The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO by South Africa last week. So far, several countries and regions have confirmed cases of infection with Omicron….reports Asian Lite News
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant, even as dozens of countries have already introduced such restrictions.
Although Omicron has been labeled a “variant of concern” by the WHO, it said on Tuesday that blanket travel bans will only place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods, while also “disincentivizing countries to report and share epidemiological and sequencing data.”
The Omicron variant was first reported to the WHO by South Africa last week. So far, several countries and regions have confirmed cases of infection with Omicron. Dozens of countries have already tightened travel measures, and even suspended flights, Xinhua news agency reported.
Rwanda suspends flights to S. Africa over Omicron variant
At a member states session on the Omicron variant on Tuesday, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus thanked Botswana and South Africa for detecting and reporting this variant so rapidly. It is deeply worrying that these countries were being penalised by others for doing the right thing, he said.
He called the “blunt, blanket measures” introduced by some member states “not evidence-based or effective on their own.” He urged countries to take “rational, proportional risk-reduction measures, in keeping with the international health regulations.”
Meanwhile, the WHO advises that “persons who are unwell or at risk of developing severe Covid-19 disease and dying, including people 60 years of age or older or those with comorbidities such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes,” should postpone travel plans.
International passengers will have to submit a self-declaration form on the online Air Suvidha portal and include travel history for the past two weeks, reports Asian Lite News
As more countries announce travel restrictions over the detection of new variants of Covid-19 Omicron, the Union Health Ministry on Sunday revised its guidelines for international arrivals in India.
The Centre has mandated submitting 14 days travel details and uploading negative Covid (RT-PCR) test results on the Air Suvidha portal before the journey. The new rules will come into effect from 1 December till further orders. The revised guidelines will supersede earlier ones issued on and after 11 November.
The travellers from ‘countries at-risk will need to take Covid-19 test post-arrival and wait for results at the airport, the Health Ministry has said.
If the test is negative, they’ll follow home quarantine for 7 days, re-test on the 8th day and if negative again, further self-monitor for the next 7 days, the ministry’s statement read.
The government also said that travellers from countries excluding those ‘countries at risk’ will be allowed to leave the airport and shall self-monitor their health for 14 days.
“A sub-section (5% of total flight passengers) shall undergo post-arrival testing at random at the airport on arrival,” the statement said.
A declaration with respect to the authenticity of the Covid-19 test report will also be required, manipulated reports will make the passenger liable for criminal prosecution.
The existing guidelines have been revised in view of the Covid variant Omicron (B.1.1.529), which has been now classified as a Variant of Concern by the World Health Organization, the Health Ministry said.
As per the revised guidelines, before boarding passengers originating from or transiting through at-risk countries shall be informed by the airlines that they will undergo post-arrival testing, quarantine if tested negative, stringent isolation protocols if tested positive, etc.
Do’s and Don’ts shall be provided along with tickets to the travellers by the airlines/agencies concerned and airlines will allow boarding of only those passengers who have filled in the self-declaration form on the Air Suvidha portal and uploaded the negative RT-PCR test report.
This test should have been conducted within 72 hours prior to undertaking the journey.
At the time of boarding the flight, only asymptomatic travellers will be allowed to board after thermal screening and all passengers shall be advised to download Aarogya Setu app on their mobile devices.
“Travellers from specified countries at risk will follow the protocol as detailed below: Submission of sample for post-arrival COVID-19 test at the point of arrival (self-paid). Such travellers will be required to wait for their test results at the arrival airport before leaving or taking a connecting flight.
“If tested negative they will follow home quarantine for 7 days. Re-test on the 8th day of arrival in India and if negative, further self-monitor of their health for next seven days,” the guidelines stated.
However, if such travellers test positive, their samples should be sent for genomic testing at the INSACOG laboratory network.
They shall be managed at separate isolation facilities and treated as per laid down standard protocol, including contact tracing, and the contacts of such positive cases should be kept under institutional quarantine or at home quarantine monitored strictly by the state government concerned.
The nations (at risk updated as of November 26, 2021) from where travellers would need to follow additional measures on arrival in India include European countries, the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Bangladesh, Botswana, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.
Children under five years of age remain exempted from both pre-and post-arrival testing. However, if found symptomatic for Covid-19 on arrival or during the home quarantine period, they shall undergo testing and be treated as per laid down protocol.
As per the guidelines, contacts of the suspect case are the co-passengers seated in the same row, three rows in front and three rows behind along with identified cabin crew.
Also, all the community contacts of those travellers who have tested positive during the home quarantine period would be subjected to quarantine for 14 days and tested as per ICMR protocol.
International passengers arriving through seaports/land ports will also have to undergo the same protocol, except that facility for online registration is not available for such travellers currently.
The Technical Advisory Group has advised WHO that Omicron variant should be designated as a Variant of Concern, reports Asian Lite News
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified the new Covid variant detected in southern Africa this week as the ‘Variant of Concern’ following the Technical Advisory Group meeting on Friday.
“Based on the evidence presented indicative of a detrimental change in Covid-19 epidemiology, the TAG-VE has advised WHO that this variant should be designated as a Variant of Concern and the WHO has designated B.1.1.529 as a VOC, named Omicron”, said the global health body in a statement.
The B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to WHO from South Africa on November 24, 2021. The epidemiological situation in South Africa has been characterized by three distinct peaks in reported cases, the latest of which was predominantly the Delta variant. The first known confirmed B.1.1.529 infection was from a specimen collected on November 9, 2021.
The WHO has asked the countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts to better understand circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants and submit complete genome sequences and associated metadata to a publicly available database. The WHO has reminded to take measures to reduce their risk of Covid-19, including proven public health and social measures such as wearing well-fitting masks, hand hygiene, physical distancing, improving ventilation of indoor spaces, avoiding crowded spaces, and getting vaccinated.
The WHO said that this variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are of concern.
Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of re-infection with this variant, as compared to other VOCs. The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa. Current SARS-CoV-2 PCR diagnostics continue to detect this variant. Several labs have indicated that for one widely used PCR test, one of the three target genes is not detected and this test can therefore be used as marker for this variant, pending sequencing confirmation. Using this approach, this variant has been detected at faster rates than previous surges in infection, suggesting that this variant may have a growth advantage, said the WHO.
The Technical Advisory Group on SARS-CoV-2 Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) is an independent group of experts that periodically monitors and evaluates the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 and assesses if specific mutations and combinations of mutations alter the behaviour of the virus. The TAG-VE was convened on 26 November 2021 to assess the SARS-CoV-2 variant: B.1.1.529.
Flight operations will continue to transport passengers from the UAE to these seven countries, reports Asian Lite News
The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) and the National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Emergency Management Authority (NCEMA) have announced the suspension of entry for travellers and transit passengers from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique.
This includes suspending the entry of travellers who were in these countries 14 days before coming to the UAE. Flight operations will continue to transport passengers from the UAE to these seven countries.
The GCAA affirmed that UAE nationals, diplomatic missions, official delegations between UAE and the seven countries and golden residence holders are excluded from this decision.
The excluded category should present a negative COVID-19 test obtained within 48 hours of departure and a Rapid-PCR test at the airport within six hours of the departure and another PCR test at the airport when arriving to UAE.
A 10-day quarantine and a PCR test on the ninth day of entering the country is required for UAE nationals, diplomatic missions and golden residence holders. However, official delegations are required to quarantine at the airport until the test result is received for them to continue their mission in UAE without 10-day quarantine.
The authority also affirmed that it is required for those coming from South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique through other countries to stay in those countries for at least 14 days before being allowed to enter the UAE.
UAE citizens are prohibited from travelling to South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Mozambique except for the country’s emergency treatment cases, official delegations, and scholarships.
The authority called on all travellers affected by the decision to follow up and communicate with the airlines to amend and schedule their flights and to ensure their safe return to their final destinations without any delay or other obligations.
