restrictions, he told reporters, “I’ve decided that we’re going to be cautious.”
The actual hazards of Omicron are currently unclear. However, early research shows it has a higher risk of reinfection than other highly transmissible variations, according to the WHO. That implies that persons who have previously contracted Covid-19 and recovered may be at risk of catching it again. It might take weeks to find out if available vaccines are less effective.
In response to the variant’s discovery in southern Africa, the United States, Canada, Russia, and a host of other countries joined the European Union (EU) in restricting travel for visitors from that region, where the variant brought on a fresh surge of infections.
The White House said the US will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning on Monday. Biden issued a declaration later on Friday making the travel prohibition official, with exceptions for US citizens and permanent residents and several other categories, including spouses and another close family.
