FEARS of a second Christmas lockdown were growing last night with a new Covid variant on the brink of reaching the UK.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid warned the super-mutant strain Omicron was of huge international concern — as Belgium and Israel confirmed cases.
The EU followed the UK by slapping travel restrictions on six nations — South Africa, Botswana, Lesotho, Eswatini, Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Mr Javid said he would not hesitate to add others to the red list. But health chiefs where the outbreak is concentrated say there is no evidence so far the variant is any more deadly, with no hospitalisations yet in epicentre Johannesburg.
Dr Angelique Coetzee, chair of the South African Medical Association, said the global reaction was “a storm in a teacup”.
She said: “So far what we have seen is very, very mild cases so I’m not sure why we are all up in arms.”
Belgian scientists found Omicron in a passenger arriving from Egypt, suggesting it could be in North Africa. Hong Kong has discovered two cases imported from Africa.
World Health Organization bosses confirmed that Omicron, named after a Greek letter like other Covid strains, was a “variant of concern”.
'Change in the restrictions'
Experts said it has twice as many mutations as the dominant Delta variant and fear the current crop of vaccines, and natural immunity, will prove much less effective.
Some regions in South Africa have seen a six-fold rise in infections in days. Sage member Prof John Edmunds said: “We’re seeing cases cropping up elsewhere and that’s really very worrying.”
Prof Adam Finn, from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, said: “If we’re lucky, it won’t be a serious one, but it could be very serious. I don’t want to induce unnecessary anxiety in people, but on the other hand, I think we all need to be ready for the possibility of a change in the restrictions.”
Health bosses are trying to trace thousands of passengers who have arrived from South Africa in the past ten days. Many will have travelled to watch the Springboks rugby team take on England at 82,000-seater Twickenham, where fans mingled without restrictions.
Scientists said there is a slim possibility the new strain is already in Britain, with up to 700 people flying in from the affected region daily. Arrivals will be required to book and pay for a Government-approved hotel quarantine for ten days from 4am on Sunday.
Mr Javid told the Commons “we must move quickly” to slow the variant’s arrival. And he said getting a booster jab “could not be more important”.
We have no evidence that it’s causing any more severe disease but we know it is transmitting well.
Early signs suggest Omicron may spread as fast, or faster, than Delta.
Prof Wendy Barclay, at Imperial College London, said: “It will be several weeks before we have answers. We have no evidence that it’s causing any more severe disease but we know it is transmitting well.”
She said it is likely the variant stops vaccines from working as well as they do against Delta.
But antiviral pills — which Britain should have within weeks — will likely still work, she said.
Prof Sharon Peacock, director of official variant-checking labs, said: “Buying time is important and worthwhile, but I would guess it’s likely to be transmitted into the UK at some point.”
BioNTech, which developed the Pfizer jab, said it would know in two weeks how it fares against the new strain.
Buying time is important and worthwhile, but I would guess it’s likely to be transmitted into the UK at some point.
Even if updated jabs are successful, it will still take months to scale them up and roll out to the public.
The red list rules will be reviewed in three weeks. The PM’s spokesman said: “Anybody who has arrived from any of these countries in the last ten days, NHS Test and Trace will be contacting them to ask them to take a PCR test.
“But people shouldn’t wait to be contacted — take a PCR test.”
Q&A
Q. What is it?
A. The new variant, named Omicron, was discovered on Tuesday and appears to be linked to a big surge in South Africa.
Q.Why are scientists worried?
A. Virologist Professor Lawrence Young said: “This new variant is very worrying because it is the most heavily mutated version of the virus we have seen to date.”
Q. Is it more transmissible or more deadly?
A. Nobody knows for sure yet but experts think it can spread faster. There is no evidence yet that the variant is any more deadly than others. South African authorities said that all cases of the variant had been in young people and caused only mild illness. It described the global response as a “storm in a teacup”. Even if it is not more deadly, if it causes more cases, it will likely lead to more deaths.
Q. Where is it and how many cases are there?
A. Around 100 cases have been recorded so far. Most are in South Africa. But officials yesterday confirmed cases in Belgium and Israel.
Q. Could it be in the UK?
A. It has not been found yet.
Q. What is the UK doing to keep it out?
A. Flights from six countries in southern Africa are suspended.
Q. Could Christmas be cancelled again?
A. Restrictions cannot be ruled out if it gets here. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said: “If we need to go further, we will.”
Q. When will we know if it’s vaccine resistant?
A. It could take more than two weeks for experts to get a better understanding.
Q. And what if it is?
A. Scientists may have to create updated jabs. This can be done within weeks — but it could take months to roll them out, experts said.
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