New Covid-19 Variant, Omicron – Not in the US Yet
Ughh!! A new Covid-19 variant called Omicron has been detected. It is mainly in South Africa – 77 cases detected.
There is also 1 case in Israel, 1 case in Belgium and 2 cases in Hong Kong. (See map)
The two cases in Hong Kong originated in South Africa. A 36-year-old man, who traveled from South Africa to Hong Kong. He was quarantined at a hotel in Hong Kong and he infected another guest across the hallway. Both had two doses of the Pfizer vaccine from 6 months ago.
President Biden is restricting travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi starting on Monday.
Omicron is spreading to other countries due to travel. (See article)
Omicron’s official name is B.1.1.529. There are already 32 mutations of the Omicron Variant.
It is more transmissible than the Delta variant.
They aren’t sure if the current vaccines will be effective against this new variant. They said this will take a few weeks to figure out. (The doctor who spoke about this on an interview said the vaccine should be effective.)
The stock market fell 900 points this afternoon after this announcement. (Source)
Dr. Faucci said there were no cases of the Omicron variant in the United States.
.
Hugs,
marlene
Topics: Uncategorized | No Comments »