jpnn.com, JAKARTA - Omicron on Sunday (28/11) has spread around the world, and cases of the Covid-19 variant were found in the Netherlands, Denmark and Australia, even after more countries imposed travel bans.
The World Health Organization (WHO) said it was not yet clear whether Omicron, which was first detected in southern Africa, was more contagious than other variants of COVID-19 or whether it could cause more severe disease.
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"The number of people testing positive has risen in areas of South Africa affected by this variant, but epidemiologic studies are underway to understand if it is because of Omicron or other factors," the WHO said.
The organization said the process to determine the severity of Omicron would take days to several weeks.
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The discovery of the Omicron case has made countries raise awareness.
Governments around the world are rushing to impose travel bans over concerns that the variant may be immune to the vaccines.
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Countries are also concerned that the new variant could have an impact on economic recovery after they were hit by a two-year pandemic.
The WHO and technical experts are working to understand the possible impact of Omicron on anti-Covid-19 measures, including vaccine delivery.
Britain said it would convene an emergency meeting of the G7 group of health ministers on Monday to discuss the latest developments.
Meanwhile, the Dutch health agency said 13 cases of the Omicron variant were found in people on two flights that arrived in Amsterdam from South Africa on Friday.
Dutch authorities have tested more than 600 passengers on both flights.
After 61 cases of coronavirus were found, testing continued to detect Omicron variants.
"This may be the tip of the iceberg," Health Minister Hugo de Jonge told reporters.
Dutch military police said they had arrested a couple who left the hotel where they were quarantined after testing positive for Covid-19. The couple reportedly tried to flee the country.
The WHO declared Omicron last week as a variant of concern because it had the potential to be more contagious than other variants.
Omicron has so far been detected in Australia, Belgium, Botswana, the UK, Denmark, Germany, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, France, Canada, and South Africa.
Travel bans have been imposed by many countries on South Africa in an effort to block the spread of the coronavirus variant.
Financial markets plunged on Friday, and oil prices also fell.
A South African doctor, who was one of the first to suspect the emergence of a different strain of coronavirus, said on Sunday that Omicron's symptoms had so far been mild and a cure could be managed at home.
Chairman of the South African Medical Association, Dr. Angelique Coetze, told Reuters that, unlike Delta, patients affected by the Omicron variant had not reported loss of smell or taste so far. The oxygen levels of the patients did not drop either.
Israel on Saturday night announced it would bar entry to all foreigners and would reintroduce phone tracking technology for counterterrorism to prevent the spread of Omicron.
Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the ban, which is currently awaiting approval from the government, would be in effect for 14 days.
Israeli officials hope that during this time there will be more information about how effective the vaccines will be against Omicron.
The United States' leading expert on infectious diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, on Sunday told President Joe Biden it would take two weeks to obtain definitive information about the transmission and characteristics of Omicron, the White House said in a statement.
The US president's office also said that Fauci believed that current vaccines could possibly protect against severe cases of Covid-19.
Biden would on Monday deliver the latest developments on the new variant and the steps the United States would take to address it, the White House said.
In the UK, the government has announced a number of measures, including strict testing rules for people arriving in the country.
The government also requires the use of masks in several types of locations.
A growing number of countries, including Indonesia and Saudi Arabia, announced on Sunday that they were imposing travel bans on African countries.
South Africa denounced the ban, calling it unfair and possibly damaging its economy.
South Africa said it felt punished precisely when it showed its scientific ability in identifying variants of the coronavirus early.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said Sunday his government was considering imposing mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations on citizens in certain places and with certain activities.
Ramaphosa criticized wealthy Western countries for their travel bans.
Ramaphosa said there was no scientific basis for the travel bans and that southern Africa was the victim of unfair discrimination.
"The only thing the prohibition on travel will do is to further damage the economies of the affected countries and undermine their ability to respond to, and recover from, the pandemic," he said. (ant/dil/mcr20/jpnn)
This news has been broadcast on JPNN.com with the title: Update Daftar Negara yang Sudah Disusupi Varian Omicron, Ada Tetangga Indonesia