The Government of the United Kingdom has called for this Monday an urgent meeting of Ministers of Health of the Group of Seven to address the omicron variant of the coronavirus. This variant is already present in Europe, where it has reached the Netherlands, UK, Germany, Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy and Belgium. In addition, Portugal is studying suspicious cases that could be linked to this variant.
“Under the British presidency, an urgent meeting of G7 Health Ministers has been convened on Monday, November 29 to discuss the evolution of the omicron,” the Health and Social Care portfolio, led by Sajid Javid, said in a brief statement.
The G7, made up of the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan, as well as the European Union as a guest, is likely to meet in virtual way.
The omicron variant has led to many countries to suspend flights with southern Africa -where it was initially identified- and the World Health Organization (WHO) is concerned about the thirty mutations that it presents and its apparent greater transmissibility and risk of reinfection. The WHO itself has also asked for support for Africa and has been against the closure of borders and travel restrictions.
The United Kingdom has confirmed the detection so far of three infections of this type, all connected with travel from southern Africa, and investigate other possible contacts.
In the same way, the British Government has announced the first measures that it will apply to stop the spread of the omicron, such as the reintroduction of masks in some closed spaces, PCR test when returning from abroad even for the vaccinated and speed up the booster dose of the vaccine.
A total of ten African countries are included as of this Sunday in the British red list of maximum risk destinations, of which it is not possible to travel to the United Kingdom, except British nationals or residents, who must be confined in a designated hotel, paying the costs . These are South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia.
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
