JAKARTA - A new variant of COVID-19 called Omicron has been discovered in Sydney, Australia. There are two people who have confirmed the variant virus.
The passengers arrived in Sydney on Singapore Airlines from Singapore. And they came from South Africa where the researchers there first discovered the Omicron.
Quoted from Channel News Asia, these two people arrived in Sydney on Sunday 28 November yesterday.
"Both passengers arrived in Sydney from south Africa on Singapore Airlines flight SQ211," the New South Wales (NSW Health) ministry of health said.
Both of them have been fully vaccinated and are now isolated in special health accommodation.
Flight information from the Changi Airport website shows SQ211 departed Singapore at 10.30am on Sunday and landed in Sydney at 9.20pm.
"Everyone on the flight is considered close contact and needs to be tested for COVID-19 immediately and isolated for 14 days, regardless of their vaccination status," NSW Health said.
It said they would be contacting all passengers and crew of the flight to inform them of the isolation requirements.
The airline spokesperson confirmed that pilots and crew operating the flights will self-isolate and undergo COVID-19 tests.
"Singapore Airlines will work with the authorities, and guided by relevant regulatory requirements, as it ensures the health and safety of our customers and staff members," an SIA spokesperson added.
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The Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally, posing a 'very high' global risk of a spike in infections that could have "severe consequences" in some areas, the World Health Organization (WHO) said Monday.
The UN health agency urged its 194 member states to speed up vaccination of high-priority groups and, in anticipation of an increasing number of cases, to "ensure mitigation plans are in place" to maintain essential health services.
"The Omicron variant has an unprecedented number of spike mutations, some of which are concerned about their potential impact on the trajectory of the pandemic," the WHO said.
"The overall global risk associated with the new variant is assessed to be very high," the WHO said
The WHO further explained that to date no deaths related to Omicron have been reported, although further research is needed to assess Omicron's potential to escape vaccine-induced immunity protection and previous infections.
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