Vice Pres. Kamala Harris says she has been briefed on the omicron variant and when asked if there will be any additional travel restrictions, she said they will be 'taking it one step at a time.'
Two cases of the new omicron COVID-19 variant have been confirmed in Germany on Saturday. The cases were confirmed in Bavaria and involve two poeple who arrived in Munich on Nov. 24 on a flight from South Africa, the Bavarian Ministry of Health and Care said.
Both travelers had returned to Bavaria on Wednesday after an extended stay in South Africa. They had been in domestic isolation since Nov. 25 after testing positive for PCR. After reporting on the new variant, the two individuals had proactively arranged for themselves to be tested for the variant, a ministry spokeswoman said. The PCR test was positive in both of them, she said. The samples were further tested today at the Max von Pettenkofer Institute in Munich using a variant-specific PCR test, which detected the highly contagious omicron variant. In the coming week, an additional whole genome sequencing should be carried out, said Munich virologist Oliver Keppler. However, according to Keppler, the PCR procedure carried out today"allows a clear differentiation from other SARS-CoV-2 variants." Together with the travel history, the detection of omicron can be considered"doubtless," he said. The Bavarian Health Ministry urged passengers who arrived from South Africa on the same flight on Nov. 24 to report immediately to their local health department. All persons who traveled from South Africa in the past 14 days should immediately reduce their contacts, take a PCR test indicating their travel history and contact the health office immediately, the ministry said, adding:"Do everything to prevent spread." Moreover, all persons entering southern Africa from areas classified by the Robert Koch Institute as virus-variant areas must be quarantined for 14 days -- this also applies regardless of vaccination status. "We must do everything we can to prevent the spread of the new variant in the Free State and in Germany," said a ministry spokeswoman in Munich. It is not yet clear whether the new variant is actually more contagious and leads to more hospitalizations, she said."Until the science is clearer, however, we must exercise caution," the spokeswoman stressed. Earlier, Hesse's Social Affairs Minister Kai Klose of the Green Party announced another suspected case. According to the report, several mutations typical for this variant were found in a traveler returning from South Africa. The fully vaccinated person had reportedly entered the country via Frankfurt Airport on Nov. 21 and developed symptoms over the course of the week. An exact result is expected in this case on Monday.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
What to know about new COVID-19 variant omicronPres. Biden: 'The news about this new variant should make clearer than ever why this pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations.'
Read more »
COVID-19 live updates: 'Wouldn't be surprised' if omicron already in US, Fauci saysSixty-one people who traveled from South Africa to the Netherlands have tested positive for COVID-19 and will be tested for the newly discovered COVID variant omicron, The Associated Press reported. COVID-19 LATEST:
Read more »
COVID-19 live updates: New variant omicron found in UKVice Pres. Kamala Harris says she has been briefed on the omicron variant and when asked if there will be any additional travel restrictions, she said they will be 'taking it one step at a time.'
Read more »