The mutated "Omicron" continues to spread, and two cases have been detected in Australia

The new mutant of the Corona virus (Omicron) continued to spread around the world today, Sunday, with two cases confirmed in Australia, despite the efforts of more countries to isolate themselves by imposing new restrictions on travel.

Health officials in New South Wales, the most populous state in Australia, said that two people coming to Sydney from southern Africa yesterday evening, Saturday, were confirmed to be infected with the new Omicron mutant of the Corona virus.

State health authorities said that the two passengers were asymptomatic, fully vaccinated, and are now in quarantine.

Twelve other travelers from southern Africa also entered a 14-day quarantine in a hotel, and the authorities advised about 260 passengers and flight crews to isolate at home.

The appearance of the two cases in Australia is the latest indication that the new mutation may be difficult to contain.

Omicron was first discovered in South Africa and has since been observed in Britain, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Botswana, Israel and Hong Kong.

On Sunday, Austria is investigating a suspected case.

The discovery of the omicron mutant, which the World Health Organization classified last week as "alarming", raised fears worldwide that it could be resistant to vaccines and prolong the nearly two-year-old COVID-19 pandemic.

It is possible that the omicron mutant is highly contagious, but experts do not yet know whether it causes more or less severe infection with Covid-19 disease.

Countries imposed travel restrictions and bans on travelers from southern African countries.

Financial markets, especially shares of airlines and other travel-related companies, fell on Friday, as investors worried that its spread would disrupt the global economic recovery.

Oil prices fell by about ten dollars a barrel.

Israel announced late on Saturday evening that it would ban all foreigners from entering the country, becoming the first country to completely close its borders to tackle the Omicron strain, and said it would also use phone-tracking technology used to combat terrorism to contain the spread of the new mutant.

Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said in a statement that the ban would last 14 days, pending government approval.

Officials hope that during that time more information will be available about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron.

And many countries have imposed a ban or intend to impose it on travelers coming from countries in southern Africa.

The South African government on Saturday decried the measure as unfair and potentially harmful to the economy, saying it was being punished for its scientific ability that enabled it to detect the new mutation early.

In Britain, where two cases of the new mutant were detected linked to travel to countries in southern Africa, the government announced measures in an attempt to contain the spread, including tightening examination rules for arrivals to the country and stricter wearing masks.

In Germany, Bavaria also announced two confirmed cases of the new mutant on Saturday.

In Italy, the National Health Institute said that a case was detected in Milan in a person coming from Mozambique.

Epidemiologists say it may be too late to impose travel restrictions to stop the spread of Omicron, but several countries, including the United States, Brazil, Canada, European Union countries, Australia, Japan, South Korea and Thailand have announced bans or restrictions on entry to people from southern Africa.

The new mutation sheds light on the great disparity in the distribution of vaccines worldwide.

While some developed countries began giving a third dose of stimulant, only less than seven percent of the population of developing countries received the first dose, according to medical organizations and human rights defenders.

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