Travel red list returns new COVID variant in South Africa

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

Travel red list returns as fears grow over



UK health officials believe the new variant with 32 mutations, called B.1.1.529, may be the most dangerous yet to emerge



By

Joe Pinkstone,

SCIENCE CORRESPONDENT ;

Ben Riley-Smith,

POLITICAL EDITOR and

Charles Hymas,

South Africa is joining the red list from noon on Friday amid widespread concern over a new Covid-19 variant which has been detected in the country.

Neighbouring countries Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Lesotho will also be red-listed with flights temporarily banned.

The move marks a return to travel restrictions with anyone flying to the newly-red listed nations forced to spend 10 days in hotel quarantine on their return to the UK, with a £10,000 penalty for those flouting the rules.

🔎Read more: www.telegraph.co.uk/.../south-africa-red-listed.../

A new covid variant with an “extremely high” number of mutations and which could escape vaccines has been identified in three different countries, although case numbers are very small.



The B.1.1.529 strain, an offshoot of an old variant called B.1.1, has 32 spike mutations and has been found in South Africa, Botswana and one case in Hong Kong, where the person had recently travelled to South Africa.



So far only 10 cases of the variant have been spotted through genomic sequencing, but scientists say there could be more not yet identified. The profile of mutations is concerning due to its potential to dodge antibodies that can fight the virus.

New covid variants are identified by virologists all the time and often do not spread beyond a handful of cases. Even if they have the capacity to evade vaccines, if they are less transmissible than a dominant variant in a country they can quickly die out.



While the cluster is small, the case in Hong Kong exported from South Africa will fuel concerns that more infections will have spread through international travel.



Officials and scientists at the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) are monitoring and investigating the variant.



The Hong Kong case was a 36-year-old man who travelled to South Africa on 23 October and returned on 11 November. He tested negative on arrival back in Hong Kong but went on to test positive while at a quarantine hotel. The Hong Kong authorities have carried out compulsory testing at the apartment block where he lives.



In South Africa, the number of confirmed cases of covid has increased from 312 on Monday to more than 860 on Tuesday, although scientists believe it is too soon to tell whether there is a link with the new “super variant”.



The new variant was identified on Tuesday by Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, who posted the details on a sequence-sharing forum and on Twitter.



The variant’s 32 spike mutations is described as “extremely high”. The Delta variant, now dominant across the world, has 16.



Spike mutations are essentially the virus’ “bag of tricks” that allow it to adapt and do different things such as become more transmissible, escape vaccines or become more deadly. It is not known whether B.1.1.529 is more transmissible or could beat Delta’s dominance.



Dr Peacock wrote: “Export to Asia implies this might be more widespread than sequences alone would imply. Also the extremely long branch length and incredibly high amount of spike mutations suggest this could be of real concern (predicted escape from most known monoclonal antibodies).”



Dr Peacock described the spike mutation profile as “really awful” and “horrific”.



He added: “Worth emphasising this is at super low numbers right now in a region of Africa that is fairly well sampled, however it very very much should be monitored due to that horrific spike profile (would take a guess that this would be worse antigenically than nearly anything else about).”



Variants that mutate to become more antigenic are more able to evade the antibodies that are built up through immunity from either vaccines or previous infection.



It is understood that all governments where the variant has been identified, in South Africa, Botswana and Hong Kong, are aware of the cases.



Dr Meera Chand, Covid-19 Incident Director at UKHSA, said: “The UK Health Security Agency, in partnership with scientific bodies across the globe, is constantly monitoring the status of SARS-CoV-2 variants as they emerge and develop worldwide.



“As it is in the nature of viruses to mutate often and at random, it is not unusual for small numbers of cases to arise featuring new sets of mutations. Any variants showing evidence of spread are rapidly assessed.”

inews.co.uk/news/politics/covid-super-variant-mutations-cases-found-south-africa-botswana-hong-kong-1316864

Here we go again. There is no end to this dangerous virus. It will be in the USA in a matter of week unless the lockdown over there works.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

HEALTH AND SCIENCE

Belgium confirms case of new, heavily mutated Covid variant

PUBLISHED FRI, NOV 26 20218:43 AM ESTUPDATED 4 MIN AGO

KEY POINTS

Marc Van Ranst, who works with the Rega Institute for Medical Research, said a sample was confirmed as the novel B.1.1.529 variant in a traveler who returned from Egypt on Nov. 11.


Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke told reporters that the individual was unvaccinated, according to Reuters.


The variant was detected in a small number of samples in South Africa, according to the World Health Organization.


Health officials caution that many of the new variant’s mutations could lead to increased antibody resistance and transmissibility, limiting the effectiveness of Covid vaccines.


www.cnbc.com/2021/11/26/belgium-confirms-case-of-new-heavily-mutated-covid-variant.html

A new Covid-19 variant could show immune evasion and enhanced transmissibility, South African scientists warn

By David McKenzie and Ghazi Balkiz, CNN



Updated 5:16 AM ET, Fri November 26, 2021


CNN)South Africa's health minister announced Thursday the discovery of a new coronavirus variant that appears to be spreading rapidly in parts of the country.



"Initially it looked like some cluster outbreaks, but from yesterday, the indication came from our scientists from the Network of Genomic Surveillance that they were observing a new variant," Minister of Health Joe Phaahla said, stressing that it is currently unclear where the variant -- currently dubbed B.1.1.529 -- first emerged.

It has so far been detected in South Africa, Botswana and in a traveler to Hong Kong from South Africa, Phaahla added.

Reinfection from Covid-19 is rare, severe disease is even rarer, a study of people in Qatar finds

Reinfection from Covid-19 is rare, severe disease is even rarer, a study of people in Qatar finds

During a news briefing, genomic scientists said the variant has an unusually high number of mutations, with more than 30 in the key spike protein -- the structure the virus uses to get into the cells they attack.

Professor Tulio de Oliveira, the director of the Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation, said the variant has "many more mutations than we have expected," adding it is "spreading very fast and we expect to see pressure in the health system in the next few days and weeks."

He advised the public to "try to avoid super spreading events."

Officials also expressed concern that the mutation could result in immune evasion and enhanced transmissibility of the virus, but added it is too early to tell what kind of impact the mutations will have on vaccine efficacy. More studies also need to be conducted to understand the clinical severity of the variant compared to previous variants, officials said.

"The full significance of this variant remains uncertain and the best tool we have is still the vaccines," De Oliveira said. He added that lab studies still need to be carried out to test vaccine and antibody evasion.




www.cnn.com/2021/11/25/world/covid-variant-south-africa-immune-evasion-transmissibility/index.html

Nothing like some good news to start the day

[BHU]

Israel & I think the UK have placed travel restrictions from S.Africa & those other African nation. But not here, so what the hell is Biden waiting for? It's the same deal with that Civid pill that stops the virus in it's tracks if taken within 3 days of infection. Waiting for FDA approval. Waiting for what? It's allready been approved in the UK. Unbelievable.

[Clipper]

What we really need is a pill that stops Bumbling Biden in HIS tracks. He hasn't accomplished anything of a positive nature in his 47 years in politics, and certainly is not on a line headed for any positive outcomes as president either. This virus is not going to be eradicated anytime in OUR lives so we need to do whatever is necessary to get a handle of controlling the spread and immediate threat to OUR population. Let Mexico contain the threat to THEIR country from the steady flow of unvetted, untested immigrants flowing freely through the pipeline from their southern border to ours. Close the border.

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

It's out from Africa....


Belgium confirms case of new COVID-19 variant





Growing number of nations imposing restrictions to keep out new variant detected in South Africa.

UK was first to temporarily halt all flights from Southern Africa because of new variant.



The virus is now on the move. Watch for details. This will be exciting.......

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

Golfers withdraw, scramble for flights out of South Africa ahead of UK's new COVID-19 travel ban

Golfers from the United Kingdom withdrew from the Joburg Open on its first day in an attempt to get home safely after the government announced it was banning flights from South Africa because of the new COVID-19 variant.



The inaugural season of the DP World Tour began Thursday with the Joburg Open in Johannesburg, South Africa. More than a dozen golfers pulled out of the event on Thursday and early Friday when they heard the U.K. was readying to suspend flights from six southern African countries, the Associated Press reported.



Rugby matches scheduled in South Africa have been called off and a cricket tour's swing through the country has been canceled.



The scramble is reminiscent of March 2020 when the sports world shut down and athletes were stranded across the world attempting to get home.


www.aol.com/sports/golfers-withdraw-scramble-flights-south-153403410.html

LOL on the run

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

We are now in panic mode!!!! New variant is named

New omicron variant stokes world fears, triggers travel bans

BRUSSELS (AP) — The discovery of a new coronavirus variant sent a chill through much of the world Friday as nations raced to halt air travel, markets fell sharply and scientists held emergency meetings to weigh the exact risks, which were largely unknown.



A World Health Organization panel named the variant “omicron” and classified it as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the delta variant, the world's most prevalent. The panel said early evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection.



In response, the United States joined the European Union and several other countries in instituting travel restrictions on visitors from southern Africa.



The White House said the U.S. will restrict travel from South Africa and seven other countries in the region beginning Monday. It did not give details except to say the restrictions will not apply to returning U.S. citizens or permanent residents, who will continue to be required to test negative before their travel.



Medical experts, including the WHO, warned against any overreaction before the variant that originated in southern Africa was better understood. But a jittery world feared the worst nearly two years after COVID-19 emerged and triggered a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people around the globe.



“We must move quickly and at the earliest possible moment,” British Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers.



There was no immediate indication whether the variant causes more severe disease. As with other variants, some infected people display no symptoms, South African experts said. The WHO panel drew from the Greek alphabet in naming the variant omicron, as it has done with earlier, major variants of the virus.



Even though some of the genetic changes appear worrisome, it was unclear if the new variant would pose a significant public health threat. Some previous variants, like the beta variant, initially concerned scientists but did not spread very far.



The 27-nation European Union imposed a temporary ban on air travel from southern Africa, and stocks tumbled in Asia, Europe and the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 1,000 points. The S&P 500 index was down 2.3%, on pace for its worst day since February. The price of oil plunged nearly 12%.



“The last thing we need is to bring in a new variant that will cause even more problems,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said. The member nations of the EU have experienced a massive spike in cases recently.



EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said flights will have to “be suspended until we have a clear understanding about the danger posed by this new variant, and travelers returning from this region should respect strict quarantine rules.”



She insisted on extreme caution, warning that “mutations could lead to the emergence and spread of even more concerning variants of the virus that could spread worldwide within a few months."



Belgium became the first European Union country to announce a case of the variant.



“It’s a suspicious variant," Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said. “We don’t know if it’s a very dangerous variant.”



It has yet to be detected in the United States, said Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S. government's top infectious disease expert. Abroad, the variant “seems to be spreading at a reasonably rapid rate,” he told CNN. And although it may be more transmissible and resistant to vaccines than other variants, "we don’t know that for sure right now.”



Showing how complicated the spread of a variant can be, the Belgian case involved a traveler who returned to Belgium from Egypt on Nov. 11 but did not became sick with mild symptoms until Monday, according to professor Marc Van Ranst, who works for the scientific group overseeing the Belgian government's COVID-19 response.



Israel, one of the world's most vaccinated countries, announced Friday that it also detected its first case of the new variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi. The traveler and two other suspected cases were placed in isolation. Israel said all three were vaccinated, but officials were looking into the travelers' exact vaccination status.



After a 10-hour overnight trip, passengers aboard KLM Flight 598 from Capetown, South Africa, to Amsterdam were held on the edge of the runway Friday morning at Schiphol airport for four hours pending special testing. Passengers aboard a flight from Johannesburg were also being isolated and tested.



“It’s ridiculous. If we didn’t catch the dreaded bugger before, we're catching it now,” said passenger Francesca de’ Medici, a Rome-based art consultant who was on the flight.



Some experts said the variant's emergence illustrated how rich countries’ hoarding of vaccines threatens to prolong the pandemic.



Fewer than 6% of people in Africa have been fully immunized against COVID-19, and millions of health workers and vulnerable populations have yet to receive a single dose. Those conditions can speed up spread of the virus, offering more opportunities for it to evolve into a dangerous variant.



“This is one of the consequences of the inequity in vaccine rollouts and why the grabbing of surplus vaccines by richer countries will inevitably rebound on us all at some point,” said Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Britain’s University of Southampton. He urged Group of 20 leaders "to go beyond vague promises and actually deliver on their commitments to share doses.”



The new variant added to investor anxiety that months of progress containing COVID-19 could be reversed.



“Investors are likely to shoot first and ask questions later until more is known,” said Jeffrey Halley of foreign exchange broker Oanda.



In a sign of how concerned Wall Street has become, the market’s so-called fear gauge known as the VIX jumped 48% to a reading of 26.91. That’s the highest reading for the volatility index since January, before vaccines were widely distributed.



Speaking before the EU announcement, Dr. Michael Ryan, head of emergencies at the WHO, warned against "knee-jerk responses."



“We’ve seen in the past, the minute there’s any kind of mention of any kind of variation and everyone is closing borders and restricting travel," Ryan said. “It’s really important that we remain open and stay focused.”



The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention agreed and strongly discouraged any travel bans on countries that reported the new variant. It said past experience shows that such travel bans have “not yielded a meaningful outcome.”



Yet the U.S. announced restrictions on visitors from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Malawi, hours after governments took similar steps.



The U.K. banned flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries at noon on Friday and announced that anyone who had recently arrived from those countries would be asked to take a coronavirus test.



The Japanese government announced that Japanese nationals traveling from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho will have to quarantine at government-dedicated accommodations for 10 days and take COVID-19 tests on the third, sixth and tenth days. Japan has not yet opened up to foreign nationals.



Fauci said U.S. public health officials were talking Friday with South African colleagues. "We want to find out scientist to scientist exactly what is going on.”



The WHO’s technical working group says coronavirus infections jumped 11% in the past week in Europe, the only region in the world where COVID-19 continues to rise.



The WHO’s Europe director, Dr. Hans Kluge, warned that without urgent measures, the continent could see an additional 700,000 deaths by the spring.

www.aol.com/news/eu-wants-stop-flights-southern-074537226-174136897.html

[Atticus Pizzaballa]

CORONAVIRUS

Biden admin announces travel ban for South Africa and 7 other countries, citing new variant

The travel restrictions will begin Monday, according to a senior administration official.

The Biden administration announced plans on Friday to ban travel to the United States from South Africa and seven other countries, just hours after a new coronavirus variant was deemed a highly transmissible virus of concern.



The travel restrictions will begin Monday, affecting South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi, according to a senior administration official. The administration’s decision was in response to advice from Anthony Fauci, the president’s chief medical adviser, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the official said. Roughly a dozen countries took similar action on Friday.



President Joe Biden, who is in Nantucket for the holiday, was briefed on the new variant Friday. He urged fully vaccinated Americans to get booster shots and the unvaccinated to get the “life-saving protection.” Biden also addressed the global community in his statement, saying the new variant shows the pandemic won't end until vaccines are readily available around the world. He said the U.S. has donated more vaccines than every country combined, calling on others to match “America's speed and generosity.”



“In addition, I call on the nations gathering next week for the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting to meet the U.S. challenge to waive intellectual property protections for COVID vaccines, so these vaccines can be manufactured globally. I endorsed this position in April; this news today reiterates the importance of moving on this quickly,” the president said.



The new Covid variant was identified in South Africa this week. South African scientists said it’s to blame for the recent surge in Gauteng, the country’s most populated province. It’s unclear when the new variant began circulating, but it has been seen in travelers to Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.



A World Health Organization panel named the variant “omicron” and said early evidence suggests an increased risk of infection. It’s been given the same classification as the delta variant, labeled as a highly transmissible variant of concern. There is no evidence suggesting the omicron variant causes more severe disease.



Delta, which has ravaged the globe, still accounts for more than 99 percent of sequences in the world’s largest public database.




Medical experts warned Friday against overreaction. There have been other variants of concern, like beta, that never spread as delta did.



But world leaders, already on edge after almost two years of Covid and more than 5 million deaths, were quick to respond with new restrictions. Travel stocks sank as health officials in Europe and the U.K. restricted travel from South Africa. The Dow Jones Industrial Average briefly fell more than 1,000 points Friday, and the S&P 500 was down 2.3 percent, on pace for its worst day since the winter surge in February. The price of oil fell more than 13 percent, as fear of another global economic slowdown looms.



www.politico.com/news/2021/11/26/biden-admin-announces-travel-ban-for-south-africa-and-7-other-countries-citing-new-variant-523394

Stock Market responds.....

The virus will have the entire weekend to start infecting those people who are going to leave . Why wait till Monday....

[BHU]

Me thinks the real threat to this Country is the millions of morons on the loose who can have a vaccine handed to them but won't take it because of a ridiculous "freedom" excuse. Tucker Carlson & the rest of that mob are doing a fine job thinning the herd with their rants. When people start dying because they can't get a hospital bed because they're filled with Covid patients maybe then they'll learn but I doubt it. Look at what's happening in Michigan right now. Code red.

Trump will be back in power in 2025  because his right wing anti Democracy thugs right now are putting in place the mechanisms whereby he'll be able to steal the election even if he gets his a*z beat like he did last year. Get ready to kiss Democracy goodbye, because that's the plan. Trump will run because he knows his bagman McCarthy is setting the stage for him.

This Country isn't in as bad a shape as louses like that crook Newt Gingrich on Fox want people to believe. They're pissed because people aren't groveling for those $8.50/hr. jobs anymore that Gingrich's cronies want to pay people. Too damn bad.