New Findings Show the Omicron Variant Spread Widely At a Faster Pace Than Initially Thought

BRUSSELS (AP) — New findings about the coronavirus’s omicron variant made it clear Tuesday that the emerging threat slipped into countries well before their defenses were up, as two distant nations announced their first cases and a third reported its presence before South African officials sounded the alarm. The Netherlands’ RIVM health institute found omicron in samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23. The World Health Organization said South Africa first reported the variant to the U.N. health agency on Nov. 24. Meanwhile, Japan and France reported their first cases of the new variant that has forced the world once again to pinball between hopes of returning to normal and fears that the worst is yet to come. [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] It remains unclear where or when the variant first emerged or how contagious it might be—but that hasn’t stopped wary nations from rushing to impose travel restrictions, especially on visitors coming from southern Africa. Those moves have been criticized by South Africa and the WHO has urged against them, noting their limited effect. The latest news though made it increasingly clear that travel bans would struggle to stop the spread of the variant. German authorities said they had an omicron infection in a man who had neither been abroad nor had contact with anyone who was. The WHO warned Monday that the global risk from omicron is “very high” and that early evidence suggests it may be mor...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 wire Source Type: news