The World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday recommended that people aged 60 and older or with underlying medical conditions postpone travel, warning that a ban on international travel will not prevent the spread of the new variant of the coronavirus.
UN Agency Provided Countries with International Travel Guidelines for Proliferation Ómicron version of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes covid-19 respiratory disease.
According to the WHO, “travel bans will not prevent international spread” of this option and “become a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods” and could “negatively impact global efforts” to combat the pandemic by “dissuading countries from reporting and sharing data epidemiological and genetic sequencing of a new variant classified as a variant of concern.
WHO encourages countries to continue to follow an “evidence-based and risk-based approach to travel in accordance with international health regulations”.
“All measures must be proportionate to risk, time-limited and applied with respect for the dignity of travelers, human rights and fundamental freedoms,” the organization says.
Authorities in each country can apply some “risk mitigation measures” to “potentially delay the export or import of a new variant,” such as testing and preventive isolation of passengers.
As of Sunday, according to WHO, 56 countries were taking action on international travel to try to curb imports of micron, reported about a week ago in South African organizationwhere the strain was originally discovered but has now spread to all continents (except Antarctica).
In its recommendations, the WHO advises people aged 60 and over or with health problems (who have diseases such as cancer or diabetes) to postpone travel given their vulnerability to covid-19.
For people who can travel, the United Nations agency reminds them to “remain vigilant for the signs and symptoms” of COVID-19, get vaccinated “when the time is right,” and always adhere to “social and public health measures. and regardless of immunization status, including correct use of masks, respect for physical distance, good respiratory etiquette and avoidance of crowded and poorly ventilated areas. “
Despite uncertainty about the impact of the new variant on transmission, disease severity and immunity, WHO warned on Monday of a “very high” global micron risk, urging governments to expedite vaccination against covid. 19, especially the most vulnerable, and strengthen surveillance.
In an attempt to contain the spread of the new SARS-CoV-2 strain, several countries, including Portugal, have closed borders to foreigners or suspended and restricted international travel, particularly to South Africa, measures that have been condemned by WHO. and the countries of the region.
On Tuesday, WHO praised South Africa and Botswana for “the speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information” about the Omicron option, allowing other countries to “quickly adjust their responses”.
Covid-19 is a pandemic respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, discovered at the end of 2019 in Wuhan, a city in central China.
Omicron, the fifth variant of SARS-CoV-2 classified by the WHO as a variant of concern, has several genetic mutations in the spike protein, the “key” protein that allows the virus to enter human cells. Several mutations are thought to be of concern as they are associated with better transmissibility and resistance to neutralizing antibodies.
Preliminary data suggest, according to the WHO, an “increased risk of re-infection” with the new SARS-CoV-2 strain compared to other options of concern.
