WHO supports the use of masks on long flights due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant in the US.

Countries should consider advising passengers to wear masks on long-haul flights to counteract the last omicron subvariant of COVID-19 Given its rapid spread in USA, World Health Organization officials said Tuesday.

In Europe, the XBB.1.5 subvariant is being detected in small but increasing numbers, officials from the WHO for Europe at a press conference.

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Passengers should be advised to wear face masks in high-risk settings, such as long-haul flights, the chief emergency officer for the agency said. WHO for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, adding that “this recommendation should be made to passengers coming from anywhere there is widespread transmission of COVID-19.”

The XBB.1.5 subvariant, the most transmissible omicron subvariant detected so far, accounted for 27.6% of cases of COVID-19 in USA during the week ending Jan. 7, US health officials said.

It is not clear if XBB.1.5 will cause its own wave of infections around the world. Current vaccines continue to protect against severe symptoms, hospitalization and death, experts say.

“Countries need to look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing,” Smallwood said, adding that it was crucial not to be “surprised” by an exclusive focus on a particular geographic area.

If travel measures are considered, he said, “our view is that travel measures should be implemented in a non-discriminatory manner.”

That doesn’t mean the agency recommends testing passengers coming from USA at this stage, he added.

Measures that can be taken include genomic surveillance and the orientation of passengers arriving from other countries, as long as it does not divert resources from national surveillance systems. Other examples include wastewater monitoring systems that can observe wastewater around entry points, such as airports.

XBB.1.5 is another descendant of omicron, the most contagious variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 and which is now globally dominant. It is a branch of XBB, first detected in October, which is itself a recombinant of two other subvariants of omicron.

Source: Elcomercio

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I am Jack Morton and I work in 24 News Recorder. I mostly cover world news and I have also authored 24 news recorder. I find this work highly interesting and it allows me to keep up with current events happening around the world.