Spain, Germany, Italy and France already suspend flights with the region while Brussels finalizes a list of countries with which it will close its borders. Belgium has already detected the first case
A feeling of anxiety that sadly begins to become familiar. The alarms were lit last Thursday, when South African scientists warned of the appearance of a new variant of the coronavirus, of higher transmissibility than those already known “with a high and unusual number of mutations” responsible for multiplying infections in that country tenfold ; and that presumably would reduce some of the effectiveness of the vaccines. With contagions in a new phase of rebound throughout Europe, the immediate reaction has been to try to shield themselves; that the Twenty-seven suspend all commercial air operations with southern African countries.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, made that appeal early this Friday with a quick reaction ‘tweet’. He asked to pull the ’emergency brake’, as the European mechanism that allows to quickly impose the closure of borders and, consequently, restrictions on travel in the face of the appearance of new variants or an extreme situation of contagions is known. “The European Commission will propose, in close coordination with the Member States, to activate the emergency brake to stop air travel from the southern African region due to the concern generated by variant B.1.1.529”, as it is technically known new mutation.
It was expected that the Executive could specify at noon the list of countries that would be affected by this veto on commercial flights. In fact, Brussels had requested an urgent meeting with the permanent ambassadors of the Twenty-seven in the community capital to discuss the matter while Von der Leyen summoned his team of advisers. ‘We want to remain vigilant and recommend that the Member States remain very vigilant regarding the virus that is circulating. We want to act quickly, in a coordinated and coherent way, “said Commission spokeswoman Dana Spinant.
THE MOST WORRYING:
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Alpha.
It was first identified in September 2020, in Kent County, UK. It is highly transmissible and has already been detected in more than 80 countries. -
Beta.
Also seen for the first time in South Africa, it is related to immune escape. It can infect people who have recovered from covid-19 -
Gamma.
Known as the Brazilian. It has been shown to circumvent the effects of monoclonal antibody treatment. -
Delta.
Born in India at the end of last year, in recent months it has quickly become the dominant in many countries.
Brussels’ reaction (much faster than on previous occasions) is not only in the messages. It also maintains contact with Eurocontrol and EASA, the European aviation safety agency, to prepare recommendations for practical and immediate application for airlines and the European airport network.
“The European Commission will propose, in close coordination with the Member States, to activate the emergency brake to interrupt flights from the southern African region due to variant B.1.1.529,” Ursula von der Leyen said on Twitter, a day after a similar decision by the UK.
The European executive will make a proposal in this regard to member countries during a meeting scheduled for this Friday to ask member states to take measures with regard to travelers from those areas.
“Europe takes precautions”
In an appearance without questions in the afternoon, Von der Leyen insisted: ‘The European Commission has proposed to the Member States to activate the’ emergency brake ‘on travel from southern African countries and other affected countries to limit the spread of the disease. new variant. All flights to these countries should be suspended until we have a clear understanding of the danger posed by this new variant. ‘ The battlement also called for quarantine for travelers who have recently returned from the affected regions.
Currently the variant B.1.1.529 is spread by several countries in southern Africa, but it has also been identified in Israel, Hong Kong. Belgium confirmed this Friday what would be the first infection of these characteristics on European soil. The president of the Community Executive has called to be vaccinated and also recalled that the EU contracts with pharmaceutical companies expressly include that “the vaccine must be adapted immediately to new variants as they arise. Europe has taken precautions. ‘
«The news about the new covid variant is very worrying. Today I have spoken with scientists and vaccine manufacturers. They share the concern. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if you haven’t already. And follow the known rules (in reference to the use of a mask, hand hygiene and social distancing) to protect yourself, “he added.
Cascading closures
The first appeal of the president of the European Commission, via Twitter, followed the closure announcements with southern Africa that already began to happen cascading between several non-European countries that same Thursday. Israel and the United Kingdom took the first step. The British government specified in a statement the suspension of flights not only with South Africa, but also with Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswutini and Zimbabwe.
A list that will presumably coincide with the one that is also imposed in the EU and that would be susceptible to expansion depending on the expansion of the variant to other territories. With the list, both the United Kingdom and many other countries have imposed mandatory control tests for travelers arriving at their destination from those countries in addition to periods of forty that move again between ten and fourteen days.
Germany, which recorded 76,500 infections, a new daily record, has opted for the longest isolation period for those arriving from South Africa with the consequent mandatory PCR. Its acting Health Minister, Jens Spahn, was blunt: “The last thing we need now is to import a new variant that causes even more problems.”
France has opted for the same package of measures, although in principle the approach would be preventive and for at least 48 hours, predictably while waiting for the World Health Organization (WHO) to rule throughout the day on the South African mutation .
Italy has also joined the group of European countries that has chosen to pull this emergency brake on its own, without waiting for further action from the European Commission. The same thing that the Netherlands has also done this Friday also added to the suspension of air traffic with Botswana, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa, as announced by its Health department, which added the obligation to carry out PCR to passengers who are en route, with a subsequent quarantine.
Pfizer believes it will be able to adjust its vaccine to the new strain
The German laboratory BioNTech, an ally of Pfizer, warned this Friday that, if necessary, it can “adjust its vaccine in less than six weeks and deliver the first doses against the Omicron variant in one hundred days.” According to its spokesperson, the company expects to have the first results of the studies that will determine whether the new variant is capable of escaping the protection of the road at the latest “in two weeks”.
According to BioNTech, variant B.1.1.529 “clearly differs from others already known because it has additional mutations in the spike protein.” “Pfizer and BioNTech prepared several months ago to adjust their vaccine in less than six weeks and deliver the first doses in 100 days” if a variant proved resistant, the laboratory spokesperson stressed.
However, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) said it was “premature” to plan the adaptation of immunizers to the new variant. This body, on the other hand, did approve on Thursday the use of the vaccine developed by BioNTech in minors between 5 and 11 years old. The EMA said that a panel of experts “recommended expanding the indication of Comirnaty for this sector of the population.”
This messenger RNA (ribonucleic acid) vaccine has already been approved for inoculation from 12 years of age in the 27 countries of the European Union (EU). Outside the Old Continent, it has been approved for children between 5 and 11 years old in the United States, Israel and Canada.
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