Representatives of the World Health Organization in the Western Pacific say the closure of borders, decided by some countries, could buy time to fight the Omicron coronavirus, but the measures taken and experience gained to fight Delta should remain pandemic .
Ukraine , Ukraingate , 3 , December , 2021 | Health
The Omicron coronavirus variant will eventually appear in most countries in the Western Pacific region, the WHO said on Friday, urging governments to prepare.
The WHO Regional Director for Western Pacific Emergencies, Dr. Babatunde Olovokure, was quoted by CNN as saying he thought the number of countries with the new version circulating was higher than currently reported.
A number of countries and territories in the region, including Japan, South Korea and Australia, have reported cases of Omicron, which was first discovered in South Africa.
Olovokure added that countries can learn from their experience of responding to the Delta option, including increasing vaccination coverage of priority groups such as health workers, the elderly and vulnerable populations.
Other measures include wearing masks, social distancing, strengthening active surveillance, applying a risk-based approach to border control and prioritizing beds in intensive care units for those in need, Olovokure said.
WHO officials in the Western Pacific also say border closures, as decided by some countries, could buy time to tackle the Omicron coronavirus.
“Border control can delay the outbreak of the virus and gain time. But every country and every community must be prepared for new outbreaks,” said WHO Regional Director for the Pacific, Dr Takeshi Kasai, quoted by the AP.
“The positive news in all this is that none of the information we have about Omicron suggests that we need to change the direction of our response,” he added.
Addition
The first person infected with strain B.1.1.529 was recently detected in Botswana. According to the local radio station SABC, this is a South African citizen. On November 26, the World Health Organization named the new strain COVID-19 the Greek letter Omicron. The organization described the new option as a matter of concern.
The new strain has already been identified in several European countries, the United States, Israel, Hong Kong, Japan, Canada and Australia. Many countries have begun restricting or banning travel from southern Africa to curb the spread of this option.
Source: Ukrgate
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