The world now on high alert over Omicron variant

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Just as some parts of the world have been poised for living with the COVID-19 virus with relaxed epidemic prevention restrictions and re-opened borders, the Omicron variant has brought the process to a juddering halt.

While many countries began ramping up efforts to shut out the new mutation, potentially more transmissible than the currently prevailing Delta variant, leading Chinese epidemiologists brushed aside the possibility that Omicron will have a major impact on China, pointing to the country's current dynamic zero-COVID model and swift response to flare-ups that ensure the country is able to deal with any variant. 

The new mutation, declared by the World Health Organization as a "variant of concern," was discovered in South Africa and has since been detected in countries and regions such as Australia, UK, Germany, Israel, Italy, the Czech Republic and China's Hong Kong. 

Despite having one of the world's highest COVID-19 vaccination rates, Israel was the first country to ban foreigners from entering in response to the new variant. Countries such as the UK, and some other EU countries and the US have imposed travel bans on South Africa and neighboring countries.  

The Chinese embassy in South Africa issued a warning on Sunday, urging Chinese nationals in the country to protect themselves, avoid unnecessary travel and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

In face of the unknown danger of Omicron, Chinese pharmaceutical companies are ramping up efforts to detect the virus and tweak current vaccines, while Chinese epidemiologists are confident the mutation will not have a major impact on China at the current stage.

Source:globaltimes

Editor: Crystal H

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