Omicron Variant Transmission Expanding
At least 19 countries have reported the Omicron variant, which has multiple mutations in the spike protein. Meanwhile, genomic surveillance shows that the new Covid-19 variant has not been detected in Indonesia.
Travellers queue at an area for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) Covid-19 tests at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on November 27, 2021, after several countries banned flights from South Africa following the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant Omicron. - A flurry of countries around the world have banned ban flights from southern Africa following the discovery of the variant, including the United States, Canada, Australia,Thailand, Brazil and several European countries. The main countries targeted by the shutdown include South Africa, Botswana, eSwatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, Zambia, Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe.
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Despite the tighter restrictions imposed in a number of countries, the newly detected SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, is spreading wider. At least 19 countries have reported the variant, which has multiple mutations in the spike protein. Meanwhile, genomic surveillance shows that the new Covid-19 variant has not been detected in Indonesia.
According to GISAID (Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data), an open-access genomic sequence database, South Africa has submitted 124 DNA sequences of the Omicron variant, whereas Botswana has submitted 29 sequences, the Netherlands 12 sequences, Australia 6, Hong Kong 5, Britain 4, and Canada 2 sequences, while several other countries have submitted 1 sequence of the new variant.