Covid: WHO advises those who are at risk of sickness to postpone travel until they are fully vaccinated

According to the World Health Organization, people who are ill or vulnerable should postpone travel if they have not been fully vaccinated.

People over the age of 60, as well as those suffering from heart disease, cancer, or diabetes, are included in the UN agency’s latest travel recommendation.

An earlier WHO statement advised against all travel for this group. According to a revised version, only individuals who are more vulnerable and have not been fully vaccinated should delay travel.

This is in keeping with the World Health Organization’s earlier travel advice during the epidemic, and it comes amid concerns about the new Omicron type.

The WHO also reiterated that blanket travel prohibitions do not prevent the variation from spreading. Last Monday, South Africa notified the rest of the globe about the mutation. Many governments then imposed limitations on travel from southern African countries.

Blanket travel bans will not stop the virus from spreading internationally, and they will put a severe weight on lives and livelihoods. Furthermore, “they will stymie global health efforts during a pandemic by discouraging governments from reporting and sharing epidemiological and sequencing data,” in a statement, the WHO said.

Officials said Omicron was present in the Netherlands earlier than originally assumed, prompting the WHO caution.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres expressed his great concern about southern Africa’s isolation, saying that “the people of Africa cannot be blamed for the immorally low level of immunizations available.”

Earlier, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stated that many concerns remain about Omicron’s transmission, the severity of the sickness it may cause, and the efficacy of diagnostics and vaccines.

Dr Tedros urged WHO member nations to take “rational, proportional” actions in statements released on the WHO website following a closed-door meeting. President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa claimed the region had been unfairly discriminated against and that the prohibitions would not help limit the spread of the variation.