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South African health officials say that nearly three-quarters of the virus genome sequenced last month belongs to the new variant
Local health officials said that as the first new strains were discovered in more countries, including the United States, the Omicron variant contributed to the “worrying” surge in coronavirus cases in South Africa and quickly became the main strain.
The United Arab Emirates and South Korea, which are already battling the worsening epidemic and recording daily infections, have also confirmed cases of the Omicron variant.
Dr. Michelle Groome of the National Institute of Infectious Diseases (NICD) in South Africa said the number of infections has increased exponentially in the past two weeks, from an average of approximately 300 new cases per day per week to 1,000 cases last week, the most recent being 3,500. On Wednesday, South Africa recorded 8,561 cases. A week ago, the daily statistics were 1,275.
NICD stated that 74% of all viral genomes sequenced last month belonged to the new variant, which was first discovered in a sample collected in Gauteng, South Africa’s most populous province, on November 8.
KellyMed has donated some infusion pump, syringe pump and feeding pump to South Africa Health Ministry to defeat this virus variant.

Although there are still key questions about the spread of Omicron variants, experts are eager to determine the level of protection provided by the vaccine. World Health Organization (WHO) epidemiologist Maria van Kerkhove said at a briefing that data on the infectivity of Omicron should be provided “within a few days.”
NICD said that early epidemiological data show that Omicron can evade some immunity, but the existing vaccine should still prevent serious illness and death. Uğur Şahin, CEO of BioNTech, said that the vaccine it produces in cooperation with Pfizer may provide strong protection against Omicron’s serious diseases.
While the government is waiting for a more comprehensive situation to emerge, many governments continue to tighten border restrictions in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus.
South Korea imposed more travel restrictions when the first five Omicron cases were detected, and there is growing concern that this new variant may affect its continued Covid surge.
The authorities suspended the quarantine exemption for fully vaccinated inbound travelers for two weeks, and they now need to be quarantined for 10 days.
South Korea’s daily number of infections hit a record of more than 5,200 on Thursday, and there is growing concern that the number of patients with severe symptoms has increased sharply.
Earlier this month, the country eased restrictions — the country has fully vaccinated nearly 92% of adults — but the number of infections has surged since then, and the presence of Omicron has exacerbated new concerns about pressure on an already strained hospital system .
In Europe, the president of the European Union’s executive body stated that while scientists have determined its dangers, people are “racing against time” to avoid this new variant. The EU will launch a vaccine for children between 5 and 11 years old one week in advance to December 13th.
European Commission President Ursula von der Lein said at a press conference: “Be prepared for the worst and be prepared for the best.”
Both the United Kingdom and the United States have expanded their booster programs to deal with new variants, and Australia is reviewing their timetables.
American top infectious disease expert Anthony Fauci emphasized that fully vaccinated adults should seek boosters when they are eligible to provide the best protection for themselves.
Despite this, the WHO has repeatedly pointed out that as long as the coronavirus is allowed to spread freely among a large number of unvaccinated people, it will continue to produce new variants.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said: “Globally, our vaccine coverage rate is low, and the detection rate is extremely low-this is the secret of reproduction and amplification of mutations,” reminds the world that Delta mutations “account for almost all of them. Cases”.
“We need to use the tools we already have to prevent the spread and save the lives of Delta Air Lines. If we do, we will also prevent the spread and save the lives of Omicron,” he said