Two-thirds of the infected researchers

Omicron It continues its unstoppable path. after hitting South Africa, landed in Europe before and in United States of America Then I reached one of the most remote places in the world. Far from civilization and in a place virtually inaccessible to the virus: theAntarctica. It has done so by defying all the logic of the epidemic known to date, by overcoming the shield presented from thousands of kilometers away, through the stores of molecular control and vaccines, demonstrating how the speed of its transmission has no known limits.

The Omicron eruption in Antarctica: protocols

Reported case daily evening, is that Belgian Arctic Station Princess Elizabeth Two-thirds of the 25 employees who live there tested positive for the new variant. The very strict protocols that were implemented before they were reached were of little use. All 25 researchers were fully vaccinated and one received booster. Staff preparing to leave for the station had to undergo a molecular test in Belgium two hours before they left for South Africa, five days after arriving in Cape Town, where they were forced into a ten-day quarantine. At the end of this period, they underwent another necessary test to leave Cape Town and travel to Antarctica. Finally, another molecular smear five days after it arrived at the polar station. The good news, which underscores the effectiveness of vaccines in protecting against disease, is that none of them are currently experiencing particularly relevant symptoms.

propagation speed

Despite the strict measures, a positive case was discovered on December 14 among a group of people who arrived at the base seven days ago, and although this person was immediately placed in solitary confinement, tests revealed that other employees were infected with the virus. The three people were evacuated on December 23, but the virus continued to spread. According to a virologist consulted by the Polar Secretariat, there is a high probability that the infection at the station was due to the Omicron variant, accounting for 99% of cases in South Africa, which explains the speed of rotation.

Polar station isolation

The Arctic Secretariat’s strategic board decided on Monday to keep staff at the station, but it will ban any new entry to the station before the outbreak fades, and at least until January 12, when two new shipments should arrive.