Canada and Australia announced back to back that two residents from each of the countries tested positive for COVID-19 with the latest strain, Omicron.
And while new travel restrictions are being put in place in both countries, a spokesperson for WHO said that this would do little to prevent the further spread of Omicron in Canada, Australia, and other parts of the world.
Canada detects two new Omicron cases in Ontario
Last weekend, a health minister from Canada confirmed that two residents who traveled from Nigeria tested positive for COVID-19.
Top Ontario health officials Christine Elliott and Kieran Moore released a joint statement saying that their goal is to make sure more Omicron cases cannot enter Canada.
"We continue to urge the federal government to take the necessary steps to mandate point-of-arrival testing for all travelers irrespective of where they're coming from to further protect against the spread of this new variant," they said via NBC News.
Ontario is also making contract tracing to help determine whether other individuals in the country are also positive for COVID-19. And COVID-19 rapid tests are also being conducted for travelers who visited South Africa in recent days.
Australia has two active Omicron cases
An official from Australia also said that their two positive patients arrived in Sydney from Africa recently. Following the detection, arrivals from nine African countries are now required to undergo in a hotel in Australia upon arrival. Other countries across the globe also detected multiple Omicron cases in the past couple of days.
Other countries detect latest COVID-19 variant
The Netherlands detected 13 cases of Omicron in the country over the weekend, which forced them to close their borders.
Israel also detected some cases of Omicron that forced them to bar entry to foreigners. All Israelis arriving from abroad are also required to quarantine.
In Morocco, incoming flights have been suspended for the next two weeks.
Dr. Francis Collins, the director of the National Institutes of Health in the United States, stressed that there is no data to prove that Omicron can cause more serious illness than other COVID-19 variants.
However, Collins believes that Omicron is more contagious because of how quickly it spread through multiple districts in South Africa, according to the Huffington Post.
Dr. Anthony Fauci warns Americans about Omicron
Dr. Anthony Fauci sat down for an interview on Saturday, and he urged all Americans to be cautious and take Omicron seriously. Even though the first Omicron case has not yet been detected in the country, Fauci said it's only a matter of time before this happens.
During another television interview, Fauci said that it's still too early to impose a lockdown in the United States. He also noted that new mandates are still unnecessary.
But the infectious disease expert stressed that Americans should be prepared and well-equipped when the virus enters the country, according to CNBC.
Fauci also met with Joe Biden and the Covid response team at the White House to discuss the variant and the administration's response. While there, the expert said that it would take about two more weeks before definitive information on the virus could be reported.
Related Article: Dr. Anthony Fauci Warns Americans Over New COVID-19 Variant Omicron, Says Strain May Already Be In The United States
