Indonesia has joined a growing list of countries tightening their borders amid the looming threat of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant, but experts say travel bans will only delay the inevitable arrival of this variant.

The B.1.1.529 variant was first reported to the World Health Organization from South Africa on Wednesday, then was officially listed as a WHO Variant of Concern (VOC) on Friday under the name Omicron, which is suspected of driving a spike in new infections in South Africa.

Little is known about Omicron, but scientists fear it has mutations that could make it more infectious and might render certain COVID-19 treatments and immune defenses — either from vaccines or prior infections — less effective.

Source:
courtesy of THE JAKARTA POST

by Dio Suhenda and A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil (The Jakarta Post)

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