Coronavirus infections

GENEVA -- Countries should apply "an evidence-informed and risk-based approach" with any travel measures related to the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, including possible screening or quarantine of international passengers, but blanket bans do not prevent its spread, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday. The WHO, in its latest guidance to authorities and travellers, said that people over 60 years of age who are not fully vaccinated or do not have proof of previous SARS-COV-2 infection and those with underlying health conditions should be advised to postpone travel as they are at higher risk of disease and death. First reported in southern Africa a week ago, the variant has brought global alarm, led to travel bans, and highlighted the disparity between massive vaccination pushes in rich nations and sparse inoculation in the developing world. National authorities in countries of departure, transit and arrival may apply a multi-layered approach to mitigate risk … [Read more...] about WHO warns against blanket travel bans over Omicron coronavirus variant

The control of infection and drug distribution would be managed by medical authorities to minimize the number of cases that need to be hospitalized. The Hanoi Department of Health November 30 announced that it will treat index cases (F0) at home to ease the burden on the healthcare system. Such measure will be deployed if coronavirus positive cases meet certain conditions set out by the health sector, said Director of the municipal Department of Health Tran Thi Nhi Ha. Ha reported that the number of locally acquired coronavirus infections is increasing considerably these days in the city, especially the number of mild and asymptomatic cases, with no confirmed infection sources. Trieu Nguyen Hop, a Covid-19 patient in Thanh Xuan District of Hanoi, recover from the disease. Photo: Thai San Therefore, in order to create favorable conditions for people as well as ensure timely medical response, the city decided to carry out the treatment of Covid-19 patients … [Read more...] about Hanoi well-prepared for treating mild Covid-19 patients at home

The Ministry of Health documented 13,972 more coronavirus infections in Vietnam on Tuesday, along with 14,624 recoveries and 197 mortalities. The latest cases, including six imported and 13,966 domestic transmissions, were recorded in 62 provinces and cities, the ministry said, noting that 7,549 patients got infected in the community. Ho Chi Minh City reported 1,497 of the latest infections, Can Tho City 981, Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province 860, Tay Ninh Province 727, Soc Trang Province 714, Binh Duong Province 626, Binh Thuan Province 592, Dong Nai Province 514, Hanoi 367, Khanh Hoa Province 350, Lam Dong Province 219, Hai Phong City 154, Thua Thien-Hue Province 119, Da Nang 75, Quang Nam Province 47, and Quang Ninh Province 33. Vietnam had detected 13,758 locally-acquired infections on Monday. The country has confirmed 1,232,852 community transmissions in all its 63 provinces and cities since the fourth virus wave erupted on April 27. A total of 986,531 of them have recovered from … [Read more...] about Vietnam reports 13,972 new COVID-19 cases, 197 fatalities

Vietnam is advised to maintain epidemiological surveillance and boost genome sequencing to detect the variant. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health today [Nov 30] worked with representatives of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on the risk of Omicron variant transmission. Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam, at the meeting with Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on Nov 30. Screenshots: Minh Vu Working with Health Minister Nguyen Thanh Long on Tuesday morning were Dr. Kidong Park, WHO Representative in Vietnam, John MacArthur, MD, Director of CDC Southeast Asia Regional Office, and Dr. Matthew Moore, Director of CDC Vietnam’s Global Health Security Program, the Vietnam Television (VTV) reported. At the meeting, Dr. Kidong Park made four recommendations for Vietnam namely epidemiological surveillance, the 5K (masking – disinfection – distance – no gathering – medical declaration) with vaccination, … [Read more...] about Vietnam works with WHO, CDC on Omicron variant

The World Health Organization warned countries on Tuesday not to impose blanket travel bans over the new Omicron coronavirus variant as governments and scientists try to determine how much protection current vaccines would offer against the strain. Officials offer vaccine reassurance against the new Omicron coronavirus variant. Financial markets fell sharply after the head of drugmaker Moderna said existing COVID-19 vaccines would be less effective against the Omicron variant. MSCI's gauge of stocks across the globe shed 1.39% a day after broad declines in Europe and Asia. BioNTech's chief executive struck a cautiously positive note, saying the vaccine it makes in a partnership with Pfizer would likely offer strong protection against severe disease from Omicron, which was first reported in southern Africa a week ago. The questions over vaccine effectiveness came as cases of the new variant spread, with the first reported case in Latin America … [Read more...] about Officials offer vaccine reassurance; WHO advises against travel bans

On Friday Nov. 19, Raquel Viana, Head of Science at one of South Africa's biggest private testing labs, sequenced the genes on eight coronavirus samples - and got the shock of her life. The samples, tested in the Lancet laboratory, all bore a large number of mutations, especially on the spike protein that the virus uses to enter human cells. "I was quite shocked at what I was seeing. I questioned whether something had gone wrong in the process," she told Reuters , a thought that quickly gave way to "a sinking feeling that the samples were going to have huge ramifications". She quickly picked up the phone to her colleague at the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) in Johannesburg, gene sequencer Daniel Amoako. "I didn't quite know how to break it to them," she recalls. She told Amoako, "To me, it looks like a new lineage." The discovery of the Omicron variant in southern Africa has caused global alarm, with countries limiting travel from the region and … [Read more...] about How South African scientists spotted the Omicron COVID variant