Countries should consider advising passengers to wear masks on long-haul flights to counteract the last subvariant omicron of COVID-19 Given its rapid spread in USAofficials said on Tuesday World Health Organization.
In Europe, the XBB.1.5 subvariant is being detected in small but increasing numbers, WHO officials for Europe said at a news conference.
Passengers should be advised to wear face masks in high-risk environments such as long-haul flights, WHO’s senior emergency officer for Europe Catherine Smallwood said, adding that “This recommendation should be made to passengers coming from anywhere where there is widespread transmission of COVID-19.”
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The XBB.1.5 subvariant, the most transmissible omicron subvariant yet detected, accounted for 27.6% of COVID-19 cases in the United States during the week ending Jan. 7, U.S. health officials said. That country.
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 should look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing”, Smallwood pointed out, adding that it was crucial not to be left “surprised” for 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 is now globally dominant. It is a branch of XBB, first detected in October, which is itself a recombinant of two other omicron subvariants.
Source: Reuters
Source: Gestion
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