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Countries are blocking travel after South African health officials say the new variant is dominant among recently confirmed infections.
South Africa faces increasing isolation as more countries ban travel due to the discovery of a new variant of the coronavirus.
Israel, Turkey, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland are among the countries that have halted air travel to and from South Africa following the announcement that a new variant of the COVID-19 virus is fueling a resurgence of the disease in South Africa, with a greater number of confirmed cases. cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
According to health officials and scientists leading the country’s virus strategy, the new variant, known as 501.V2, is dominant among recent confirmed infections in the current wave from South Africa.
The new strain, different from the UK one, appears to be more infectious than the original virus.
South African scientists are studying whether COVID-19 vaccines will also offer protection against the new strain.
There was a heavy police presence on the beaches of Durban to ensure that coronavirus social distancing regulations were met. [File: Darren Stewart/Gallo Images via Getty Images]
Professor Salim Abdool Karim, chairman of the government’s COVID-19 Ministerial Advisory Committee, said in a briefing for journalists on Monday that preliminary data suggested the new strain dominated the latest wave from South Africa, which is spreading faster than the one. first.
In response to the resurgence of COVID-19, the South African government introduced stricter closure restrictions, including limited days and hours for the alcohol trade and beach closures in areas identified as hotspots.
Despite this, Al Jazeera’s Haru Mutasa, reporting from Johannesburg, said the atmosphere in the country was “festive.”
“You see people flocking to the beaches, having their parties. Some wear masks, some don’t, ”he said, adding that the flight bans were a severe blow to the tourism sector.
“South Africa’s tourism industry had relied heavily at this time of year on people coming from Europe, the Middle East, Asia and other parts of the world.
“Now these companies are feeling the pressure. Many Durban hotels are closed. In Johannesburg, many of the large hotel chains are also closed. A lot of people are losing jobs. “
South Africa currently has more than 8,500 people hospitalized with COVID-19, surpassing the previous high of 8,300 recorded in August.
So far a total of 930,711 virus cases have been recorded in South Africa, including 24,907 deaths.
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