Thu 02 December 2021:
According to a top health expert, the United States has found its first case of the omicron coronavirus variety in the state of California.
According to Anthony Fauci, head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the case was confirmed by the California and San Francisco departments of public health, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The patient was a traveler who returned from South Africa on November 22nd and tested positive on November 29th.
The individual is self-quarantining and all close contacts have been contacted and they have tested negative, Fauci said at the White House.
“The individual was fully vaccinated and experienced mild symptoms which are improving at this point,” he added.
Omicron documented in at least 23 countries
According to the WHO chief, at least 23 nations from five of the six WHO regions have reported cases of the novel omicron type of coronavirus, and the number is projected to rise.
At a press briefing on the COVID-19 pandemic, WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said, “The emergence of the omicron variant has understandably captured global attention,”
“WHO takes this development extremely seriously, and so should every country. But it should not surprise us. This is what viruses do.”
He said the omicron virus announced on Friday will continue to develop if the world allows it to continue spreading.
“We are learning more all the time about omicron, but there’s still more to learn about its effect on transmission, the severity of disease, and the effectiveness of tests, therapeutics, and vaccines,” Tedros noted.
He said the world must not forget that it is already dealing with a highly transmissible, dangerous variant — the delta — which currently accounts for almost all cases globally.
“We need to use the tools we already have to prevent transmission and save lives from delta. And if we do that, we will also prevent transmission and save lives from omicron,” added Tedros.
He warned that if countries and individuals do not do what they need to do to stop transmission of the delta strain, “they won’t stop omicron either.”
The WHO chief again thanked Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing, and reporting this variant rapidly.
“It is deeply concerning to me that those countries are now being penalized by others for doing the right thing,” he said, repeating an earlier message.
Tedros called on all countries to take rational, proportional risk-reduction measures in keeping with the International Health Regulations.
“This includes measures to delay or reduce the spread of the new variant, such as screening of passengers prior to traveling and upon arrival or the application of quarantine to international travelers.”
He explained that blanket travel bans would not prevent the international spread of omicron, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.
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