Amid the spread of Omicron subvariant in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials on Tuesday urged all countries to recommend their&nbsp;travellers wear masks on long-haul flights. Catherine Smallwood,&nbsp;a&nbsp;senior emergency officer of WHO for Europe said that wearing masks "should be a recommendation issued to passengers arriving from anywhere where there is widespread COVID-19 transmission."

In Europe a small number of XBB.1.5 subvariant have been detected, officials said at&nbsp;a press brief on Tuesday. As of now, it's unclear if the newly emerged subvariant will cause an infection wave of its own, like the earlier ones.&nbsp;Though according to experts, the current vaccines continue to protect against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and death, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

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Health officials also said that as of now, the XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible Omicron subvariant detected. It also accounts for almost 27.6 per cent of the COVID-19 deaths in the United States in the first week of January.&nbsp;

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Smallwood said, "Countries need to look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing" and if an action is required, "travel measures should be implemented in a non-discriminatory manner." This does not mean that the organisation recommends testing passengers from the US at this stage, she added.&nbsp;

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According to data reported by the WHO at beginning of this month, an analysis of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a slight dominance of Omicron sublineages BA.5.2 and BF.7 among the locally acquired infections.

Many countries including the United States are demanding COVID-19 tests from travellers from China.

(With inputs from agencies)

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Amid the spread of Omicron subvariant in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials on Tuesday urged all countries to recommend their travellers wear masks on long-haul flights.

Amid the spread of Omicron subvariant in the United States, World Health Organization (WHO) officials on Tuesday urged all countries to recommend their travellers wear masks on long-haul flights. Catherine Smallwood, a senior emergency officer of WHO for Europe said that wearing masks "should be a recommendation issued to passengers arriving from anywhere where there is widespread COVID-19 transmission." In Europe a small number of XBB.1.5 subvariant have been detected, officials said at a press brief on Tuesday. As of now, it's unclear if the newly emerged subvariant will cause an infection wave of its own, like the earlier ones. Though according to experts, the current vaccines continue to protect against severe symptoms, hospitalisation and death, Reuters reported. Also read | Pentagon scraps Covid vaccine mandate that led to the discharge of more than 8,000 army personnel Health officials also said that as of now, the XBB.1.5 is the most transmissible Omicron subvariant detected. It also accounts for almost 27.6 per cent of the COVID-19 deaths in the United States in the first week of January. Watch | Travellers rush to renew passports as China ends Covid restrictions Smallwood said, "Countries need to look at the evidence base for pre-departure testing" and if an action is required, "travel measures should be implemented in a non-discriminatory manner." This does not mean that the organisation recommends testing passengers from the US at this stage, she added. Also read | What is the COVID vaccine controversy surrounding Jessica Robb, the Canadian reporter who collapsed on air? According to data reported by the WHO at beginning of this month, an analysis of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showed a slight dominance of Omicron sublineages BA.5.2 and BF.7 among the locally acquired infections. Many countries including the United States are demanding COVID-19 tests from travellers from China. (With inputs from agencies) WATCH WION LIVE HERE

WHO urges travellers to wear masks on long-haul flights amid Covid variant spread

A study by Japanese researchers has claimed that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 can remain alive on skin and plastic more than the earlier variants like Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma.

The researchers from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan analysed the differences in viral environmental stability between the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain and all variants of concern (VOCs).

The yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, posted recently on the preprint repository BioRxiv, stated that Omicron can survive on the skin for over 21 hours and more than eight days on any plastic surface.

Hence, it might be the reason why Omicron spreads faster than other strains, the study noted.

“The high environmental stability of these VOCs could increase the risk of contact transmission and contribute to their spread,” the authors of the study said.

“This study showed that Omicron has the highest environmental stability among VOCs, which might be one of the factors that have allowed the variant to replace the&nbsp;Delta variant&nbsp;and spread rapidly,” they said.

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The study found that the Omicron variant can survive up to 193.5 hours on plastic surfaces and 21.1 hours on the skin.

In comparison, the original strain and other later variants like Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants survived for 56 hours, 191.3 hours, 156.6 hours, 59.3 hours, and 114 hours, respectively.

Whereas on the skin, the average virus survival times were 8.6 hours for the original version, 19.6 hours for Alpha, 19.1 hours for Beta, 11 hours for Gamma and 16.8 hours for Delta, they said.

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The findings also analysed the effectiveness of ethanol-based sanitisers on the variants.

The research noted that Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants showed a slight increase in resistance to ethanol in response to increased environmental stability.

Whereas on the skin surface, all VOCs were completely inactivated by 15-second exposure to 35 per cent ethanol.

"Therefore, it is highly recommended that current infection control (hand hygiene) practices use disinfectants... as proposed by the World Health Organisation,” the researchers added.

(With inputs from agencies)

A study by Japanese researchers has claimed that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 can remain alive on skin and plastic more than the earlier variants like Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma.

A study by Japanese researchers has claimed that the Omicron variant of COVID-19 can remain alive on skin and plastic more than the earlier variants like Alpha, Beta, Delta and Gamma. The researchers from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine in Japan analysed the differences in viral environmental stability between the SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain and all variants of concern (VOCs). The yet-to-be peer-reviewed study, posted recently on the preprint repository BioRxiv, stated that Omicron can survive on the skin for over 21 hours and more than eight days on any plastic surface. Hence, it might be the reason why Omicron spreads faster than other strains, the study noted. “The high environmental stability of these VOCs could increase the risk of contact transmission and contribute to their spread,” the authors of the study said. “This study showed that Omicron has the highest environmental stability among VOCs, which might be one of the factors that have allowed the variant to replace the Delta variant and spread rapidly,” they said. Also read | Can weed cure Covid? Cannabis compound stops coronavirus in test tube The study found that the Omicron variant can survive up to 193.5 hours on plastic surfaces and 21.1 hours on the skin. In comparison, the original strain and other later variants like Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants survived for 56 hours, 191.3 hours, 156.6 hours, 59.3 hours, and 114 hours, respectively. Whereas on the skin, the average virus survival times were 8.6 hours for the original version, 19.6 hours for Alpha, 19.1 hours for Beta, 11 hours for Gamma and 16.8 hours for Delta, they said. Also read | New research hints at 4 factors that may increase chances of long COVID The findings also analysed the effectiveness of ethanol-based sanitisers on the variants. The research noted that Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants showed a slight increase in resistance to ethanol in response to increased environmental stability. Whereas on the skin surface, all VOCs were completely inactivated by 15-second exposure to 35 per cent ethanol. "Therefore, it is highly recommended that current infection control (hand hygiene) practices use disinfectants... as proposed by the World Health Organisation,” the researchers added. (With inputs from agencies)

Omicron survives over 21 hours on skin and more than 8 days on plastic: Study

South Africa quickly became the epicenter of the Omicron wave. Today this variant has reached most countries prompting a big spike in cases. But a study in South Africa is teaching the world about the trajectory of omicron, hinting that the acute wave may be ending soon.

When will the Omicron wave end? A learning for the world