The Netherlands confirms 13 cases of the new omicron variant in passengers from South Africa

The new variant of the omicron coronavirus continued to spread around the world on Sunday, with 13 cases detected in the Netherlands and two in Australia, even as more countries tried to isolate themselves by imposing travel restrictions.

Dutch health authorities announced that all 13 cases of the variant were found among passengers on flights from South Africa that arrived in Amsterdam on Friday.

The discovery of Omicron, Qualified as “Worrying variant” last week by the World Health Organization, has raised concerns around the world that it may resist vaccines and prolong the Covid-19 pandemic, which has lasted for almost two years.

First discovered in South Africa, the variant has since been detected in Britain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.

Health authorities in Australia’s most populous state, New South Wales, said that two passengers arriving in Sydney from southern Africa on Saturday night had tested positive for the Omicron variant of the coronavirus.

Both people were asymptomatic, fully vaccinated and in quarantine, NSW Health said. Another 12 passengers from southern Africa were also quarantined in a hotel for 14 days, while a further 260 passengers and crew have been ordered to isolate themselves.

Austria was investigating a suspicious case on Sunday and in France Health Minister Olivier Veran said the new variant was probably already circulating there.

Omicron is potentially more contagious than previous variants, although experts do not yet know if it will cause a covid-19 more or less severe compared to other strains.

Countries have imposed a wave of travel bans or restrictions in southern Africa. Financial markets tumbled on Friday as investors worried that the variance could slow the global recovery. Oil prices fell about $ 10 a barrel.

On Sunday, most Gulf stock markets fell sharply in early trading, and the Saudi index suffered its biggest single-day drop in nearly two years.

In the most far-reaching effort to keep the variant at bay, Israel announced late on Saturday that it would ban all foreigners and reintroduce anti-terrorist phone tracking technology to contain the spread of the variant.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said the ban, pending government approval, will last 14 days. The authorities hope that in that period there will be more information on the effectiveness of the vaccines against Omicron.

Many countries have imposed or are planning travel restrictions from southern Africa. The South African government on Saturday denounced this measure as unfair and potentially damaging to its economy, stating that it is being punished for its scientific ability to identify variants of the coronavirus early.

In Britain, where two linked Omicron cases identified on Saturday were linked to travel to southern Africa, the government announced measures to try to contain the spread, including stricter testing standards for people arriving in the country and requiring use masks in some environments.

British Health Minister Sajid Javid said on Sunday that he expected to receive advice imminently on whether the government can expand a program to supply booster vaccines to fully vaccinated people, to try to weaken the impact of the variant.

The German state of Bavaria also announced two confirmed cases of the variant on Saturday. In Italy, the National Institute of Health said a case of the new variant had been detected in Milan in a person from Mozambique.

Zhong Nanshan, a Chinese respiratory disease expert, said it could take some time to reach a conclusion about the harmfulness of the new variant, state television reported on Sunday.

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