More countries have imposed travel restrictions on visitors from other parts of the world in order to try to contain the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, as China pledged to send 600m vaccine doses to Africa.
Hong Kong banned visitors from Australia, Canada, Israel, and six European countries from entering the city on Tuesday because of the Omicron cases. Non-resident arrivals from four southern African nations have been barred.
Travelers flying from or via a number of African countries are subject to entry restrictions by Ecuador. President Lasso said late on Monday that it would request vaccine certificates from those arriving from other countries due to the new Omicron strain of coronaviruses.
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Everything you need to know about the new variant of Covid.
Theguardian.com/world/2021/Nov/26/vaccine-resistant-what-scientists-know-new-covid-variant
According to the World Health Organization, the Omicron strain carries a very high risk of increased infections and that is why many countries restrict travel.
The emergence of the new strain in South Africa last week shows how hard-won gains can disappear in an instant, according to the head of WHO. He told the World Health Assembly that Covid-19 isn't done with them.
The first case of Omicron was reported by media in Japan on Tuesday, while a person on the French Indian Ocean island of Réunion tested positive for the disease. A 35-year-old person recently traveled to a country in Africa.
China has pledged to donate 600m doses of its Covid-19 vaccine to Africa, in order to address concerns about the gulf between vaccine rates in developed countries and less wealthy ones.
The opening ceremony of a China-Africa forum on economic cooperation in Senegal on Monday was graced by a promise made by the president of China. He said China would give 1 billion doses. Other routes include production by Chinese companies in Africa.
We need to put people and their lives first, be guided by science, support waiving intellectual property rights on Covid-19 vaccines, and ensure the accessibility and affordability of vaccines in Africa to bridge the immunisation gap.
The stock markets in Asia made a good recovery on Tuesday after steep falls in values in recent days. The Nikkei in Tokyo was the leader with a lift of 0.5%.
The market will see how that might play out, but we will get a new variant, we will get new waves, and so on, according to the president of Thornburg Investment Management in Hong Kong.
The US implemented restrictions on travel from several countries, including South Africa, as president Joe Biden said Omicron was a cause for concern.
Biden said the vaccine was the best protection against the new variant. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Monday that everyone should get a booster shot.
The prime minister appealed to the public to make sure they were vaccinations after Canada saw two more cases on Monday.
Trudeau said on Monday night that getting vaccine is the best thing to do right now.
If you don't have your shots yet, get them. We have enough vaccine doses for every child between the ages of 5 and 11 to get their first shot, so make sure your kids are also protected.
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How worried should we be about the Omicron variant?
There is a video on theguardian.com about howworried should we be about the omicron-variant.
The UK government is planning to increase the number of jabs it gives out again. The ministers cut the waiting time for boosters to three months in order to catch up to the Omicron variant that is already spreading in the community.
There were 11 confirmed cases of Omicron in England and Scotland on Monday. Public transport and shops will have masks on from Tuesday.
The first two arrivals into Australia have tested positive for Omicron. The pair arrived in Australia from South Africa on Saturday.
Two travellers who tested positive for Omicron in Australia transited through Singapore. A fifth person is isolated from the Omicron strain after returning from southern Africa.
