According to executive orders of New YorkGovernor Kathy Hochul, a state of emergency is issued in the state due to aspike in new coronavirus infections and hospitalizations.
The executive order states, “Whereas, NewYork is now experiencing COVID-19 transmission at rates the State has not seensince April 2020. Whereas, the rate of new COVID-19 hospital admissions hasbeen increasing over the past month to over 300 new admissions a day. I dohereby declare a State disaster emergency for the entire State of New Yorkthrough January 15, 2022."
Countries like United States, United Kingdom,Canada, and many European countries imposed new restrictions on foreignnationals travelling due to the new strain.
“We continue to see warning signs of spikesthis upcoming winter, and while the new omicron variant has yet to be detectedin New York state, it’s coming,” said Kathy Hochul.
Omicron, detected in Botswana and SouthAfrica, has raised red-flag across the world over an alarmingly huge number ofspike mutations that may make the virus more immune to the vaccines, increaseits transmission and result in more severe Covid-19 symptoms.
According to WHO, "this variant has alarge number of mutations, some of which are concerning. Preliminary evidencesuggests that this variant has a higher risk of reinfection than otherVOCs."
Also read: Omicron: New Covid variant to be “of concern,” spreads 6 to 7 times faster than delta variant
Healthcare experts have dubbed omicron a"super strain" because it has more than 30 mutations, more than anyother variant and twice as many as delta.
As the variant is spreading at a fast pace,now there is a risk that a new wave may emerge in the world. According to thelatest report by the health organisation, the new variant is spreading seventimes faster than the most fast spreading variant – Delta. The B.1.1.529variant is also mutating at a fast speed.