Omicron variant upends global pandemic response.

U.S.|Omicron variant upends planetary pandemic response.

• Nov. 27, 2021, 7:16 p.m. ET

Governments astir the satellite began to reintroduce precautionary measures connected Saturday that had been lifted earlier successful the pandemic arsenic researchers raced to find if a caller coronavirus variant posed a important menace and respective cases were spotted successful Europe days aft it was archetypal detected successful confederate Africa.

Omicron, a caller variant first detected successful Botswana, sent Europe into precocious alert connected Saturday aft cases were detected successful the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy. Omicron cases were already detected successful Belgium connected Friday. The Czech Republic, Austria, Israel and the Netherlands were all investigating suspected cases of the variant.

There is inactive comparatively small known astir Omicron. It has mutations that scientists fearfulness could marque it much infectious and little susceptible to vaccines — though neither of these effects is yet to beryllium established. Most confirmed cases of the variant are contained to confederate African countries, but determination are worries the microorganism could person dispersed much wide earlier scientists determination discovered it.

“There’s been a model of astir apt astir 2 weeks conservatively that this microorganism has been spreading,” Andrew Pekosz, an epidemiologist from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said successful an interrogation connected Saturday. It is apt the variant is already successful New York, helium said.

“There surely is simply a accidental that it has already dispersed globally, but we conscionable don’t cognize yet,” Mr. Pekosz added.

European leaders, already struggling with a surge successful Covid-19 cases that has made it erstwhile again the epicenter of the pandemic, tried to onslaught a equilibrium betwixt expanding caution and avoiding panic. But the microorganism would not cooperate.

Sixty-one passengers of 500 connected 2 flights from confederate African countries into the Netherlands connected Saturday tested affirmative for Covid-19 and are quarantining successful Amsterdam. The Omicron variant is apt to beryllium recovered successful immoderate of those 61 passengers who tested positive, the Dutch authorities said.

The European Union connected Friday decided to restrict question to and from 7 countries successful confederate Africa: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Israel said it would adjacent its borders to overseas nationals for 2 weeks, according to section reports. Switzerland volition vote connected their government’s wellness strategy connected Sunday.

In a quality league connected Saturday evening, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that to curb the dispersed of the variant, look masks would beryllium required successful stores and connected nationalist transportation, a regularisation the state had ended successful July.

Britain volition besides necessitate travelers from overseas to get a PCR trial wrong 48 hours of their accomplishment and necessitate contacts of those who trial affirmative with a suspected lawsuit of Omicron to self-isolate for 10 days, careless of vaccination status.

The variant was besides detected successful Hong Kong, which prompted “the astir stringent boarding and quarantine requirements” for travelers coming from southbound African countries. Japan besides issued question restrictions for passengers from Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa oregon Zimbabwe.

“I deliberation surely caution is warranted to restrict question and to ticker this closely, but astatine the extremity of the day, we truly request a batch much information to measure this caller variant,” Philip A. Chan, an infectious illness doc astatine Brown University who has helped pb the Covid-19 effect for Rhode Island, said.

What we bash know, helium said, is that the Omicron variant seems to beryllium overtaking the Delta variant successful southbound African countries. This suggests 2 things: that the Omicron variant is much contagious than the Delta variant, and that it tin flooded immoderate of the earthy immunity and vaccine immunity.

“Neither 1 of those things are good, obviously. And I deliberation that those are the 2 reasons that person experts and scientists truthful concerned” Dr. Chan said. But helium inactive “urges caution and patience.”

“Let’s hold to spot what the information shows. Let’s instrumentality due precautions,” helium said.

Dr. Chan besides cautioned that without a robust planetary vaccination effort, “we are half-treating the pandemic” and leaving the satellite unfastened to caller and much transmittable variants.