The world raced Friday to contain a new coronaviruses variant that is potentially more dangerous than the one that has caused the most infections in the world.
The variant "omicron" was classified by the World Health Organization as a highly transmissible virus of concern, the same category that includes the Delta variant, which is still driving higher cases of sickness and death in Europe and parts of the U.S.
"It seems to spread quickly, and it seems to be coming back at least for the vaccine," U.S. President Joe Biden said of the new variant, only a day after celebrating the restart of Thanksgiving gatherings for millions of American families and the sense that normal life was coming back at He told reporters that he had decided to be cautious.
Omicron's actual risks are not understood. The World Health Organization said early evidence shows it carries an increased risk of reinfection. People who recovered from Covid-19 could be in danger of catching it again. It will take weeks to know if current vaccines are effective against it.
In response to the variant's discovery in southern Africa, the U.S., Canada, Russia and a host of other countries joined the EU in restricting travel for visitors from that region.
The White House said the US will restrict travel from South Africa and other countries in the region. "No travel to or from the designated countries except for returning U.S. citizens and permanent residents who test negative," Biden said.
Medical experts warned against overreacting before the variant was thoroughly studied. The world was worried about the worst after the deadly virus caused a global epidemic that has killed more than 5 million people.
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers to move quickly.
Omicron has been seen in travelers to Israel, Hong Kong and Belgium.
There was no indication of whether the variant causes more severe disease. South African experts said that some people with the variant have no symptoms. The WHO panel drew from the Greek alphabet in naming the variant omicron, as it has done with other major versions of the virus.
It was not clear how much of a public health threat the genetic changes posed. The previous variant, like the alpha variant, initially worried scientists but did not spread very far.
South Africa travel execs were dismayed by Biden's travel ban.
In Asia, Europe and the United States, stocks fell because of fears of more economic turmoil. The index dropped more than 1,000 points. The S&P 500 closed down 2.3%, its worst day since February. The price of oil dropped.
German Health Minister Jens Spahn said that a new variant would cause more problems. The EU has experienced a huge spike in cases recently.
Within hours of learning of the variant, Britain, EU countries and others introduced their travel restrictions. Biden said that the recommendation from his medical team was the reason the U.S. was waiting until Monday.
The president of the EU Commission said flights will have to be suspended until there is a clear understanding about the danger posed by this new variant.
She warned that the emergence and spread of even more concerning variant of the virus that could spread worldwide within a few months could be caused bymutations.
Frank Vandenbroucke, the health minister in Belgium, said it was a suspicious variant. We don't know if it's a very dangerous variant.
Omicron has not been found in the United States, according to Dr. Anthony Fauci. He told CNN that they don't know if it's more resistant to vaccines than other versions.
Biden said the new variant should make clear why the Pandemic will not end until we have global vaccinations.
He called for unvaccinated Americans to get their widely available doses and for governments to waive intellectual property protections for Covid-19 vaccines so they can be more rapidly manufactured around the world.
Israel, one of the world's most vaccination countries, detected its first case of the new variant in a traveler who returned from Malawi. The traveler and two other people were placed in isolation. Israel said that all three of the travelers had been given vaccinations.
The passengers of the flight from Capetown, South Africa to Amsterdam were held on the edge of the runway for four hours Friday morning while they waited for the test to be completed. The passengers on the flight from South Africa were tested.
It's ridiculous. "If we didn't catch the bug before, we're catching it now," said passenger Francesca de' Medici, a Rome-based art consultant who was on the flight.
The variant's emergence showed how rich countries' vaccine shortages could prolong the epidemic.
Millions of health workers and vulnerable populations in Africa have yet to receive a single dose of Covid-19, despite the fact that fewer than 6% of people in Africa have been fully immunized. The conditions can speed up the spread of the virus, which can lead to more opportunities for it to evolve into a dangerous variant.
Michael Head, a senior research fellow in global health at Britain's University ofSouthampton, said that the grabbing of surplus vaccines by richer countries will inevitably rebound on us all at some point. He urged the Group of 20 leaders to deliver on their promises.
The new variant made investors anxious that progress could be reversed.
Jeffrey Halley of foreign exchange broker Oanda said investors are likely to shoot first and ask questions later.
Travel bans on countries that reported the new variant were discouraged by the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Past experience shows that travel bans have not yielded a meaningful outcome.
Visitors from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and other countries will be subject to the U.S. restrictions. The White House believes the restrictions will be similar to the earlier policy that banned entry of foreigners who had traveled over the previous two weeks.
The U.K. banned flights from South Africa and five other southern African countries, and anyone who had recently arrived from those countries would be asked to take a coronaviruses test.
Canada banned entry to foreigners who have traveled to southern Africa in the last two weeks.
Japanese nationals will have to take three Covid-19 tests and stay in government-dedicated accommodations for 10 days when they travel from Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa and Lesotho. Japan has not yet opened its doors to foreigners. Travel restrictions were announced by Russia.
Woodward was in Washington. Colleen Barry in Milan, Pan Pylas in London, Jamey Keaten in Geneva, Carley Petesch in Dakar, Andrew Meldrum in South Africa, Dave McHugh in Germany, and Frank Jordan in The Netherlands are Associated Press writers.
