E.U. to ban flights from South Africa and other countries where new variant of COVID-19 is found
The European Union (E.U.) has called on to banning flights from South Africa and other countries where the new variant of Coronavirus (COVID-19) – B.1.1.529 has been found.
The announcement came after Europe reported its first case in Belgium. The variant has also been identified in Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel. As of now, around 100 cases of the new variant have come to light.
Only about 24% of South Africa’s population is fully vaccinated, which means that chances of this new mutation spreading are high. In Hong Kong, the infections were found in a person who had arrived from South Africa and a guest in the same quarantine hotel who tested positive a few days later. Both were fully vaccinated.
The World Health Organization (WHO) is holding a meeting to discuss the development. The WHO has said it will take a few weeks to understand the impact of the new variant. The variant is yet to be given a name, like Delta or Beta.
Taking it to twitter, the President of European Commission – Ursula von der Leyen tweeted,
The news about the new COVID variant is very concerning.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 26, 2021
I have talked to scientists and vaccine manufacturers today. They share the concern.
Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not done yet.
And follow the known rules to protect yourself. https://t.co/eSKPzr8J5Q
She further tweeted,
The European Union's contracts with manufacturers say that the vaccine must be adapted immediately to new variants as they emerge.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) November 26, 2021
Europe has taken precautions. pic.twitter.com/yVlLx7GcmI
The case in Belgium relates to an unvaccinated young woman who had recently travelled from Egypt via Turkey and developed mild flu symptoms 11 days later. Germany, which is currently going through a fourth wave of infections because of the Delta variant, will allow only Germans to fly into Germany from South Africa.
Amidst fear of the new variant, stock markets across the world fall sharply on Friday. In London, the FTSE 100 share index dropped by nearly 3%, while markets in Germany and France also declined following falls in Asia.
The Europe is already struggling to contain the spread of COVID-19. Several countries like Austria have reimposed national lockdown. France has imposed restrictions on unvaccinated people.
Scientists say the variant has 50 mutations overall and more than 30 on the spike protein, which is the target of most vaccines and the key the virus uses to unlock the doorway into our body’s cells. While the new variant makes the COVID-19 vaccines less effective, they still work in containing the spread to an extent.
