World in jitters as new variant fear spreads
The discovery of a new coronavirus variant sent a chill through much of the world Friday as nations raced to halt air travel, markets plunged and scientists held emergency meetings to weigh the exact risks, which were largely unknown.
Medical experts, including the World Health Organisation, warned against any overreaction before the variant that originated in southern Africa was better understood. But a jittery world feared the worst nearly two years after COVID-19 emerged and triggered a pandemic that has killed more than 5 million people around the globe.
British Health Secretary Sajid Javid told lawmakers that the new version may be more transmissible than the delta variant and render vaccines less effective. “We must move quickly and at the earliest possible moment,” Javid said.
Some nations moved to stop air travel from southern Africa, and stocks plunged in Asia, Europe and the United States. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 800 points at the start of trading. The price of oil plunged 7%. “The last thing we need is to bring in a new variant that will cause even more
problems,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said amid a massive spike in cases in the 27-nation European Union, which agreed to ban on flights from southern African nations. EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said flights “should be suspended until we have a clear understanding about the danger posed by this new variant, and travellers returning from this region should respect strict quarantine rules”.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention agreed and strongly discouraged any travel bans on countries that reported the new variant. In a statement, it said past pandemic experience has shown that such travel bans have “not yielded a meaningful outcome”.