Coronavirus: What’s happening in Canada and around the world on Tuesday – CBC

More countries report omicron cases, Dutch authorities release new information about cases

Nov 30, 2021

The omicron variant was already in the Netherlands when South Africa alerted the World Health Organization about it last week, Dutch health authorities said Tuesday, adding to fear and confusion over the new version of the coronavirus in a weary world hoping it had left the worst of the pandemic behind.

The Netherlands’ RIVM health institute found omicron in samples dating from Nov. 19 and 23. The WHO said South Africa first reported the variant to the UN health agency on Nov. 24.

It remains unclear where or when the variant first emerged — but that hasn’t stopped wary nations from rushing to impose travel restrictions, especially on visitors coming from southern Africa. Those moves have been criticized by South Africa and the WHO has urged against them, noting their limited effect.

Much is still not known about the variant — though the WHO warned that the global risk from the variant is “very high” and early evidence suggests it could be more contagious.

Read more: https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/coronavirus-covid-19-canada-world-nov30-2021-1.6267621