[Epoch Times November 28, 2021](Reported by English Epoch Times reporter Mimi Nguyen Ly / compiled by Takasugi) New York State Governor Kathy Hochul announced Friday (November 26) that the state will enter State of emergency to deal with the peak of COVID-19 (Chinese Communist Party virus) infection that may occur this winter. She also warned that the new Omicron variant virus is coming soon.
This new COVID-19 (Chinese Communist virus) variant — B.1.1.529, which the World Health Organization named Omicron at an emergency meeting on Friday — was the first time it was reported in Botswana in southern Africa. observed. There are dozens of mutations in its spike protein, which may allow the virus variants to evade the immunity generated after previous infections or vaccination.
Hochel said: “We have taken special actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and fight this epidemic. However, we continue to see early warning signs that infections will rise in this coming winter, even in New York State. No new cases of Omicron variant infection have been detected, but it is coming.”
“In order to prepare, I announced emergency measures today to expand the capacity of the hospital and help ensure that our hospital system is able to deal with any challenges posed by the epidemic during the winter.”
New York State’s new state of emergency will take effect on December 3 and will be reassessed on January 15 based on the situation.
Specifically, according to the new executive order signed by Hocher, the state’s Ministry of Health is allowed to restrict non-essential, non-emergency procedures to protect hospitals or systems with limited capacity to provide important medical services when needed.
This executive order also allows the state to obtain key supplies to respond to the epidemic more quickly.
The World Health Organization marked the Omicron variant virus strain as a “variety of concern” on Friday. The White House announced that the United States will restrict travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique and Malawi to curb the spread of this new variant.
The European Union, Israel, the United Kingdom, Japan and other countries have also announced similar travel restrictions on southern African countries.
According to Reuters, India, Turkey, Switzerland and the United Arab Emirates also tightened travel restrictions on Friday.
At present, many countries have announced the discovery of new cases of the Omicron variant virus. On Saturday (November 27), British Foreign Secretary Sajid Javid said that a new variant of COVID, Omicron, has been infected in the UK. In addition, suspected cases of new variants have also appeared in Germany and the Czech Republic.
The Associated Press reported that in two weeks, the Omicron variant brought South Africa from a period of low transmission to a period of rapid growth of newly confirmed cases. South Africa recorded 2,828 new confirmed cases on Friday, but health professionals were shocked by the speed of Omicron’s spread of infections among young South Africans.
Editor in charge: Li Yuan#
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