Countries should consider recommending passengers wear masks on long-haul flights to combat the latest omicron subvariant of COVID-19 Given its rapid spread in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials said on Tuesday.
In Europe, the XBB.1.5 subvariant Small but growing numbers are being detected, WHO/Europe officials said at a press briefing.
Passengers should be advised to wear a mask in high-risk situations such as long distance flights WHO’s The senior emergency officer for Europe, Catherine Smallwood, said: “This should be the recommendation issued for travelers arriving from anywhere where there is widespread COVID-19 transmission.”
XBB1.5: Here’s what we know about the ‘most transmissible’ Covid strain ever
Prince Harry’s popularity hits all-time low due to fatigue, criticism
XBB.1.5 – the most infectious Omicron subvariant detected so far – accounted for 27.6% of COVID-19 cases in the United States for the week ending January 7, US health officials have said.
It is unclear whether XBB.1.5 will cause its own wave of infections around the world. Experts say existing vaccines protect against severe symptoms, hospitalization and death.
“Countries need to look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing,” Smallwood said, adding that it was important not to focus exclusively on a particular geographic area.
If action is considered, she said, “we are of the opinion that the travel measures should be implemented in a non-discriminatory manner.”
He added that this does not mean the agency recommends testing travelers arriving from the United States at this stage.
Measures that could be taken include genomic surveillance and targeting of travelers arriving from other countries, as long as this does not divert resources away from domestic surveillance systems. Others include wastewater monitoring systems around points of entry, such as airports.
XBB.1.5 is yet another descendant of Omicron, the most infectious – and now globally dominant – type of virus that causes COVID-19. It is an offshoot of XBB, first discovered in October, which is itself a recombinant of two other Omicron subtypes.
21 cases of XBB.1.5. COVID subvariant confirmed in Canada
Police say 6-year-old shooting of Virginia teacher was ‘not accidental’
Concerns about XBB.1.5 are fueling a new flurry of cases in the United States and beyond, at the same time as COVID cases are surging in China after the country moved away from its signature “zero COVID” policy last month. happened.
According to data reported by the WHO earlier this month, an analysis by the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention showed a predominance of Omicron sublineages BA.5.2 and BF.7 among locally acquired infections.
Many scientists – including the WHO – believe that China is potentially underreporting the true extent of its outbreak.
More than a dozen countries – including the United States – are demanding COVID tests from travelers from China.
(Reporting by Natalie Grover in London and Gabrielle Tretreault-Farber in Geneva; Editing by William Maclean and Mark Potter)