Asian and European Countries, Alarmed by New COVID Variant, Tighten Curbs

[Right_in_Virginia]

Asian and European Countries, Alarmed by New COVID Variant, Tighten Curbs
Newsmax, Nov 26, 2021

Global authorities reacted with alarm on Friday to a new coronavirus variant detected in South Africa, with the EU and Britain among those tightening border controls as researchers sought to find out if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.

Hours after Britain banned flights from South Africa and neighboring countries and asked travelers returning from there to quarantine, the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned against hasty measures.

One South African scientist expert labeled London’s decision a symptom of "vaccine apartheid," though European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said the EU also aimed to halt air travel from the region and several other countries including India, Japan and Israel toughened curbs.

In Washington, top U.S. infectious disease official Anthony Fauci said no decision had been made on a possible U.S. travel ban.

The WHO said it would take weeks to determine how effective vaccines were against the variant, which was first identified this week, but the news pummeled global stocks and oil amid fears what new bans would do to the global travel industry and already shaky economies across southern Africa.


More:  https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/new-covid-variant-europe-asia/2021/11/26/id/1046240/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Fauci: US Must Study Data Before Deciding on Travel Ban Over New COVID-19 Variant
Newsmas, Nov 26, 2021

Top U.S. infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Friday that a ban on flights from southern Africa was a possibility and the United States was rushing to gather data on the new COVID-19 variant.
No decision to halt flights had yet been made, he said.

Global authorities have reacted with alarm to the new variant, detected in South Africa, with the European Union and Britain among those tightening border controls as scientists seek to find out if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.

The World Health Organization (WHO), however, has cautioned against hasty measures and South Africa said a British ban on flights seemed rushed.

"There is always the possibility of doing what the UK has done, namely block travel from South Africa and related countries," Fauci said in an interview on CNN.

"That's certainly something you think about and get prepared to do. You're prepared to do everything you need to protect the American public. But you want to make sure there's a basis for doing that," he said.

"Obviously as soon as we find out more information we'll make a decision as quickly as we possibly can."


More:https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fauci-covid-variant-data/2021/11/26/id/1046262/

[Right_in_Virginia]

Dr. Fauci: 'No Indication' New Coronavirus Variant in United States
Newsmax, Nov 26, 2021

There is "no indication" that a new coronavirus variant that has been discovered in South Africa has surfaced in the United States, but more information is needed about whether the COVID-19 vaccines and tests will work against the variant before a travel ban, similar to ones in the EU, Britain, and India, would be put in place, Dr. Anthony Fauci said Friday.

"(It) has some mutations that are raising some concern, particularly with regard to possibly a transmissibility increase and possible evasion of an immune response," Fauci, the chief medical adviser for the White House and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on CNN's "New Day."

A discussion between scientists from South Africa and the United States has been scheduled for later Friday morning, he added, as "we want to find out, scientist-to-scientist, exactly what is going on."


More:  https://www.newsmax.com/us/fauci-coronavirus-south-africa-variant/2021/11/26/id/1046265/

[Right_in_Virginia]

[Right_in_Virginia]

https://mobile.twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1464206684818128901

[mystery-ak]

EU, UK, Israel to halt air travel to southern Africa over new COVID-19 variant

World Health Organization warns leaders against 'knee-jerk responses'

By Julia Musto | Fox News

Nations took swift action Friday to halt air travel from southern Africa in reaction to news of a new, transmissible COVID-19 variant.

Although the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to the B.1.1.529 variant, warning officials to avoid "knee-jerk responses," the 27-nation European Union said it would propose stopping air travel from southern Africa.

The EU joined Israel and the United Kingdom, who are likewise imposing a travel ban.

Will the U.S. also impose a ban? Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN that it's a possibility but that scientists need to first determine whether the variant can evade antibodies created by vaccines and viral infection.

"We are currently on the verge of a state of emergency," Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said, according to Reuters.

more
https://www.foxnews.com/health/new-covid-variant-southern-africa-nations-travel-ban

   

[Right_in_Virginia]

https://mobile.twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1463980964208599040

[mystery-ak]

COVID-19 variant B.1.1.529: Here’s what we know
Variant has high number of spike mutations that could affect transmissibility

By Edmund DeMarche | Fox News

Scientists are working to determine the potential risks associated with the new COVID-19 variant called B.1.1.529, which has already prompted an emergency meeting on Friday by the World Health Organization.

1- A team of scientists from seven universities in South Africa is working to learn more about the variant and are studying 100 whole genomes of the mutation.

2- The variant was first identified in Botswana earlier this month, but may have contributed to a jump in cases in South Africa.

3- The variant has a high number of spike mutations that could affect transmissibility and immune response, Ravindra Gupta, a professor of clinical microbiology at the University of Cambridge, said.

4- The B.1.1.529 variant has been found in Botswana, Hong Kong and South Africa.

5- The new variant is considered the most significant one yet and scientists are working to see if it renders vaccines less effective.

6- One scientist described the mutation as "horrific" in an interview with the BBC.

7-Tulio de Oliveira, the director of South Africa’s Center for Epidemic Response and Innovation, told the news outlet that the variant has an "unusual constellation of mutations." For example, the delta variant had two mutations to its receptor binding domain; this variant has 10, he said.

8-There are anecdotal reports of cases in vaccinated people and reinfections, but health officials said more investigation is needed, Nature reported.

9-The WHO is meeting on Friday to determine if the mutation is a variant of interest. The variant could be named nu.

   

[mystery-ak]

Stocks crater as new COVID-19 variant triggers market sell-off
US stocks will close for trading at 1 pm ET on Friday

    By Megan Henney FOXBusiness

U.S. stocks tumbled on Friday morning after South Africa sounded the alarm over a new, fast-spreading COVID-19 variant, triggering fresh fears that a resurgent coronavirus could scuttle the global economy's recovery from the pandemic.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell more than 900 points, or nearly 2.5%, while the S&P 500 dropped 1.9%, on track for its worst day since September. The Nasdaq Composite fell 1.7% at the beginning of the shortened trading session on Friday (U.S. markets close at 1 p.m. ET due to the Thanksgiving holiday).

The drop comes after health officials warned of a new variant found in South Africa that has a high number of mutations and has spread quickly among young people. The World Health Organization is due to meet Friday to discuss whether the strain is a concern and to determine whether to give it a name from the Greek alphabet.

more
https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/stocks-oil-fall-covid-19-black-friday-retail

[Right_in_Virginia]

https://mobile.twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1464217173635829766

[jmyrlefuller]

Most every other "vaccine-resistant" strain of this virus has failed to catch on in the real world.

Meanwhile, Delta, which is not vaccine-resistant in terms of antibodies, has spread like wildfire even among the vaccinated. Why? Because it avoids antibodies by staying in the nose, meaning no vaccine is going to work against it.

[Right_in_Virginia]

https://mobile.twitter.com/disclosetv/status/1463975678232117250

[DB]

Yet no one so far has been documented as getting Covid-19 a second time who have natural immunity... Variant or not...

[mystery-ak]

merged topics

[rustynail]

It is called Omicron and has already spread across the world.  This could be It.  Game over man.

[libertybele]

Fauci: US Must Study Data Before Deciding on Travel Ban Over New COVID-19 Variant
Newsmas, Nov 26, 2021

Top U.S. infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci said on Friday that a ban on flights from southern Africa was a possibility and the United States was rushing to gather data on the new COVID-19 variant.
No decision to halt flights had yet been made, he said.

Global authorities have reacted with alarm to the new variant, detected in South Africa, with the European Union and Britain among those tightening border controls as scientists seek to find out if the mutation was vaccine-resistant.

The World Health Organization (WHO), however, has cautioned against hasty measures and South Africa said a British ban on flights seemed rushed.

"There is always the possibility of doing what the UK has done, namely block travel from South Africa and related countries," Fauci said in an interview on CNN.

"That's certainly something you think about and get prepared to do. You're prepared to do everything you need to protect the American public. But you want to make sure there's a basis for doing that," he said.

"Obviously as soon as we find out more information we'll make a decision as quickly as we possibly can."


More:https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/fauci-covid-variant-data/2021/11/26/id/1046262/

Dr. Evil is working on this; chances are he'll decide to keep travel from Africa to the U.S. open only to close it later once the variant is spread.  That way he can play god again and demand masks, more vaccines and yet another round of boosters and recommend that we be shut down.

[mystery-ak]

U.S. to Restrict Travel from 8 African Countries over Coronavirus Variant Fears

Joshua Caplan 26 Nov 2021

The U.S. will restrict travel for non-U.S. citizens from South Africa and seven other countries on Monday after the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) labeled a new coronavirus strain a “variant of concern.”

The U.S. will also restrict travel from the following African nations: Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2021/11/26/u-s-to-restrict-travel-from-8-african-countries-over-covid-variant-fears/

[libertybele]

U.S. to Restrict Travel from 8 African Countries over Coronavirus Variant Fears

Joshua Caplan 26 Nov 2021

The U.S. will restrict travel for non-U.S. citizens from South Africa and seven other countries on Monday after the World Health Organization (W.H.O.) labeled a new coronavirus strain a “variant of concern.”

The U.S. will also restrict travel from the following African nations: Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and Malawi.

more
https://www.breitbart.com/health/2021/11/26/u-s-to-restrict-travel-from-8-african-countries-over-covid-variant-fears/

I was wrong and am glad to see this. 

[Hoodat]

Here's the relevant info:

Why the omicron Covid variant is the most concerning so far
The new variant has a large number of mutations which could help it dodge immunity and make it more infectious

Sarah Knapton, SCIENCE EDITOR   |   26 November 2021 • 6:03pm

The new variant has a large number of mutations which could help it dodge immunity and make it more infectious

Of all the variants so far, B.1.1.529 is causing the most alarm. And with good reason.

The "omicron" variant, as it is was named on Friday by the World Health Organisation, has an eye-watering number of mutations, many of which could help it dodge immunity, or make it more infectious.

Since delta, there have been eight other variants named after letters of the Greek alphabet by the organisation, but none have triggered this much worry.

The variant was first spotted in Botswana on Nov 11, and cases have now been found in South Africa, Israel and Hong Kong.


The most concerning changes have happened to the spike protein, where there are about twice as many mutations as the delta variant.

When Dr Tom Peacock, a virologist at Imperial College London, spotted the mutations in the sequence data earlier this week, he labelled them “horrific” and “really awful”.

“I would take a guess that this would be worse antigenically than nearly anything else about,” he said.

One senior UK health official said that the spike protein on the omicron variant was “so dramatically different” that it was “causing real concern”, although there are currently no cases in Britain and it has not yet been classified as a variant of concern.

“It is the worst variant I have seen so far. We have protein experts and virologists who are all extremely concerned,” the official said.

The variant has about 50 mutations, with 30 in the spike protein and 10 in the receptor binding motif, the part that binds to our cell receptor called ACE2, which is greater than any other mutated strain.  .  .  .

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/11/26/new-covid-variant-nu-strain-south-africa-symptoms-cases-uk/


So this "mutation" only alters the protein spikes themselves and not the actual virus.  In other words, for those with antibodies against SARS-2 (i.e. people who have survived the disease), this new strain will have zero effect on them.  But for those who received jabs that were falsely labeled as 'vaccines', all bets are off.  The jabs they received went after protein spikes that are now obsolete, and will have no protection over these mutated spikes.

Congrats to everyone here who remained cynical against the protein spike programming jabs.  Your cynicism proved correct.  And congrats to eveyone here holding Pfizer stock.  Another 200 million 'vaccine' [sic] order is in the works, generating another $2B in revenue.

The only ones here who should be afraid are those who fell hook, line, and sinker for the Democrat narrative that has been pushed since Biden took control of the white house.

[libertybele]

EXPLAINER: What is this new ‘omicron’ COVID variant in South Africa?

South African scientists identified a new version of the coronavirus this week that they say is behind a recent spike in COVID-19 infections in Gauteng, the country’s most populous province. It’s unclear where the new variant actually arose, but it was first detected by scientists in South Africa and has now been seen in travelers to Belgium, Botswana, Hong Kong and Israel.

Health Minister Joe Phaahla said the variant was linked to an “exponential rise” of cases in the last few days, although experts are still trying to determine if the new variant, named B.1.1.529, is actually responsible.

From just over 200 new confirmed cases per day in recent weeks, South Africa saw the number of new daily cases rocket to 2,465 on Thursday. Struggling to explain the sudden rise in cases, scientists studied virus samples from the outbreak and discovered the new variant.

In a statement on Friday, the World Health Organization designated it as a “variant of concern,” naming it “omicron” after a letter in the Greek alphabet.

After convening a group of experts to assess the data, the U.N. health agency said that “preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of reinfection with this variant,” as compared to other variants.

“The number of cases of this variant appears to be increasing in almost all provinces in South Africa,” the WHO said.

WHY ARE SCIENTISTS WORRIED ABOUT THIS NEW VARIANT?

It appears to have a high number of mutations — about 30 — in the coronavirus’ spike protein, which could affect how easily it spreads to people.

Sharon Peacock, who has led genetic sequencing of COVID-19 in Britain at the University of Cambridge, said the data so far suggest the new variant has mutations “consistent with enhanced transmissibility,” but said that “the significance of many of the mutations is still not known.”

Lawrence Young, a virologist at the University of Warwick, described the variant as “the most heavily mutated version of the virus we have seen.” He said it was concerning that although the variant was only being detected in low levels in parts of South Africa, “it looks like it’s spreading rapidly.”

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the U.S.′ top infectious diseases doctor, said American officials had arranged a call with their South African counterparts later on Friday to find out more details and said there was no indication the variant had yet arrived in the U.S.

WHAT’S KNOWN AND NOT KNOWN ABOUT THE VARIANT?

Scientists know that the new variant is genetically distinct from previous variants including the beta and delta variants, but do not know if these genetic changes make it any more transmissible or dangerous. So far, there is no indication the variant causes more severe disease.

It will likely take weeks to sort out if the new variant is more infectious and if vaccines are still effective against it...........

https://www.winknews.com/2021/11/26/explainer-what-is-this-new-covid-variant-in-south-africa/

[libertybele]

Here's the relevant info:

So this "mutation" only alters the protein spikes themselves and not the actual virus.  In other words, for those with antibodies against SARS-2 (i.e. people who have survived the disease), this new strain will have zero effect on them.  But for those who received jabs that were falsely labeled as 'vaccines', all bets are off.  The jabs they received went after protein spikes that are now obsolete, and will have no protection over these mutated spikes.

Congrats to everyone here who remained cynical against the protein spike programming jabs.  Your cynicism proved correct.  And congrats to eveyone here holding Pfizer stock.  Another 200 million 'vaccine' [sic] order is in the works, generating another $2B in revenue.

The only ones here who should be afraid are those who fell hook, line, and sinker for the Democrat narrative that has been pushed since Biden took control of the white house.

 

[rustynail]

Waiting to hear this blamed on White unvaccinated people.

[mountaineer]

Racist Biden bans black people. I guess no one told him what he tweeted last year.

[mountaineer]

Breaking911
@Breaking911
NEW: President Biden on the Omicron variant: “If you have not gotten vaccinated, or have not taken your children to get vaccinated, now is the time.”

[Hoodat]

Breaking911
@Breaking911
NEW: President Biden on the Omicron variant: “If you have not gotten vaccinated, or have not taken your children to get vaccinated, now is the time.”

Idiot.