A woman is walking past a TV repair shop in Cape Town, South Africa, on the 26th (local time). The World Health Organization (WHO) is consulting with South African authorities regarding the detection of the new COVID-19 variant 'B.1.1.529.60' in South Africa. As a result, many flights connecting South Africa and Europe have been suspended. The emergence of the new COVID-19 variant 'Omicron' has caused tension worldwide, with countries hastily shutting down travel routes to South Africa, the suspected origin.
'Omicron' was reported by South African scientists who discovered a new variant with 32 genetic mutations in the spike protein.
It was first identified in Botswana, Africa, and is currently spreading in South Africa. Subsequently, cases were confirmed in Hong Kong, and on this day, in Israel and Belgium as well.
The infected individual in Belgium is a young woman who traveled to Egypt via Turkey and returned on the 11th; she showed cold-like symptoms 11 days later and tested positive.
The first confirmed 'Omicron' case in Hong Kong was a traveler from South Africa. However, a person entering from Canada, quarantined in a room opposite the same hotel, was later infected, raising the possibility of secondary transmission.
According to major foreign media, a spokesperson for Hong Kong health authorities said that the South African traveler used a mask without a filter and with a valve, so the virus may have spread through the air when the door was opened.
There are suspicions that 'Omicron' has already landed in the UK as well.
◆Global Border Controls... Entry Restrictions from Southern Africa
Slovenia, the rotating chair of the EU in the second half of this year, announced on Twitter that the health expert committee of the 27 member states agreed to activate the 'emergency brake' measure and temporarily restrict entry from Southern Africa to the EU.
The targeted countries are South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, and Zimbabwe.
EU member states quickly agreed to these measures after it became known that 'Omicron' had already landed in Europe.
The first case in Belgium was reported on this day. Belgium announced additional quarantine measures, including closing nightclubs for three weeks from the 27th and limiting restaurants, pubs, Christmas markets, and cultural facilities to operate only until 11 p.m.
Countries such as the UK, Germany, Italy, Czech Republic, Netherlands, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, and Russia previously announced measures such as blocking flights from South Africa and neighboring countries, banning entry except for their own citizens, or imposing quarantine.
Asian countries like Singapore and Japan, Middle Eastern countries like Israel and Saudi Arabia, and American countries like the US and Canada have also begun border controls one after another.
South Africa is opposing entry bans before recommendations from the World Health Organization (WHO), calling such measures "premature."
The international community believes that border controls should be used to buy some time until analysis results on the new variant are available.
The WHO said that analysis of the new variant would "take several weeks," and BioNTech, which co-developed the COVID-19 vaccine with Pfizer, said that results on whether the current vaccine is effective against the new variant would be available in two weeks.
The global financial markets wobbled in fear of the new COVID-19 variant, 'Omicron.' The New York Stock Exchange in the United States experienced its largest drop this year, and major European stock markets, which closed earlier, also fell nearly to crash levels. ◆WHO: "Omicron has higher reinfection risk"... Global Stock Markets Plunge
The World Health Organization (WHO) named the new variant, previously called B.1.1.529, 'Omicron' after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet.
It also classified it as a 'variant of concern,' explaining that "preliminary evidence suggests a higher risk of reinfection compared to other variants."
A variant is classified as a variant of concern when its transmission or fatality rate worsens, or resistance to current treatments or vaccines increases, and initial investigations are underway.
The UK Health Security Agency (HSA) described it as the "worst" among those seen so far, noting that the spike protein is dramatically different.
Global stock markets experienced a 'Black Friday.' The Dow Jones Industrial Average on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) plunged 2.53%, marking the largest drop since October 28 last year, and European markets also fell more than 4%. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude oil dropped more than 10%.
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