Omicron Already Taking Over In South Africa As Countries Tighten Borders
NDTV
The United States told airlines to hand over the names of passengers from parts of southern Africa hit by Omicron, which the World Health Organization (WHO) said had now reached at least 24 countries, with cases ranging from mild to severe.
The heavily mutated Omicron variant of the coronavirus is rapidly becoming dominant in South Africa, less than four weeks after being identified there, authorities said on Wednesday, as other countries tightened their borders against the new threat.
The United States told airlines to hand over the names of passengers from parts of southern Africa hit by Omicron, which the World Health Organization (WHO) said had now reached at least 24 countries, with cases ranging from mild to severe.
Early indications suggesting that Omicron may be markedly more contagious than previous variants had already rattled financial markets, fearful that new restrictions around the world could choke off a tentative recovery from the economic ravages of the pandemic.
South Africa's National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said Omicron's profile and early epidemiological data suggested it was able to evade some immunity, but that existing vaccines should still protect against severe disease and death.
