UK has Ômicron variant cases and imposes flight restrictions

Australia and several other countries joined nations that imposed restrictions on travel from southern Africa on Saturday after the discovery of the new Ômicron variant sparked global concern and sparked a wave of asset sales in financial markets.

But indicating that such restrictions may not contain the spread of the strain, the UK said Saturday it had detected two cases and authorities in Germany and the Czech Republic also said they had suspected cases.

Omicron, classified as a "concern variant" by the World Health Organization, is potentially more contagious than earlier variants of the disease, although experts do not yet know whether it will cause more or less severe disease compared to other coronavirus strains.

The variant was first discovered in South Africa and has since been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.

Dutch authorities said 61 of about 600 people who arrived in Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa on Friday tested positive for the coronavirus. Health authorities are conducting further testing to see if these cases involve the new variant.

A female passenger who arrived from South Africa on Friday, Dutch photographer Paula Zimmerman, said she tested negative but was looking forward to the days ahead after spending hours on a flight that likely had many infected passengers.

"I'm told that the expectation is that more people will test positive after five days. It's a little scary the idea that you've been on a plane with a lot of people who test positive," she said.

It can take scientists weeks to fully understand the strain's mutations and whether existing vaccines and treatments are effective against it. Ômicron is the fifth strain of concern designated by the WHO.

Text translated using artificial intelligence.