Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Omicron, the new, potentially more contagious Covid-19 variant than Delta, has now spread to a dozen countries, with Japan becoming the latest on Tuesday, although no deaths because of the deadly strain have so far been reported, after its detection on November 24 in South Africa.
So far, they have reported no case involving Omicron in India.
The new variant, whose initial symptom was identified as extreme exhaustion, was first detected on November 24 on a passenger coming from Malawi to South Africa.
Omicron (B.1.1.529), which the World Health Organization (WHO) named as the Variant of Concern (VOC), has now popped up in several other countries, leaving governments around the world scrambling to stop its transmission, amid an ongoing vaccination programme and a host of uncertainties because of this fresh development.
Several countries have also banned travellers from South Africa and its neighbouring nations. The WHO said it could take several weeks to know if there are any changes in its transmissibility, severity or implications for Covid-19 vaccines, tests and treatment.
Since its detection, Omicron has spread to a dozen countries, forcing them to re-impose restrictions. These countries are Australia, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands, Britain, Israel, Botswana, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and also Hong Kong.
In Australia, they detected the Omicron strain in two passengers in Sydney when they came from southern Africa on a Qatar Airways flight via Doha. An Italian traveller to Mozambique, and his five family members, including two children, were found infected with Omicron.
Similarly, in Germany, the new variant was confirmed by two travellers who arrived on a flight from South Africa on November 24. Their genome sequencing has yet to be completed, but it is “proven without a doubt that it is this variant,” the German media reported.
In the Netherlands, officials detected 61 Covid-19 cases among people who flew in from South Africa on Friday last week and believed to have also infected some more people.
The United Kingdom identified two cases of the Omicron variant connected to their travel to southern Africa. Israel has imposed a series of emergency measures after identifying a case of the new Covid-19 variant on November 26.
After South Africa, Hong Kong became the second country to report two cases of Omicron. Botswana, Switzerland and Belgium reported one case each, while Canada reported two.
On Tuesday, Japan confirmed its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, a day after authorities announced new Covid border restrictions. “Regarding the traveller arriving from Namibia, they confirmed it to be a case of Omicron after analysis at the National Institute of Infectious Diseases,” government spokesperson Hirokazu Matsuno said.
The announcement came a day after Japan tightened its border rules again, barring all new foreign arrivals just weeks after relaxing tough regulations to allow some students and business travellers entry. The new rules mean only Japanese citizens and existing foreign residents can enter the country, with few exemptions, and those coming from areas with known Omicron cases require hotel quarantines ranging from three to 10 days.