WHO Urgently Reported the Omicron Variant of COVID-19 and Global Tourism Recovery Is not in Sight

1.Key concerns

On November 26, 2021, the WHO designated the COVID-19 variant: B.1.1.529 reported from South Africa as a variant of concern, named Omicron. 

The WHO said the B.1.1.529 variant was firstly reported by South Africa on November 24. The variant has a large number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with the variant, compared with others. As such, the WHO advised countries to do the following: (a) enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts to better understand COVID-19 variants; (b) submit complete genome sequences and associated metadata to a publicly available database, such as Global Initiative on Sharing All Influenza Data (GISAID); (c) report initial cases /clusters associated with the Omicron variant infection to WHO through International Health Regulation mechanism; (d) where capacity exists and in coordination with international community, perform field investigations and laboratory assessments to improve understanding of the potential impacts of the Omicron variant on the COVID-19 pandemic。

The new Omicron variant of Covid-19 could impact the already slow and fragile recovery of international tourism. The United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) stated on November 28 that international tourism is estimated to be a loss of US$ 2 trillion caused by the COVID-19 in 2021. Despite recent improvements in regions, uneven vaccination rates around the world and the new Omicron variant could impact the already slow and fragile recovery. The economic strain such as the recent spike in oil prices and disruption of supply chains could also weigh on travel demand.  

As such, UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili stated that UNWTO needs to continue our efforts to ensure equal access to vaccinations, make use of digital vaccination certificates, and coordinate travel procedures among countries (regions) with various travel restrictions and health regulations.

2.Briefing on COVID-19 Pandemic（Issue No.168）

According to WHO statistics, calculated numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths reached 260,867,011 and 5,200,267 by November 29, 2021. The US, Germany, the UK, Russia, and French were the five countries (regions) with the highest number of new confirmed cases in the past seven days. Russia, the US, Ukraine, India, and Poland were the five countries (regions) with the highest number of new deaths in the past seven days.

https://covid19.who.int/

In front of the Omicron variant, the COVID-19 vaccine research and development companies have taken action. Statistics from Our World In Data, an online research site of the University of Oxford, presented that 7,943,396,224 doses had been administered by November 28, 2021. The Omicron variant has caused widespread concern. Although there is no evidence that the COVID-19 vaccine is ineffective against the Omicron variant, major COVID-19 vaccine research and development companies have already taken action. China’s drug maker, CanSino Biologics said it is paying close attention to Omicron and has launched the vaccine development for the variant. SINOVAC Biotech stated that it will quickly investigate the impact of the Omicron variant on the existing inactivated vaccines and the necessity of developing a vaccine for the variant. In addition, BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and Johnson & Johnson have also announced that they are studying to adapt the existing COVID-19 vaccine to the Omicron strain. BioNTech said their new vaccines can start shipping batches within 100 days.

https://ourworldindata.org/covid-vaccinations

In terms of the restrictive measures taken by countries (regions), countries (regions) have widely posed flight restrictions due to the emergence of the Omicron variant. The European Union banned flights from South Africa and Zimbabwe and other five countries on November 26. The US, South Korea, and the UK have tightened travel restrictions on more African countries. Countries including Canada, New Zealand, Russia and Thailand have taken similar measures. Switzerland has expanded the quarantine list, requiring all travelers arriving from the UK, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and Egypt to be quarantined. Besides, countries (regions) such as Australia and Hong Kong have also imposed flight restrictions. 

As well as flight restrictions, countries (regions) have also adopted other restrictive measures against the Omicron variant. In America, US President Joe Biden on November 29 said sooner or later cases of Omicron variant will be seen in the United States and people should complete the vaccination as soon as possible. Biden noted that the US will make a new plan on Covid-19 vaccination or booster shots if necessary. In Europe, Germany is about to set up a COVID crisis team led by the military. It is reported that the head of the team will be major general Breuer, director of the land mission command of the German Bundeswehr. In Oceania, as the country reported cases of Omicron variant, Australia’s National Cabinet met to urgently discuss measures including border restrictions. Scott Morrison, Australia’s Prime Minister had called state governors to delay reopening the border. In Asia, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated on November 29 that in response to the newly discovered Omicron variant, Japan decided to ban all foreigners from entering the country from November 30. Singapore’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on November 28 that the emerging Omicron variant may cause Singapore to suspend its plan to reopen the border.