World races to contain new Covid-19 variant

World races to contain new Covid-19 variant

AFP/Schiphol

Fears mounted yesterday that a highly-infectious new coronavirus (Covid-19) strain was pushing its way into Europe as the world brought the shutters down to contain the new Omicron variant.

Britain confirmed its first two infections and suspected new cases emerged in Germany and the Czech Republic, while Dutch authorities quarantined 61 passengers from South Africa who tested positive for Covid-19.

South Africa complained it was being “punished” with air travel bans for first detecting the strain, which the World Health Organisation (WHO) has termed a “variant of concern”.

South Korea, Australia and Thailand joined the United States, Brazil, Canada and a host of other countries around the world restricting travel from the region, fearing a major setback to global efforts against the pandemic.

Scientists are racing to determine the threat posed by the heavily mutated strain, which is more transmissible than the dominant Delta variant, and whether it can evade existing vaccines.

The virus has already slipped through the net with cases in Europe and Hong Kong and Israel.

Both cases in Britain were linked to travel from southern Africa, and in response the government expanded travel restrictions on the region.

Belgium said on Friday that it had detected the first announced infection in