December 1 Omicron coronavirus variant news

Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested Wednesday he hopes that some travel restrictions imposed by the Biden administration in light of the Omicron coronavirus variant get “sorted out and lifted” when asked about the countries included in the ban that have not yet identified any Omicron cases, including Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe.

Earlier this week, the Biden administration placed restrictions on travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi. So far, the Omicron variant has been detected in at least 24 countries, including the US.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki reiterated that the restrictions were meant to buy time and are not planned to be permanent.

“The President is briefed every day by his Covid team and will continue to assess, based on their recommendations, any additional steps that needs to be taken. As Dr. Fauci noted, there’s a lot we don’t know. So putting in place these travel restrictions was intended to give us more time to do the necessary evaluation, data and testing required that our health experts are working around the clock to do. And they made this assessment and recommendation about the countries where we would put in place these travel restrictions in order to give us that time,” Psaki told reporters later in the briefing.

She continued, “We want to learn more information, know more information, but the President is always going to err on the side of protecting the American people.”

Psaki added that the restrictions were “not a political decision,” but rather, “based on the advice – recommendations – of the health and medical team.”

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen

CNN medical analyst Dr. Leana Wen urged caution after the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified the United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

“I definitely understand why this would be concerning to people hearing the news, but let’s remember that this was something that we expected all along,” Wen said on CNN.

While Wen said we do not know specifics about this case yet, scientists are actively researching this variant.

“We also know what it takes to prevent Omicron, which is the same thing it takes to prevent Delta. Vaccination will probably be effective — especially getting a booster dose for those if you haven’t already — and if you’re going to crowded settings, please wear a mask,” Wen said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci spoke at length this afternoon about what must be done for the world to emerge out of the throes of the coronavirus pandemic.

Fauci, the nation’s leading infectious disease expert, discussed the “end game” to the pandemic, saying it would involve “a situation where viruses will not have the opportunity that they have right now is to essentially, freely distribute and freely circulate in society, both domestic society and global society.”

Fauci added: “There’s no doubt. This will end, I promise you that. This will end.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said the discovery of the Omicron variant in the United States “is another example of why it’s important for people to get vaccinated who’ve not been vaccinated, but also boosting.”

“Boosting is really very important,” Fauci told reporters during a White House press briefing.

Fauci advised Americans to not wait to get a booster shot.

“We may not need a variant-specific boost. We’re preparing for the possibility that we need a variant-specific booster,” Fauci said.

“But the mistake people would make is to say, ‘let me wait and see if we get one.’ If you’re eligible for boosting, get boosted right now,” he said.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, said that the patient diagnosed with the first reported case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the US traveled from South Africa to San Francisco, California, and is experiencing “mild symptoms.”

Fauci explained how the case was identified within US borders, saying that the California and San Francisco departments of public health and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed that the recent case of Covid-19 in the individual in California was caused by the variant.

“Genomic sequencing was conducted at the University of California at San Francisco and the sequence was confirmed at the CDC as consistent with the Omicron variant,” he said.

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01:45 - Source: cnn

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s chief medical adviser, is speaking to reporters now from the White House briefing room.

The United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant has been identified in California, according to a source familiar.

The World Health Organization designates Omicron a “variant of concern.” In a technical brief released this week, the WHO noted that the variant poses a “very high” global risk. The variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa, and has since been detected in several countries.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified the United States’ first confirmed case of the Omicron coronavirus variant – in California – according to a source familiar.

The World Health Organization designates Omicron a “variant of concern.” In a technical brief released this week, WHO noted that the variant poses a “very high” global risk. The variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa, and has since been detected in several countries.

Scientists are working to determine how transmissible the variant is, how sick it makes people and how well current vaccines work against it. Until more information is learned about the variant, the United States restricted travel from South Africa and seven other countries.

On Monday, President Biden called the variant “a cause for concern, not a cause for panic,” saying, “We’ll have to face this new threat just as we face those who have come before it.”

Health officials are urging people to get vaccinated against Covid-19, or get a booster if they’re eligible. Other measures such as masks, handwashing, physical distancing and ventilation will still work against the Omicron variant.

The Delta variant of the coronavirus remains the dominant variant globally and in the United States.

President Biden urged eligible Americans to get booster shots as soon as possible, saying that his administration will fight the Omicron variant with “science and speed, not chaos and confusion.”

Biden continued, “If you’re not vaccinated, now now is the time to get vaccinated and take your children to get vaccinated. Every child over the age of 5 can get a safe, effective vaccination.”

On Thursday at the National Institutes of Health, Biden said, he will outline next steps in fighting the pandemic this winter: “Not with shutdowns or lockdowns, but with more widespread vaccinations, boosters, testing, and more.” 

Some details of the plan are already emerging, including narrowing the testing window for international air travelers, as CNN’s Kaitlan Collins reported. Other aspects are likely to include a new push for vaccinations and boosters. 

CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed reporting to this post.

Blanket travel bans may be unfairly applied and likely will not completely prevent the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19, World Health Organization leaders said Wednesday. 

“I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing, and reporting this variant so rapidly,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in his opening remarks at a news conference Wednesday. 

“It’s deeply concerning to me that those countries are now being penalized by others for doing the right thing. We call on all countries to take rational, proportional risk reduction measures in keeping with international health regulations,” the director-general said.

“We do not want to see countries penalized for sharing information, because this is how WHO and our partners, this is how we make assessments and how we provide advice,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead on Covid-19.

Van Kerkhove said some travel bans have limited the ability of South African researchers to ship virus samples out of the country, “so there are other implications for these travel bans that are out there.”

Dr. Mike Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Program, said travel bans contain “internal contradictions” that don’t accurately address how the virus spreads. 

“Is that that some passport holders will have the virus and some won’t? Does the virus read your passport? Does the virus know your nationality or where you’re legally resident?” he added.

Ryan also criticized the inconsistent application of travel bans, pointing out that there are countries currently under a ban who have not yet had a case of Omicron, “and other countries with confirmed cases and evidence of local transmission with no travel bans.”

“So I’m not saying one is right or one is wrong, what I’m saying is I can’t see the logic, certainly from a public health or an epidemiologic perspective,” he said.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said Wednesday that it is time to “potentially think about mandatory vaccination within the European Union” and have a discussion about the measure.

When asked during a news conference about her position on mandatory vaccination following Greece’s decision to impose a roughly $113 fine on people over 60 years old who remain unvaccinated by mid-January, von der Leyen said it is “pure member state competence. Therefore, in respect to that, it’s not me to give any kind of recommendation.”

“If you’re asking me what my personal position is? Two or three years ago, I would never have thought to witness what we see right now, that we have this horrible pandemic, we have the vaccines, the life saving vaccines, but they are not being used adequately everywhere,” she said.

“And thus, these costs, of course, an enormous, or this is an enormous health cost coming along,” she continued.

“If you look at the numbers we have now 77% of the adults in the European Union vaccinated or if you take the whole population, it’s 66%. And this means 1/3 of the European population is not vaccinated. These are 150 million people. This is a lot,” von der Leyen noted.

She went on to outline her position on vaccination mandates, saying, “Not each and everyone can be vaccinated, so there are very small children, for example, or people with special medical conditions, but the vast majority could.”

Three major US airlines told CNN Wednesday they are complying with a new federal directive that requires airlines to turn over contact information on passengers who were recently in certain African countries.  

The carriers are Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Airlines.  

Delta Air Lines flies several flights every week from Johannesburg, South Africa, into Atlanta. The airline said in a statement to CNN it is “in close coordination with public health bodies and industry regulators in our shared mission to keep the safety and health of customers our top priority.”  

United flies between Johannesburg and Newark.  

American has extended its flexibility policies to accommodate passengers who would have been flying from southern African countries into the US to rearrange their flights.  

About the directive: The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention directive involves foreign nationals from eight countries including South Africa and was issued in response to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed to CNN on Wednesday that officials have directed airlines carrying passengers that have been to certain southern African nations to share those passengers’ contact information with the agency. 

Airlines and aircraft operators are directed to transmit passenger information as required under the CDC’s Contact Information Collection Order, which was issued in late October, if information is not already being transmitted through established US Department of Homeland Security data systems. 

This post has been updated with new details from the CDC.

A staff member wearing protective equipment guides a traveller at the arrival hall of Incheon International Airport in Incheon, South Kora, on November 30.

South Korea will mandate a 10-day quarantine for all incoming international travelers, including Korean nationals. The requirement will go into effect Dec. 3 for two weeks, Korea Disease Control and Prevention (KDCA) said in a statement Wednesday.

The decision was made the same day five cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant were reported by the country, in travelers arriving from Nigeria. 

The mandate applies to travelers from all countries, regardless of their vaccination status, KDCA said.

Korean nationals and foreigners on a long-term stay can quarantine from home, while foreigners staying less than 90 days must quarantine at a government-designated facility. Quarantine exemptions will only be granted in a limited set of special circumstances, such as attending a funeral, the statement said. 

South Korea will also ban foreign nationals on short-term stays — less than 90 days — from Nigeria from entering the country starting Friday.

On Saturday, South Korea had banned foreign nationals on short-term stays from eight southern African countries: South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Malawi and Mozambique. Korean citizens and foreigners on long-term stay may still enter the country. 

Starting Saturday, South Korea will also suspend direct flights from Ethiopia for two weeks. The government will arrange non-scheduled flights for Korean nationals to return from African countries, KDCA added.

Roger Dow, president and CEO of the US Travel Association, speaks during a news conference in Washington, DC, on March 4, 2020.

Roger Dow, CEO of the US Travel Association, is questioning the logic of President Biden’s travel restrictions imposed on South Africa and seven neighboring countries in the wake of the Omicron coronavirus variant.

Dow, whose trade group represents all parts of the $1.5 trillion travel industry, said he met multiple times with the White House over the weekend and is very encouraged Biden signaled he’s not anticipating further restrictions.

“Even the WHO came out and said the data and science don’t support this,” he said. “We don’t want to see this go beyond South Africa.”

In a statement on Tuesday, the World Health Organization said “blanket travel banks will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.”

Dow, whose industry relies on a steady stream of foreign tourists, expressed confidence in the existing health protocols to come into the United States, including requirements that visitors are vaccinated and get tested for Covid-19 in advance.

Some background: On Monday, the United States banned all travel from South Africa and seven neighboring countries, with the exception of US citizens and legal permanent residents, who must test negative to enter the country.

Top US officials are considering new restrictions, including requiring everyone who enters the country to be tested for Covid-19 the day before their flight and having all travelers – including US citizens and permanent residents – be tested again after returning home, regardless of vaccination status, CNN reported on Tuesday, citing sources familiar with the discussions.

Dow acknowledged the serious health challenge facing the United States, but suggested it shouldn’t overshadow other priorities. Direct travel employment fell by 34% last year amid the pandemic, according to the US Travel Association. 

“We’ve got a health crisis, no doubt about it. But we’ve got a jobs crisis, an economic crisis, a mental health crisis and a diplomatic crisis,” he said.

Dow argued having more foreign tourists would improve America’s standing in the world. “Getting people here, traveling back and forth, is good public diplomacy,” he said.

Cuban scientists are working on vaccines to combat the Omicron variant, the island’s state-run media reported on Wednesday. 

Cuban pharmaceutical companies have already produced several vaccines scientists say are highly effective against earlier strains of the coronavirus. According to Cuba’s health ministry more than 80% of the island’s population is now fully vaccinated and coronavirus-related infections and deaths have plummeted in recent weeks.

Ireland has reported its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, a statement from the National Public Health Emergency Team said Wednesday. 

The statement said the case is linked to travel from one of the seven southern African countries that Ireland has imposed travel restrictions on.

At Lancet Laboratories in South Africa, scientists and pathologists first noticed an anomaly in positive PCR tests in early November, and it cropped up over and over again.

“It was a bit disturbing, because it made us worry that we were dealing with something new,” Allison Glass, a pathologist at Lancet Labs, told CNN’s David McKenzie.

They urgently notified South Africa’s genomics team. Within days, details about the new Omicron coronavirus variant became known worldwide.

Scientists inside the Wits VIDA Research Unit in South Africa are trying to determine whether the variant is more transmissible or causes more severe disease.

Samples are being put in freezers in the hallways at the lab, and it is set to operate 24 hours a day, McKenzie reported.

Jeanine du Plessis, a medical scientist at the lab, said they are seeing a lot more positive cases in the past few weeks.

Since there is still so much unknown about the variant at the moment, she said “everyone feels a little bit of hopelessness.”

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Travelers arrive from international flights at Newark Liberty International Airport in New Jersey on November 30.

Top US government officials are considering requiring everyone who enters the country to be tested for Covid-19 the day before their flight and having all travelers — including US citizens and permanent residents — be tested again after returning home, regardless of vaccination status, sources familiar with the discussions have told CNN.

Officials were deliberating the potential changes Tuesday night and no final decisions have been made.

However, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed in a statement that the agency is working to revise testing requirements for travelers because of the new Omicron variant.

Currently, vaccinated travelers are required to test three days before their departures. The move under consideration would shorten that timeline to one day.

A mandatory quarantine for US citizens returning home is not under consideration, according to a White House official.

“The administration continues to evaluate the appropriate measures to protect the American people from COVID-19, especially as we learn more about the Omicron variant, including considering more stringent testing requirements for international travel. Policy discussions are ongoing across the government and no final decisions have been made,” a White House official told CNN.

You can read more on the possible changes here.

Europe is in a race against the clock to step up its vaccination and booster programs amid concerns over the Omicron variant hitting its shores, European Union Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said during a news briefing Wednesday.

Von der Leyen urged members states to “do everything possible to make the best out of the time we have until we have certainty about the characteristics of transmissibility and severity of Omicron.”

“What is the bottom line? Hope for the best, prepare for the worst,” she added.

The EU Commission put forward a coordinated EU approach on Wednesday to address the challenges from the resurgence of Covid-19 in many member states this fall.

Among the measures suggested, member states “should continue to implement a joint strategy to limit the entry of the Omicron variant into the EU, with regular, daily reviews of essential travel restrictions,” the Commission said in a statement.

Dr. Mvuyisi Mzukwa, vice chair of the South African Medical Association, on December 1.

Doctors in South Africa have so far observed that patients with the Omicron coronavirus variant are younger and have milder cases, and those who are hospitalized are largely unvaccinated.

Mzukwa said that very few people are being admitted to the hospital and the South African health care system is not under pressure.

Asked about hospitalizations across the country, which have been seen as trending up over the last month, Mzukwa said that even in the province where the Omicron variant is concentrated, “we have not seen that much of hospitalization, all we see is that those patients that do get admitted are patients who are not vaccinated.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) has agreed to start negotiations that would pave the way for a global convention to “strengthen pandemic prevention, preparedness and response,” it said in a statement Wednesday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the decision by the World Health Assembly was historic in nature, vital in its mission, and represented a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen the global health architecture to protect and promote the wellbeing of all people.

An intergovernmental negotiating body (INB) will draft and negotiate a WHO convention, agreement, or other international instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response, the statement added.

The INB will hold its first meeting by March next year. It will submit its outcome for consideration by the 77th World Health Assembly in 2024.

Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn speaks at a press conference in Berlin on November 26.

The number of unvaccinated people in Germany is still so large it risks overwhelming the country’s heath system, warned Health Minister Jens Spahn on Wednesday.

Even though the number of vaccinations is on the rise, 12 million adults out of a total of 69 million in the country are still not immunized against the coronavirus, Spahn wrote on Twitter.

Spahn, who only has a few days left in the job before the incoming government is sworn in, said that so far more than 10 million booster shots have been given out. Germany aimed to double that number by Christmas, he added.

Meanwhile, people queuing for booster shots in the capital Berlin on Wednesday endured long lines with wait times of up to three hours, CNN reported. In some instances, frustrated people left the lines before receiving their shot.

Germany is battling a fourth Covid-19 wave. It also has one of the lowest vaccination rates in western Europe, with a total 68.6% of eligible adults fully vaccinated, according to the country’s Health Ministry.

Welsh rugby team Cardiff Rugby plan to leave Cape Town on Thursday, after being stranded in South Africa since last week. The club has secured a charter flight and quarantine accommodation in England, it said in a statement Tuesday.

The team’s traveling contingent could not return home after South Africa was placed on the United Kingdom’s red list for travel last Friday, amid concerns over the Omicron variant.

On Sunday, the team confirmed that two players had tested positive for Covid-19, one of which is suspected to be the new coronavirus variant.

Cardiff said that both players remain in isolation from the team hotel and are in good health.

South Korea will change its United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial Conference from an in-person event to an online one amid concerns over the new Omicron variant, the country’s foreign ministry said in a statement Wednesday.

The conference was due to be held in Seoul on December 7 and 8, with more than 700 people from 155 countries participating.

The ministry said the decision was made in light of the recently discovered Omicron variant and its possible impact on South Koreans’ health and safety.

First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon arrives at the main chamber in the Scottish Parliament on November 30 in Edinburgh.

All of Scotland’s nine cases of the Omicron variant are linked to the same event, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said Tuesday, adding that none appeared to be linked to travel with South Africa.

Scotland’s outbreak makes up a large chunk of the United Kingdom’s 22 Omicron cases. That includes 13 cases in England, the UK Health Security Agency told CNN Tuesday.

The outbreak comes weeks after the climate conference COP26 was held in the Scottish city of Glasgow in early November.

Thousands of delegates from across the world attended the event, though Sturgeon told a press conference Monday that it’s unlikely to be linked to the Omicron cases.

Christmas lights shine above Oxford Street in London on November 12.

Britons can continue with their Christmas party plans over the festive season, but might want to take a Covid-19 test before joining any gathering, the UK’s Health Secretary Sajid Javid told local broadcasters Wednesday.

Likewise, Javid told Sky News: “I think people should continue to behave in the way they were planning to behave over Christmas, I don’t think there is any need to change those plans.”

Asked if people should take a Covid-19 test before attending Christmas parties, Javid said: “I would.”

The comments come as the UK government ramps up its booster rollout, amid concerns over the new Omicron variant. The government is aiming to offer booster shots to all eligible adults in England by the end of January.

Two of Israel’s top health officials have urged caution in the rush to report the impact of coronavirus vaccines on the Omicron variant. 

Nachman Ash, the director general of the health ministry, told listeners to Galatz radio Wednesday morning, that it was simply too early to reach conclusions.  

“There is no data at the moment that can support this or that assessment [of vaccine efficacy] and we have no choice but to wait a few days and see the data,” Ash said.

Elsewhere, listeners to 103FM were hearing a similar message from Salman Zarka, the head of the government’s coronavirus advisory group.  

“The data is really at an initial stage. The information we have from South Africa is that among those hospitalized with the new variant, there are relatively more young people and fewer older people, so we cannot say anything regarding the risk to older adults,” he said. 

Zarka also reminded listeners of the fact there are several vaccines on the market, with varying performances against the virus. In South Africa, many people have been given the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, whereas in Israel the overwhelming majority have had the Pfizer/BioNTech product. 

“Of those hospitalized [in South Africa] with the new variant, some have been vaccinated and some have not. Most of those who are vaccinated probably received Johnson & Johnson, which has a lower efficacy performance than Pfizer, which is what we have in Israel,” he said. 

“There is probably initial data [from South Africa] that suggests it may be the case that the vaccine is less efficient against the new variant than it is against Delta, but even less efficient could still mean 85% or 80%. This is initial data and I don’t want to mislead the public.”  

While officials are warning against jumping to conclusions about the relationship between the vaccine and the new variant, Ash said one characteristic of the Omicron variant was already becoming clear. 

The director general of Israel’s health ministry added that there are conflicting reports regarding the severity of the disease, and whether or not there are more hospitalizations. “As for the vaccine, as I said, we really don’t know,” he emphasized.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has advised unvaccinated people over the age of 60 and those with certain health conditions not to travel to Covid-19 hotspots as new cases of the Omicron variant continue to emerge globally.

The WHO also commended South Africa and Botswana for their surveillance and sequencing capabilities, and for the “speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information” on the new Omicron variant with other health bodies.

Police officers patrol an empty check-in area in a departure hall at Narita Airport in Japan on November 30.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has requested airlines suspend taking new reservations on all inbound international flights to the country until the end of December, in response to the Omicron variant.

The request has been made to all airlines – including Japanese and international airlines operating in Japan – but at this time is not a mandate, a ministry official told CNN. 

The ministry has requested this apply to all travelers, including Japanese citizens, beginning Wednesday.

CNN is reaching out to airlines operating in Japan for a response, but has not yet heard back. 

Last month Japan began the process of rolling back some of its more stringent travel restrictions. However, on Monday it moved to close its borders to all foreign nationals in light of the new risk posed by Omicron.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said the new measures would be temporarily until more information is known about the new variant. 

Japan confirmed its first case of the Omicron variant on Tuesday. The variant was detected in a man in his 30s who traveled from Namibia to Tokyo. The man is now in quarantine at a government designated facility and his close contacts have been traced, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno told reporters Tuesday.

The southwestern German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg on Wednesday confirmed four cases of the Omicron variant, mostly in people returning home from South Africa.

Three of the four infected people returned from a business trip to South Africa on November 26 and 27, according to a government statement. The fourth person is a family member of one of the returnees. 

All four people are fully vaccinated and live in the Alb-Donau district of the city of Ulm, in southern Germany.

They are showing moderate symptoms and are in quarantine at home, together with members of their household, the statement says. 

It brings the total reported Omicron cases in Germany to nine.

Saudi Arabia has confirmed its first case of the Omicron coronavirus variant in the country, state-run Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported on Wednesday.

The positive case came from a Saudi citizen traveling from a north African country, SPA reported. The infected person and their contacts are in quarantine.

Saudi Arabia is the 22nd country to report cases of the Omicron variant.

Australia has identified its seventh case of the Omicron coronavirus in a traveler who arrived in the country last week, health authorities said Wednesday.

A statement from New South Wales Health said the traveler — who was fully vaccinated — had recently visited southern Africa and landed in Sydney from Qatar on November 25. The traveler tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and is isolating in Sydney. 

At least five passengers on the same flight — QR908 from Doha to Sydney on November 25 — have tested positive for Covid-19, according to NSW Health. Investigations into the positive cases are ongoing, but so far include two confirmed Omicron infections.

The traveler had visited a pharmacy in the state of New South Wales before testing positive for the virus. 

Effective Tuesday, all travelers arriving in New South Wales who have been in South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia, Eswatini and Malawi during the 14-day period before their arrival must undergo hotel quarantine for 14 days, irrespective of their vaccination status.

There are now seven confirmed cases of the Omicron Covid-19 variant in Australia — six in New South Wales, and one in the Northern Territory.

France has lengthened its ban on flights from seven countries in southern Africa until Saturday, European Affairs Minister Clement Beaune told RTL France radio on Wednesday.

The flight ban on South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Zimbabwe was implemented on November 26 in response to the Omicron coronavirus variant’s spread. It was originally set to expire on Wednesday.

Beaune said “extremely strengthened” measures were now in place to allow French residents in these countries to return to France via other routes. These include pre-arrival and post-departure testing and quarantines, he said.

France was among 23 European countries that had brought in similar measures to restrict access or suspend flights from southern Africa, Beaune added.

All international arrivals to South Australia must undergo 14 days of hotel quarantine, effective immediately and regardless of vaccination status, according to the state government.

The state government’s website says travelers will be tested upon arrival and subject to daily checks from a hotel health care team, with additional testing on the fifth day and 13th day of quarantine.

A spokesperson for the premier of South Australia said the new restrictions had been implemented because of concerns over the spread of the Omicron variant. So far, five Omicron cases have been confirmed in South Australia’s neighboring state of New South Wales.

The new restrictions are in addition to the national government’s mandatory quarantine for eight southern African countries, including South Africa and Botswana.

Japan has identified its second case of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said in a news briefing Wednesday. 

The infection was detected in a man in his 20s who arrived at Tokyo’s Narita Airport from Peru on Saturday. The traveler is quarantined at a medical facility.  

Peru has not yet officially reported any cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant. 

It comes one day after Japan’s first case was reported in a man in his 30s who traveled from Namibia to Tokyo on Sunday.

From Thursday, Japan will ban foreign nationals with Japanese residency from re-entering the country if they are traveling from 10 southern African nations, including South Africa.

Zimbabwe on Tuesday imposed mandatory quarantine for travelers and new restrictions on movement amid rising Covid-19 cases and to preempt the spread of the Omicron variant, state-run news agency New Ziana reported. 

In a televised address, Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said effective immediately, all Zimbabwean nationals, residents and visitors must be tested upon arrival for Covid-19. They must also undergo quarantine at state-designated facilities at their own cost.

Lockdown measures: Under new restrictions announced Tuesday, all businesses must close at 7 p.m. local time, followed by a curfew from 9 p.m. to 6 a.m. Meanwhile, bars are only allowed to admit fully vaccinated patrons.  

The latest measures will be reviewed after two weeks, Mnangagwa said.

Zimbabwe is one of several African nations facing travel restrictions from countries around the world following the emergence of the Omicron variant.

As of Tuesday, Zimbabwe had reported a total of 134,625 Covid-19 cases, according to a tweet by the country’s Ministry of Health and Child Care.  

No Omicron cases have yet been detected in in Zimbabwe.

Nigeria has detected three Omicron variant cases in travelers who arrived in the West African country from South Africa in the past week, according to local health authorities.

In a statement Wednesday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said these are the first known Omicron cases in Nigeria.

Nigeria now requires all inbound travelers to present a negative Covid-19 test result taken within 48 hours before departure, according to the NCDC.

The Indian state of Maharashtra has reimposed mandatory quarantine for all international passengers arriving from “at risk” countries in response to the Omicron coronavirus variant.

According to a government statement Tuesday, travelers arriving from countries determined to be “at risk” by India’s Health Ministry must quarantine for seven days at their own cost at designated hotels.

As of November 30, “at risk” countries and territories include South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, the United Kingdom, Brazil, China, Mauritius, New Zealand, Singapore, Hong Kong and Israel.

These passengers will also be required to take RT-PCR tests on the second, fourth and seventh day after their arrival.

In recent days, four passengers from South Africa and two from Nigeria have tested positive for Covid-19 after landing in Maharashtra. Their samples, as with all tests that now come back positive, have been sent for genome sequencing with contact tracing underway.

Maharashtra’s revised guidelines are effective immediately and coincide with new national travel rules coming into place.

India’s new rules: From Wednesday, all international passengers arriving in India must submit a self-declaration form to an online government portal that includes a 14-day travel history and a negative Covid-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours prior to their departure.

Travelers from countries deemed “at risk” will also now face further testing and surveillance, including a PCR test on arrival and must wait for the results before leaving or catching a connecting flight, according to guidelines issued by the Health Ministry on Sunday.

They will then have to quarantine at home for seven days and take another test on the eighth day.

NIH Director Dr. Francis Collins

It is still “very early days” with much more to learn about the Omicron variant of coronavirus, National Institutes of Health Director Dr. Francis Collins said Tuesday.

Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Tuesday there is “already room for optimism” that people who are vaccinated will be protected from the Omicron variant. Collins urged caution, though, and warned there is still a lot more that scientists need to know about how much protection the vaccines offer and how much severe disease this variant will cause.

Collins said there is a lot to learn about Omicron from South Africa. 

“We just learned about this Omicron variant one week ago and already South Africa has been on the Zoom calls with me at least three times in the last three days, telling us everything they know about what is going on. But they’re still collecting the data,” Collins said. 

Collins said he guesses, based on what scientists have seen from the protection the vaccines provided against the Delta variant, that immunization should help, especially if someone has been given a booster. Other studies have shown vaccines elicit strong immunity — with enough extra immunity to protect against variants.

Collins said it is one reason so many public health officials are pushing people to get boosted now.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is working to revise testing requirements for inbound international travelers because of the new Omicron coronavirus variant, the agency confirmed in a statement Tuesday.

The CDC currently requires fully vaccinated travelers to be tested three days before their flight’s departure from a foreign country.

The CDC continues to recommend, but not require, that travelers get tested three to five days upon return and those who are unvaccinated should quarantine. The CDC did not offer a timeline for when any updated protocols could go into place.  

Officials across multiple government agencies huddled Tuesday night to discuss the potential changes, CNN reported earlier.

A healthcare worker prepares to administer a Covid-19 test at a temporary testing site outside Seoul Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Tuesday, Nov. 30, 2021.

South Korea recorded 5,123 new Covid-19 cases on Tuesday, a record single-day figure, according to a news release from the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA).

KDCA said 5,075 of the new infections were locally transmitted, with 4,110 detected in the Seoul Metropolitan Area.

The country also reported 34 additional fatalities, bringing the total death toll to 3,658, according to KDCA. Some 723 patients are in critical condition, KDCA added.

South Korea has now reported a total of 452,350 cases.

As of Wednesday, 82.9% of the population had received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and 79.9% had been fully vaccinated, KDCA said.

Suspected Omicron cases: South Korea is investigating at least two suspected cases of the Omicron variant, with results due on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, South Korea’s Health Ministry and KDCA will form a task force along with related ministries to respond to the Omicron variant.

There are “indications” that people who received a coronavirus vaccine booster are “protected” against the Omicron variant, Israeli Health Minister Nitzan Horowitz said Tuesday.

Boosters have been available in Israel to anyone over age 16 since late August, five months after their second dose of the vaccine. A person is not considered fully vaccinated in the country until they have received a third dose, once they are eligible for it.

Top US government officials are considering requiring everyone who enters the United States to be tested for Covid-19 the day before their flight and having all travelers — including US citizens and permanent residents — be tested again after returning home, regardless of vaccination status, sources familiar with the thinking have told CNN.

Officials were deliberating Tuesday night and no final decisions have been made, but an announcement could come as soon as this week. Currently, travelers are required to test three days before their departures. The move under consideration would shorten that timeline to one day.

On Monday, the US banned all travel from South Africa and seven neighboring nations, with the exception of US citizens and legal permanent residents, who must test negative to enter the US but not once they have arrived.

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US President Joe Biden delivers remarks on the Covid-19 response and the vaccination program at the White House on August 23, 2021 in Washington,DC.

Related article Biden administration considering requiring stricter coronavirus testing for everyone traveling to US

It’s too soon to know if the Omicron variant of coronavirus causes less severe disease than the Delta variant — in spite of reports that many cases so far have been mild, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday.

Most cases of Covid-19 overall are mild, and especially among younger patients. But nonetheless the virus can and does cause severe disease as it spreads among populations and has killed 5.2 million people globally and more than 779,000 in the United States alone, according to Johns Hopkins University.

Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, noted that some South African physicians have reported the patients they treated had mild disease. But they were treating young people, Fauci said.

“Dr. Walensky and I specifically asked our South African colleagues that on the most recent Zoom call that we had, and they agreed with us that it’s too early to tell. They’re hoping that it is going to, across the board, give a lower level of severity, but they don’t know that right now,” he added.

In the meantime, vaccination and boosters should protect people, Fauci said. Boosters, especially, can bring antibody levels up to where there is a cushion of extra protection that can cover even variants of the virus.

“And that’s usually most manifested in protection against severe disease that leads to hospitalization,” Fauci said.

“So when we say that although these mutations suggest a diminution of protection and a degree of immune evasion, still from the experience that we have with Delta (you) can make a reasonable conclusion that you would not eliminate all protection against this particular variant,” he said.

“And that’s the reason why we don’t know what that degree of diminution of protection is going to be. But we know that when you boost somebody, you elevate your level of protection very high. And we are hoping, and I think with good reason, to feel good that there will be some degree of protection. Therefore, as we said, if you’re unvaccinated get vaccinated, and if you’re vaccinated, get boosted,” he added.

Since South African authorities announced the arrival of a new coronavirus variant that contains an unusually large number of mutations, countries around the world have mobilized by putting into place travel restrictions and precautionary measures.

There is much that’s still unknown about this variant, Omicron. While scientists are gathering more information, the public wants to know how worried they should be.

Is the alarm around Omicron warranted? What’s already known, and what are the key pieces of information still to be researched? Are there things we can do to prepare for it?

I discussed all of this with our expert, CNN Medical Analyst Dr. Leana Wen, who is an emergency physician and professor of health policy and management at the George Washington University Milken Institute School of Public Health. She is also author of a new book, “Lifelines: A Doctor’s Journey in the Fight for Public Health,” and the mother of two young kids.

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Related article How worried should we be about Omicron, the new coronavirus variant?