US updates travel protocols as cases of Omicron COVID variant increase

As the US confirms a handful of cases of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, President Joe Biden has announced more rigid Covid-19 travel limits.

International visitors to the United States, including Americans, must take a Covid test no more than one day before travel, regardless of vaccination status, starting next week. Those who have recently been recovered from coronavirus must be able to show the "evidence of recovery" documents instead.

The necessity for wearing a mask on planes, trains, and buses will be prolonged until the middle of March. There will also be millions of free and insurer-funded home testing available.

In the United States, ten cases of the Omicron have been discovered: in California, Colorado, Minnesota, and New York, as well as in Hawaii, where the person had no recent travel history, according to officials.

In this situation, state health officials have recorded minor symptoms.

Despite concerns, the US is encouraging all adults to obtain booster immunizations. This winter, the number of cases of covid will increase.

According to estimates, the variant has now been discovered in up to 30 countries.

It's currently unclear whether Omicron, a severely altered form, is linked to increased transmission or an increased chance of vaccine evasion.

Mr Biden said at the National Institutes of Health in Maryland, "We're going to battle this variant with science and speed, not panic and misunderstanding."

He reiterated that the strategy "doesn't include shutdowns or lockdowns," as he had previously stated.

Over 40 million Americans have received Covid boosters, but approximately 100 million more are eligible but have yet to receive them, according to the president.

Hundreds of family vaccination clinics will be established across the country in an effort to boost immunization rates among children and teenagers.

Officials stated commercial insurers would be required to reimburse their 150 million clients for at-home Covid tests purchased, while 50 million tests would be given away for free to the uninsured through health centres and rural clinics.

However, test reimbursement does not begin until January, following the holiday season, when there is more travel and indoor mixing.

The United States and a number of other countries have imposed travel bans on eight countries in southern Africa. Travel limitations, according to health experts, will provide them time to research the new variety.

Governor Kathy Hochul of New York stated on Thursday that five Omicron cases have been discovered in her state.

Officials said a man who attended a convention in Manhattan in late November tested positive for the variant.

Governor Hochul said one of the cases was a vaccinated 67-year-old woman in Suffolk County who was suffering slight cough and headache symptoms. The last four were in New York.

Travellers who had recently returned from South Africa were identified in cases diagnosed in California on Wednesday and Colorado on Thursday.

In Minnesota, an Omicron-positive person had just returned from a three-day anime (Japanese cartoon) conference in New York City.

Unvaccinated and previously infected with coronavirus in 2020, the person in Hawaii had no recent travel history. According to health professionals, this indicated that community transmission had likely already begun.

Officials said the Hawaii victim was suffering mild to moderate symptoms and was isolating himself at home.