61 COVID-19 cases found on flight from South Africa to Netherlands amid screening for new variant

[brooklynite]

Source: The Hill

Sixty-one COVID-19 cases were detected on an international flight from South Africa to the Netherlands on Friday, according to Dutch health officials.

The cases were detected among passengers on two flights that arrived at Amsterdam's Schiphol Airport on Friday as authorities were conducting testing for the recently discovered Omicron variant of the coronavirus, Reuters reported.

A total of 600 people were on the flights that arrived from South Africa. They were kept away from other travelers in the airport, and those who tested positive for coronavirus are being isolated in the airport, officials told the news outlet on Saturday.

According to a Dutch health ministry spokesperson, passengers' health information and specifically whether or not any of the passengers were infected with the new Omicron variant will remain private until later on Saturday, Reuters reported.

Read more: https://thehill.com/policy/international/583231-61-covid-19-cases-found-on-flight-from-south-africa-to-netherlands-amid

[msfiddlestix]

1. wow. apparently they weren't screened before boarding their flights.

This is after news reports indicating this new outbreak, and still did not screen before boarding.

incredible.

[paleotn]

5. That was up to the South Africans, who apparently weren't incentivized to do so.

[msfiddlestix]

7. hmm.

Do you mean like to the tune of few hundred billion in currency ?

[rockfordfile]

13. Interesting. It's almost intentional.

[Laurelin]

2. Disturbing

I wonder if they're doing anything about the passengers sitting next to the infected ones, who might be about to get sick and spread the virus?

I flew back to Schiphol from the US a week ago. No tests required, just proof of vaccination. The US required me to be tested but didn't check my vaccination status. I don't know which is better.

[Quakerfriend]

3. Truly alarming! Dr. Rick Bright, who many consider to be THE expert,

just said on MSNBC that, of the 116 cases of Omicron reported worldwide,
“most” were unvaccinated.

He also said that the constellation of variants attached to Omicron include some that could actually serve to disrupt the virus- hopeful news.

I hope they’ll hurry to investigate how this new variant affects those who are vaccinated-
I know they are already looking at this with Pfizer.

[moriah]

14. If the mutations limit symptoms even in the elderly but increase infectivity (compared to Delta)..

... then the virus will have achieved it's evolutionary goal -- to become a common cold that spreads without us caring much.

That would be lovely.

I hope one of the variants hits that path soon.

[hay rick]

4. Ugh.

Very disappointing. Irresponsibility on the South African end defeats efforts elsewhere before they begin.

[paleotn]

6. Individual nation state actions aren't effective....

We've got to have a globally coordinated response to this pandemic or we're just spinning our wheels.

[msfiddlestix]

8. I had been grossly misinformed then. I thought the WHO was all about this.

damn it to hell.

[paleotn]

9. They are, but.....

actual implementation of policy is up to individual governments. WHO can only advise and suggest. Same as CDC in the US.

[msfiddlestix]

10. ✔️

[bluestarone]

11. Sounds like we have some RUMPERS

In some of these countries!

[muriel_volestrangler]

12. Omicron Netherlands: 13 air passengers test positive for new variant

The new coronavirus variant Omicron has been detected in 13 people who arrived in the Dutch capital Amsterdam on two flights from South Africa.
...
The flights by Dutch national carrier KLM from Johannesburg arrived at 10:30 and 11:00 local time (09:30 and 10:00 GMT) on Friday.

The passengers who tested positive for Covid-19 have been quarantined at a hotel near Amsterdam's Schiphol airport.

Those that tested negative have been asked to isolate at home for five days and take further tests, while those in transit were allowed to continue their journeys.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-59451103