The discovery of a new coronavirus variant named Omicron has triggered global alarm as countries rush to suspend travel from southern Africa and stock markets on both sides of the Atlantic suffered their biggest falls in more than a year.
The World Health Organization (WHO) says Omicron may spread more quickly than other forms. Preliminary evidence suggests that there is also an increased risk of reinfection.
Epidemiologists are warning that travel curbs may be too late to stop Omicron from circulating globally. The new mutations were first discovered in South Africa and have since been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.
Professor David Hui from the Chinese University Hong Kong is concerned that the new variant could diminish the effectiveness of current Covid-19 vaccines. He also suggests that the city could consider banning travelers from the southern part of Africa.
Virologist Yong Poovorawan, head of the Centre of Excellence in Clinical Virology at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of medicine, says that the Thai government should tighten health screening measures to curb entry by travelers especially from South Africa.
“However, the public should not panic as mutations are a natural part of the virus’s lifecycle,” Dr. Yong adds.
The Finnish government has already announced that the people to avoid travelling to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Lesotho following the discovery of Omicron.
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