Traveller tests positive for Omicron in Bahrain
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Bahrain’s Health Ministry announced detecting its first case of the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus yesterday after testing a traveller who arrived in the Kingdom.
“All necessary mitigation protocols and precautions have been taken, including the isolation and precautionary quarantine of the active case,” said the Health Ministry statement.
The ministry also confirmed conducting contact tracing and clarified that the infected person, whose nationality is not specified, has no contacts within the Kingdom.
The statement said all concerned authorities are following up the global developments regarding the COVID-19 pandemic, as per the directives of the Council of ministers and Coordination Committee.
“We will not hesitate to take necessary measures at the national level to protect the people of the country and its residents if the situation demands,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the ministry stressed the need to continue adhering to the preventive measures and instructions issued by the National Taskforce for combating the COVID-19 pandemic.
The statement also called on all to get their COVID-19 doses and booster jabs to help raise their immunity level and alleviate the symptoms and complications in the unfortunate event of contracting the virus.
Earlier this month, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait announced detecting their first cases and the first known instances of Omicron infection in the Gulf region.
WHO says it is not yet clear whether infection with Omicron causes more severe disease when compared to other variants, including Delta.
Preliminary data suggests an increased rate of hospitalization in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected rather than a specific infection with Omicron
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Saudi Arabia had said its case was from a citizen coming from a “North African Country.
The UAE reported the patient as an African woman who travelled from an African country through an Arab country, without specifying which nations.
Kuwait said it detected the variant in a European traveller who arrived from an African country.
Much remains unknown about the new variant, so far found in 57 countries and first reported in South Africa.
The World Health Organisation has said that more data is needed to evaluate the severity of the disease caused by the new variant.
It, however, warned that hospitalization resulting from infection is likely to rise.
A health official in South Africa reported over the weekend that Omicron cases in the country had only shown mild symptoms.
Dr Anthony Fauci — the top US infectious disease expert — told CNN that “it does not look like there’s a great degree of severity” so far.
Dr Fauci also said more would be known about the omicron strain in two to four weeks as scientists grow and test lab samples of the virus.
WHO said it is working with technical partners to understand the potential impact of this variant on our existing countermeasures, including vaccines.
Vaccines remain critical to reducing severe disease and death, including against the dominant circulating variants.
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