Health officials said on Monday that Russia has confirmed the country’s first two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant among travelers returning from South Africa.

Due to the new variant, Russia restricts the entry of all foreigners traveling from southern African countries and requires all Russian nationals returning from South Africa or neighboring countries to quarantine for 14 days as of Thursday.

The Ministry of Health of Namibia said on Monday that Namibia had detected Omicron variants in 18 of the 19 samples sequenced between November 11 and 26.

Although relatively few samples have been sequenced in this southern African country, the results of the study show that the mutations that were first marked by neighboring South Africa and Botswana and marked as “notable” by the World Health Organization at the end of last month are also very common in Namibia.

In addition, Pakistan banned travel from 15 countries including the Netherlands and South Africa on Monday, except in certain circumstances, and tightened travel restrictions on 13 other countries following the threat of new variants. Croatia confirmed the first two cases on Monday, the State Institute of Health said, Omicron.

“We are not sure about the source of the infection because neither of these two people traveled abroad. We believe they were infected at a business meeting where both parties attended,” Bernard Cage, an epidemiologist at the State Institute of Health Kaic) said.

Japan confirmed its third new case of the omicron variant on Monday, as Prime Minister Fumio Kishida vowed to take strict measures based on the worst-case scenario in which the infection may return.

Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirowa Matsuno told reporters that the third confirmed case was a man in his 30s who tested positive after arriving at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport from Italy on December 1 and has since been quarantined. The outbreak of the Omicron variant did not show the resulting surge in hospitalizations. Anthony Fauci, the chief medical adviser to US President Joe Biden, said on Sunday: “So far, it does not seem to be of great severity, but he warned that it is too early to make a conclusion.”

At the same time, Italy on Monday tightened restrictions on people who have not yet been vaccinated against Covid-19, limiting their access to a range of places and services.

According to the new regulations, only people who have been vaccinated or who have recently recovered from Covid-19 can enter indoor seating in bars and restaurants, visit museums, go to cinemas and clubs, and participate in sporting events.

News source : Hindustan times