First Omicron case confirmed in Spain, Sweden – latest updates
Covid-19 has infected more than 262 million people and killed over 5.2 million. Here is the virus-related development for November 29:
Monday, November 29, 2021
First Omicron infection confirmed in Spain
A hospital in Madrid said it had detected Spain’s first case of the new Omicron strain in a man who had recently been to South Africa.
“The microbiology service at the Gregorio Maranon Hospital in Madrid announces the first confirmation of the Omicron variant in Spain,” the hospital tweeted.
Sweden reports the first case of Omicron variant
A case of the Omicron virus variant has been discovered in Sweden, the Public Health Agency states.
The case was discovered in a test taken just over a week ago from a person who traveled from South Africa, the agency says in a statement.
UN chief concerned about the isolation of southern Africa
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said he is deeply concerned about the isolation of the countries of southern Africa; travel restrictions were introduced by several countries due to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.
“I urge all governments to consider repeated testing for travelers, along with other appropriate and truly effective measures, with the aim of avoiding the risk of transfer to enable travel and financial commitment,” Guterres said in a statement.
Britain adds 35 deaths
The UK reported 42,583 additional cases and 35 more deaths within 28 days of a positive test, according to official data.
Two more cases of the Omicron variant have been discovered in the UK, where the two people both have links to travel to southern Africa, health officials said.
The UK decided to expand its booster vaccine program to millions more as part of efforts to address the spread of the new omicron variant, which is feared to be more contagious and vaccine-resistant.
Israel reports the second Omicron case
Israel has reported a second case of the Omicron variant of coronavirus, according to local media.
The Israel Public Broadcasting Corporation, referring to the Ministry of Health, said that a woman turned out to have received the variant after coming from South Africa recently.
On Saturday, Israel prevented foreign tourists from entering the country, as part of restrictions to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 Omicron variant.
China’s leaders promise Africa 1B vaccine doses
The Chinese president promised to offer Africa one billion doses of Covid-19 vaccine, while the continent struggles to get enough jabs to immunize against the disease.
President Xi Jinping said his country would donate 600 million doses directly.
Another 400 million doses would come from other sources, such as investments in production facilities, which are lacking in large parts of Africa.
Italy sees 65 more deaths
Italy has reported 65 deaths compared to 47 the day before, the health ministry said, while the daily number of new infections dropped to 7,975 from 12,932.
Italy has recorded 133,739 deaths linked to Covid-19 since its outbreak in February last year, the second highest number in Europe after the United Kingdom and the ninth highest in the world.
The country has so far reported 5.02 million cases.
Singapore reports over 1,000 cases
Singapore has registered 1,103 new cases compared to 747 infections the previous day; reports 9 deaths.
Risk related to Omicron variant very high: WHO
The Omicron variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a “very high” global risk where Covid-19 increases could have “serious consequences” in some areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.
The UN agency, in technical advice to its 194 member states, called on them to speed up the vaccination of high-priority groups and to “ensure that containment plans are in place” to maintain the necessary health services.
“Omicron has an unprecedented number of nail mutations, some of which are concerned about their potential impact on the orbit of the pandemic,” the WHO said.
“The overall global risk associated with the new variant of concern Omicron is considered to be very high.”
Further research is needed to better understand Omicron’s potential to escape protection against immunity induced by vaccines and previous infections, it said, adding that more data were expected in the coming weeks.
“Covid-19 cases and infections are expected in vaccinated individuals, albeit in a small and predictable proportion,” it added.
The Portuguese football team sees 13 Omicron cases
Portuguese health authorities have said they have identified 13 cases of Omicron, the new variant believed to be more contagious, among team members of a professional football club.
Ricardo Jorge National Health Institute said that one of those who tested positive at the Lisbon-based club Belenenses had recently traveled to South Africa, where the Omicron variant was first identified.
However, the others had not traveled to South Africa, suggesting that this may be one of the very first cases of local transmission of the virus outside southern Africa.
S.Africa may top “10,000 daily cases” this week
The newly discovered Omicron variant is likely to fuel an increase in the case of South Africa, which may see daily infections triple this week, a top epidemiologist has warned.
Health monitors reported over 2,800 infections on Sunday, up from a daily average of 500 the previous week and 275 the week before.
“I expect that we will peak over 10,000 cases by the end of the week per day (and) the pressure in hospitals within the next two, three weeks,” said Dr. Salim Abdool Karim at a press conference at the Ministry of Health online.
Scotland reports six new cases of Omicron variant
The Scottish Government has announced the discovery of six new cases of the Omicron variant, bringing the total number in the UK to nine.
It said it had asked public health authorities to carry out improved contact tracking in any case.
Japan bans entry for foreign visitors when Omicron spreads
Japan announced that it will stop the entry of all foreign visitors, and joins a growing number of countries that are tightening their borders as fears spread of yet another extension of the pandemic.
Japan, which has not yet detected any cases of the newly identified Omicron variant, reintroduced border controls, which were eased earlier this month for short-term business visitors, foreign students and workers.
India intensifies virus testing for international leaflets
India will make testing on arrival mandatory for leaflets from more than a dozen countries, including South Africa and the United Kingdom, where the Omicron variant has been discovered, the Ministry of Health said.
The decision will take effect on December 1 and comes after a man who recently returned from South Africa tested positive, although it is not yet clear which tribe he got.
Switzerland discovers first suspected case of Omicron variant
The first likely case of the Omicron variant has been discovered in Switzerland, the government said, as the country tightened its entry restrictions to control its spread.
The case concerns a person who returned to Switzerland from South Africa about a week ago, the Federal Office for Public Health said on Twitter.
The UN says Covid will cost global tourism $ 2 trillion this year
The coronavirus pandemic will cost the global tourism sector $ 2.0 trillion in lost revenue by 2021, the UN tourism agency has said, calling the sector’s recovery “fragile” and “slow”.
The forecast from the Madrid-based World Tourism Organization comes when Europe is struggling with an increase in infections and when a new heavily mutated Covid-19 variant, called Omicron, is spreading around the world.
International tourist arrivals this year will remain 70-75 percent below the 1.5 billion arrivals registered in 2019 before the pandemic struck, a similar reduction as in 2020, according to the agency.
The global tourism sector already lost $ 2.0 trillion in revenue last year due to the pandemic, according to the UNWTO, making it one of the sectors hardest hit by the health crisis.
Australia is stopping the reopening of the border due to concerns about Omicron
Australia has abruptly halted plans to reopen its international borders for skilled workers and students, a decision of the 11th hour prompted concerns over the Omicron variant.
Following an emergency security meeting, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the much-discussed reopening on December 1 will be delayed by at least two weeks.
Japan is considering further border controls as Omicron spreads
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida has said his country will consider further tightening its borders as the newly discovered variant of the Omicron virus spreads around the world.
“We (take action) with a strong sense of crisis,” Kishida told reporters, noting that Japan closed its borders to foreigners traveling from nine countries, including South Africa, from Sunday.
“As we see a worldwide spread, we continue to consider further measures to tighten border controls and will announce a decision at an appropriate time.”
Biden said that it will take two weeks to have definitive information about the Omicron variant
The United States’ highest official for infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, has told President Joe Biden that it will take about two weeks to receive definitive information about the new coronavirus variant Omicron, which has triggered new travel restrictions and shaken the financial markets.
Biden, who returned to Washington after the Thanksgiving weekend, was personally informed by his coronavirus response team as officials expect the new variant to reach the United States despite an impending ban on travelers from southern Africa, where it was first discovered.
Fauci said he believes existing vaccines are likely to provide “a degree of protection against serious cases of Covid,” and officials reiterated their recommendation for vaccinated Americans to get booster shots, according to a reading of the information.
Singapore, Malaysia once again opens lively land border for vaccinated travelers
Singapore and Malaysia have reopened one of the world’s busiest land borders, allowing vaccinated travelers to recover after almost two years of closure due to the pandemic.
The sudden closure of the border in March 2020 left tens of thousands of people stranded on both sides, separated from families and fearing for their jobs.
As many as 300,000 Malaysians commuted daily to the rich city-state of Singapore before the pandemic.
Source: Reuters