Australian PM calls emergency meeting over Omicron Covid-19 variant

Scott Morrison, the Australian Prime Minister, has convened a diplomatic meeting among various state and zonal leaders in response to the new Omicron COVID-19 variant. He confirmed here on Monday morning that he will meet with the governor and chief minister at the National Cabinet meeting on coming Monday or Tuesday to discuss Australia's reaction to the novel coronavirus variant, Omicron. Australia had earlier decided to open its borders on December 1 to international students and some visa holders. One such issue that comes up two days before this particular decision marks perplexity.

Although Morrison narrated the exposure of the new sitch as "concerning", he said that the reinstatement of a fourteen-day long mandatory quarantine period for all international arrivals would be an over soon move. However, the health officials in the Australian state of New South Wales confirmed two cases of a new Omicron coronavirus variant after an emergency genetic sequence was performed on foreign travelers last Sunday.

Morrison commented that they would " consider this in the light of all the new information". "This isn't the first of the new strains that we've seen, and the evidence to date does not suggest that it is a more severe form of the virus, and issues of transmissibility and impact on the vaccine, there is no evidence yet to suggest that there are issues there." Health Minister Greg Hunt stated that Australia's elevated COVID vaccination rate when compared to the earlier state, places the country in a higher position.

According to Hunt, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunization has been asked by him to assess the booster shots period, which is presently set six months after the second jab for everyone above 18 years.

Amid the country continues to fight the third wave of infections, more than 1,100 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases were reported in Australia on Monday. Perhaps 1,007 cases and three deaths were reported from Victoria, the country's second-most populous state. According to the Department of Health, around 92.3 per cent of Australians who are 16 years and more had received one vaccine dose and 86.7 per cent had their second dose.