On November 26, 2021, the electronic screen at South Africa’s Capital International Airport showed that the flight from Johannesburg to London Heathrow Airport in the United Kingdom was cancelled. Oriental IC map
[ 面对全球疫情最新出现的突发事件，复旦大学附属华山医院感染科主任张文宏在微博上回应了网友的关切。他认为，奥密克戎变异株毫无疑问是病毒进化的产物，并已经成为南非近期记录的病毒株中的优势株，占比超过90%。不过张文宏表示，他认同香港大学病毒学家金冬雁教授的看法，也就是奥密克戎变异株能否最终成为像德尔塔（Delta）这样在全球主导的优势株仍待观察。 ]
[ 英国政府表示，将考虑为更多民众接种新冠疫苗加强针，并缩短加强针与第二剂疫苗的接种间隔时间，其目标是在未来三周内，为英国民众注射600万剂疫苗。 ]
After the WHO listed the first new variant of the new coronavirus in Africa, Omicron, as a closely watched variant (VOC), as of press time, the virus has appeared in many countries such as Africa, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Those infected with mutant strains.
In Europe, many countries have announced the discovery of cases related to the Omi Keron variant; more than 60 people on a flight returning from the Netherlands to South Africa tested positive for the new crown, and the country is closely testing whether these infected people are carrying them. A new type of mutant strain.
The Australian government also claimed that two inbound tourists from the country were infected with the mutant strain of “Omi Keron”.
The latest assessment report of the European Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes that the risk of the Omi Keron mutant strain is “high” because it has the largest number of mutations detected since the outbreak of the new crown pneumonia. Andrea Amon, the head of the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said: “Everyone is still unclear about the spread of this mutant strain, the protection of the vaccine, and the risk of reinfection. At this stage, preventive measures must be taken proactively to gain time. For example, if all adults are provided with intensive needles, companies can adopt remote office work.”
To prevent the continued spread of Omi Keron mutant strains, governments of many countries immediately adjusted entry prevention and control measures and domestic prevention and control measures.
In the face of the latest emergencies in the global epidemic, Zhang Wenhong, director of the Department of Infectious Diseases, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, responded to netizens’ concerns on Weibo. He believes that the Omi Keron mutant strain is undoubtedly the product of virus evolution, and has become the dominant strain among recent recorded virus strains in South Africa, accounting for more than 90%.
However, Zhang Wenhong said that he agrees with the views of Professor Jin Dongyan, a virologist at the University of Hong Kong, that it remains to be seen whether the Omi Keron mutant will eventually become a dominant global strain like Delta.
Many countries adjust entry prevention and control measures
The governments of the above-mentioned multiple countries stated that all confirmed cases of infection with the Omi Keron mutant strain found in their territory have traveled to countries in southern Africa.
The British Ministry of Health stated that the two cases of Ome Keron infection found in the UK had travelled to southern Africa. A case of Omi Keron infection confirmed by a laboratory in Milan, Italy recently returned from a trip to Mozambique, an African country. The Australian government stated that two inbound tourists had travelled to countries in southern Africa.
Many governments immediately adjusted the entry prevention and control measures and domestic prevention and control measures. As of the 27th, the European Union and Canada have suspended flights from seven countries in southern Africa. The seven countries are: South Africa, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho and Vatigny (formerly Swaziland). The Canadian government also prohibits foreigners who have been to seven countries in southern Africa in the past 14 days from entering Canada.
The British government has expanded the “travel ban list.” The countries currently on the list are: Angola, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, Botswana, Swatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, which means any arrival from these destinations Everyone in the UK must be quarantined.
The Australian government has also suspended flights from nine African countries. The Israeli government declared that all countries in central and southern Africa are “red zones”, and people from these countries are prohibited from entering the country.
In addition, the United States, Japan, Russia, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Malaysia and other countries have also successively issued or are preparing to introduce entry restrictions on flights and passengers from southern African countries.
Dr. Anthony Fauci, chief medical adviser to the White House, said that American scientists are actively communicating with South African scientists to learn more about the molecular structure of the Omi Keron variant, so that researchers can test the variant in the United States. , And can help scientists better predict the effect of vaccines against new variants.
On the 27th, British Prime Minister Johnson held an emergency press conference, announcing that further measures would be taken to prevent the spread of the Omi Keron mutant strain. All international travelers need to undergo nucleic acid testing after arriving in the UK and need to self-isolate before getting a negative result; people who have been in close contact with confirmed cases of Omi Keron mutant strains need to self-isolate for 10 days; people are taking public transportation Wear a mask when shopping for tools and shopping in the mall.
The Dutch government stated that it will close all stores in the country except basic stores and ban amateur sports games and training after 5pm.
The German National Academy of Sciences (Leopoldina) urged the government to immediately implement strict prevention and control measures to reduce contact between people, saying that these bans must cover people who have been vaccinated and people who have been infected with the new crown pneumonia.
Vaccine booster vaccination plan speeds up
At the same time, governments of many countries have promoted the vaccination plan as the main countermeasure to prevent and control the spread of Omi Keron mutant strains.
The British government stated that it will consider vaccinating more people with a booster shot of the new crown vaccine and shorten the interval between booster shots and the second dose of vaccine. Its goal is to inject 6 million doses of vaccine for the British people in the next three weeks.
“We still don’t know exactly how effective our vaccine is to prevent and control Omi Keron mutant strains, but we have every reason to believe that the vaccine will at least provide people with a certain degree of protection.” Johnson said.
The German National Academy of Sciences also recommended that the government must increase the population’s vaccination rate in the coming months.
French Minister of Health Verande stated that from the 27th, people over the age of 18 in France can make appointments for booster vaccination. The French government has shortened the time interval between the completion of the whole course of immunization of the new crown vaccine and the booster shot from 6 months to 5 months.
According to data from Our Wolrd in Data, a data agency under the University of Oxford, as of the 26th, the fully vaccinated population accounted for 43% of the global population. In the European Union, the two-dose vaccine population accounts for 67% of its total population.
The scientific research team of Rome Children’s Hospital in Italy said on the 27th that the world’s first picture of the Omi Keron mutant strain released by the team showed that compared with the previous Delta mutant strain, the Omi Keron mutant strain has more Spike protein mutations. Although these mutations are diversified, the new coronavirus can further adapt to the human body through mutation, but this does not necessarily mean that it becomes more dangerous.
At the same time, major global vaccine suppliers have stated that they are working hard to study the causes of the Omi Keron mutant strain, and strive to develop a vaccine against this strain as soon as possible.
Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said at the press conference: “This kind of situation will always happen. The virus will continue to evolve, and we will find them too,” but he still hopes that the public will not Too nervous, “It’s not the end of the world, the sky hasn’t fallen yet.”
Michael Ryan believes that the current public does not need to worry too much about the new coronavirus mutant. This is what scientists need to study. He said: “People need to believe that we will give early warning in time.” Return to Sohu to see more
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