We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info

One scientist warned last night of “the possibility of a change in the restrictions” at Christmas, since the highly mutated variant is thought to be both more infectious and more vaccine-resistant. Experts said that it was almost inevitable that the strain would reach our shores if early suggestions that it spreads more easily prove correct.

Omicron has not yet been reported in Britain but Government scientists said they cannot rule out that it has already arrived.

Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical advisor at the UK Health Security Agency, said the B.1.1.529 strain of Covid-19 was “the most worrying we’ve seen.

“We have no cases identified whatsoever yet, nothing in our genome sequencing.

“Overall, I think the situation is reassuring in-country, but of course, people are arriving every day.”

As fears grew last night of additional restrictions on society and further travel bans on top of those affecting parts of Africa, around £72billion was wiped off top companies’ shares in London.

The FTSE 100 index plunged to its biggest points fall since early in the pandemic.

Prof Adam Finn, of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said more information was needed to assess the threat but curbs could not be ruled out.

He added: “I don’t want to induce unnecessary anxiety in people but…I think we all need to be ready for the possibility of a change in the restrictions.

“If we’re lucky, [the variant] won’t be a serious one, but it could be very serious.”

Prof Chris Whitty, England’s Chief Medical Officer, said he feared that the public may not accept fresh coronavirus shutdowns after past lockdowns had proved “very destructive” to society and to the economy.

But he added: “There are things we collectively have to do to protect one another.”

Prof John Edmunds, of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage), said: “This is a huge worry, unfortunately.”

Asked if Omicron might resist current vaccines, he replied: “All the data suggests that it might well be able to evade the immune response. What we don’t know is to what extent. Our fears are it would do so to a large extent.”

Vaccines minister Maggie Throup said last night: “The best way we can have that Christmas this year that we didn’t have last year…is to get vaccinated.”

The first Omicron outbreak was reported in Hong Kong on Monday, followed by more in Botswana and in South Africa, which has had the most at more than 100.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson spoke with South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa yesterday about the challenges posed by the variant and the ways that nations can work together to deal with it.

Six countries have been added to the UK’s travel red list, with a temporary ban on flights while a hotel quarantine system is prepared: both South Africa and Botswana plus Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia.

Prior to the ban up to 700 people had been flying into the UK from South Africa every day.

But British arrivals from its Omicron epicentre of Johannesburg were not questioned or tested as they landed at Heathrow on the last plane before the shutdown began at noon yesterday.

Belgium’s reported case was a woman who had returned from Egypt recently.

Meanwhile EU chiefs called for an “emergency brake” on all travel from southern Africa after a case was detected in Israel.

The US is to restrict travel from eight countries, including South Africa, from Monday. But some scientists said travel bans might only delay the eventual arrival of Omicron if the strain proves eventually to be more transmissible.

Prof Sharon Peacock, director of the Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium, said: “When you look at the behaviour of Alpha and Delta [variants], once a new variant of concern emerges and it’s fitter than the previous variant, it can be difficult to actually stop it going into a country unless you have very, very stringent lockdown rules.” 

But she said that travel restrictions can still buy valuable time for scientists to work out how to tackle the strain.

It was last night classified as a Variant of Concern by the World Health Organisation and named Omicron after the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet which is being used to name strains.

South Africa has been praised for raising the alarm despite the potential damage to its vital tourism industry.

But Angelique Coetzee, chairwoman of the country’s medical association, claimed it was too soon to impose travel curbs: “It’s a hasty decision.

“I would understand if it was two weeks later and we knew much more about this. For now, it is a storm in a tea cup.”

UK Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Covid booster injections had never been more important now.

He said the variant was of “huge international concern” and “may pose a substantial risk to public health”.

More than 16.3 million booster jabs and third doses have been dished out.

See the latest Covid vaccine stats below and visit InYourArea for all the Covid vaccine latest

Mr Javid said the Government’s winter Plan A, involving less stringent measures than Plan B, remained in place but ministers will review that as well as deciding whether to add more countries to the red list.

But James Naismith, professor of structural biology at the University of Oxford, said: “We have got much better at controlling the disease in other ways, in hospitals. So it is bad news but it’s not doomsday.”

A further 50,091 Covid cases and 160 deaths were reported yesterday.

Dr Layla McCay, director of policy at the NHS Confederation, said health leaders were “watching this development with concern as we head into one of the most challenging winters the NHS has ever faced”.

Comment by Prof James Naismith

The Omicron variant has been detected by South African scientists who deserve our thanks and support.

The variant is of concern because it possesses mutations, some which we have seen before, for example in the Beta variant, that almost certainly will decrease immunity from vaccine or previous infection.

This does not mean no immunity, it means that some people previously immune could catch this variant. The most important thing we can do is get ourselves and loved ones vaccinated, be it the first, second or third dose.

Other mutations present in Omicron may decrease the efficiency of some injectable antibody therapies.

We have not seen this combination before; just as a football team is a combination of positions, the overall behaviour of the virus is controlled by the combination, not simply a sum of changes. 

We do not know how fast Omicron spreads although early data hints rapidly, but we will have to wait.

We do not know how ill Omicron makes people and we do not know how many vaccinated or previously infected people will catch and transmit it.

If, and only if, Omicron spreads more rapidly than Delta, it will get to the UK. Travel bans won’t stop this happening, at best they might slow it by a few weeks than without a ban.

Prof James Naismith is director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute

Source: Read Full Article