The omicron type of Coronavirus, which is possibly more contagious and resistant to immunizations, was confirmed in Britain for the first time on Saturday. According to press reports, both of the individuals infected with the new strain had travelled to southern Africa. In a statement, Britain’s health secretary, Sajid Javid, said, “We have moved quickly and the individuals are self-isolating while contact tracing is ongoing.”
While one case of the omicron variety has been discovered in the southeastern English town of Chelmsford, Javid verified that another has been discovered in the centre city of Nottingham.
As world governments seek to build up their defences by imposing travel restrictions from countries in southern Africa, the omicron version of the coronavirus is being regarded more contagious.
Later on Saturday, Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Chief Scientific Adviser Patrick Vallance would host a press conference “to lay out further steps,” Javid said.
‘Omicron,’ which was first discovered in Botswana in southern Africa on November 9, has since been reported in Belgium, Hong Kong, and Israel. The mutant has a variety of mutations and is known to be extremely contagious.
In response to warnings about the transmissibility of the new variant, many countries, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, the European Union, Iran, Japan, Thailand, and the United States, have imposed restrictions on various African countries in the last few days, against the World Health Organization’s advice.
Pharmaceutical companies expressed hope that they would be able to fine-tune their vaccinations to deal with the new variety, though this would take time.
