What We Know About the Omicron Covid-19 Variant So Far

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Concerns are mounting over the latest variant of coronavirus after cases have emerged in England and Scotland. 

The new variant labelled Omicron has double the number of mutations of the delta variant and is thought to be highly contagious.

Omicron was first identified in a patient in Botswana in early November but the variant has now begun to spread globally due to international travel. 

As of Monday, November 29, there have been three cases in England and six cases in Scotland.

Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “At this stage we know that not all of them have any recent travel history to or known links with others who have travelled to the countries in southern Africa where the variant was originally detected.

“This suggests that there might already be some community transmission of this variant in Scotland.”

Omicron is the thirteenth SARS-CoV-2 variant to receive a formal WHO title and has been labelled as a variant of “concern” due to fears it may be less responsive to vaccines.

Precautions are being taken in the UK and other countries whilst scientists assess what the new variant’s impact could be.

What are the new Covid-19 measures in England?

• All contacts of suspected Omicron cases will be required to self-isolate for 10 days, regardless of vaccination status.
• Face coverings are being reintroduced from Tuesday on public transport and in shops and will be compulsory.
• Anyone arriving in the UK will have to take a PCR test within 48 hours of entering the country and will need to self-isolate until they have a negative result. This comes into effect at 4:00am on Tuesday.
• Secondary school pupils in England are being “strongly advised” to wear face coverings in communal areas.

The government will review the updated Covid rules in three weeks time, as has been done throughout the pandemic.

In Scotland, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has urged for increased compliance with measures to stop the spread of the virus in Scotland and encouraged frequent testing.

Why is Omicron a cause for concern?

The mutations identified in the Omicron variation are all in regions that have previously been linked to increased transmissibility and immune escape.

This means the variant could potentially avoid detection from antibodies, rendering the Covid-19 vaccine less effective.

There have been 32 mutations detected in the new variant in the location where antibodies from vaccines are targeted, which is concerning to virologists.

Omicron has also been linked to a spike in COVID-19 cases in South Africa’s Gauteng province, where the positivity rate increased from 1% to 30% within two weeks.

It is difficult at this early stage for scientists to determine the impact of the variant whilst it is still being examined.

Doctors in South Africa have so far noted the variant is only causing mild disease. 

But these infections have been detected mostly in younger people who typically would only experience mild COVID-19 symptoms regardless.

How is Omicron different from past variants?

Omicron has been identified much earlier than previous variations of coronavirus due to careful surveillance in South Africa. 

There is currently no information to suggest that symptoms for Omicron are different to other variants, and the severity is being monitored.

In an interview with The Washington Post, Anthony Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said that Omicron could be anything from catastrophic to inconsequential.

Where are the Omicron cases in the UK?

The first two cases in the UK were announced on Saturday and found in Nottingham and Essex.

A third Omicron case was detected on Sunday in a person with travel links to southern Africa who visited Westminster in London before leaving the country.

In Scotland there are four cases in Lanarkshire and two in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area.

There have been no cases identified in Wales or Northern Ireland, although the North’s Minister for Health warned that the variant might already be present in Northern Ireland. 

The Scottish and Welsh governments are urging Prime Minister Boris Johnson to toughen UK travel restrictions further in light of the emergence of Omicron.

Scotland has expanded its red travel list in line with the Westminster government to include 10 African countries: South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana, Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Angola, Mozambique, Malawi and Zambia.

Omicron cases have also been reported in Germany, Italy, Australia, Denmark, Hong Kong, Israel, the Netherlands, France and Canada.

Green-eyed Afghan Girl From Steve McCurry’s Photograph Finds Safety in Italy

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The famous emerald eyed ‘Afghan Girl’ who‘s 1985 portrait plastered National Geographic June issue and eventually the entire Western World, has been evacuated to Italy following the Taliban takeover.

Eventually identified in 2002 as Sharbat Gula- a now wife and mother of three, by her photographer Steve McCurry, the refugee idol asked for help to leave Afghanistan and has been promised a new settled life in Rome.

30 years later National Geographic writes “one of the world’s most famous refugees finally has a home. A big home” a patronisingly full circle moment.

According to an FBI analyst, forensic sculptor and the inventor of iris recognition to verify her identity, documented in the 2002 Search for the Afghan Girl film, yet she was only safely housed in 2017 by the Afghanistan government. After three decades as a refugee in Pakistan and a tumultuous return to Afghanistan, she again sets off this year to Italy following the Taliban takeover.

With her piercing green eyes framed by a tattered loose red headscarf – in place of a hijab, she became a symbol for her country’s plight and refugee women at the time. Somehow the Western world was finally able to recognise the depths of the traumatic circumstances refugees were facing, when framed by a mute angelic face – quiet and conveniently beautiful – “Haunted eyes tells an Afghan refugee’s fears,” taglined the 1985 cover, yet not a word was written about Sharbat.

Recognition and fame in our world was not enough to liberate this poor Afghan refugee, who faced backlash from the stunning photo. Normally in Pashtun and Islamic culture women are not welcomed to interact with men outside their family and certainly not encouraged to be objectified and posed in front of a camera by them.

The picture was published without her or her fathers consent and her refugee family continued to receive no benefits until she was identified in 2002.

Even then Sharbat proclaimed the famous photo contributed to her detriment more than anything else, she was arrested in 2016 for Fraudulent activity and eventually deported from Pakistan, where she originally fled, to Afghanistan after being imprisoned for two weeks.

Due to this unwanted spotlight Sharbat remained a target for conservative Afghans who disagreed with women being shown in the media.

“This woman is a symbol to Afghans and also a symbol to Pakistan,” said Heather Barr, a researcher at Human Rights Watch (HRW) who worked in Afghanistan for 10 years. “The way she was paraded by Pakistan felt like humiliation of the Afghan government:

The Afghanistan government responded by welcoming her back after her deportation from Pakistan. The message was: “We can take care of our own people.”

Yet due to the recent Taliban takeover, who are notorious for disregarding women’s rights and education this security was never guaranteed.

However, Sharbat’s fame has not been completely in vain, mirroring her 1985 debut her arrival in Italy has been used to make a broader statement, as the Italian government have decided to create a programme to evacuate and integrate Afghan refugees of course starting with her.

The story of the Afghan refugee girl who I would separate from todays 49 year old mother of three Sharbat Gula, massively reflects the Western world obsession with painting pretty pictures of oppression. Despite the Taliban takeover proven to be a time of bloodshed and violence observed by those who lived there its this singular shot of an innocent refugee girl we use to pinpoint it.

On top of the fact this famous picture – named as the Afghan Mona Lisa *eyeroll*- has arguably caused more harm to the model than good. I think the Western world need to question how and why we can only engage with certain topics when it is aestheticised by the media especially a violent and sensitive matter, far from pretty.

Informed by

https://m.thewire.in/article/media/afghan-girl-steve-mccurry-national-geographic

https://www.independent.co.uk/asia/south-asia/afghan-girl-national-geographic-italy-b1964416.html?amp

What Is Being Done to Combat the Rise in Injection Spiking?

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In recent months, there has been a surge in reports of women being spiked via injection on nights out.

After years of being told to cover our drinks, to never walk home alone and to avoid speaking to people we don’t know on nights out, women across the country are once again feeling the burden of what it means to be a woman in twenty-first century Britain.

Police across the UK are carrying out investigations on the suspected drugs used in these incidents but it is believed that they are the same used to spike drinks, such as Rohypnol (roofie) or Gamma Hydroxybutyrate (GHB), commonly known as date-rape drugs.

 

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A number of women have come forward with reports of discovering a painful pinprick on their body after passing out, as they describe becoming suddenly unwell, being violently sick, being unable to move their limbs properly and suffering memory loss until the next morning.

Women all across the UK are rallying together to demand change from government bodies and nightclubs, with many on social media arguing that they have a responsibility to protect women and girls from incidents such as these and they are simply not doing enough.

A petition to make it a legal requirement for nightclubs to thoroughly search guests upon entry has garnered over 173,000 signatures and the topic was debated in the House of Commons on the 8th of November 2021. The full statement from the government can be found on petition.parliament UK website but some of the points raised are highlighted below:

“The law already allows licensing authorities to impose conditions such as searches. Decisions on this should be made locally, taking account of circumstances, and there are no plans to change the law.”

“Action we are taking to support women’s safety in the night-time economy includes launching the £5m Safety of Women at Night Fund… From late November to December SIA operational teams from the Violence Reduction Tactical Delivery Group will be carrying out proactive activity – focussing on Prevent messages around university establishments and associated venues in the night-time economy.”

 

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Jazmine Parker spoke to the BBC about the issue, saying, “Spiking has been around forever but the clubs aren’t really changing their ways… People would pay more to be able to be safe in clubs if the provisions were in place.”

The general consensus on social media is that, yet again, the government is not doing enough. However, it has been revealed this morning that conservative MP Mims Davies had to be carried home after a spiking incident in a nightclub two years ago, only having a partial memory of the event afterwards. This admission has urged the government minister to write to Priti Patel to ask what more can be done to tackle spiking, calling for tougher action to prevent further incidents.

Nearing the end of October, young women boycotted bars and clubs in 45 cities across the UK over the course of a few nights in a bid to demand action on drink-spiking. This led to a widespread conversation about the measures that clubs are taking to ensure the safety of its female customers.

 

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Peter Marks from Rekom UK, which has almost 50 nightclub venues across the UK, told The Independent, “It is important to note that cases of spiking are rare…  However, in response to our guests’ concerns, we will be increasing the safety measures in place to include anti-spiking bottle stoppers, protective drink covers and free drug testing kits as well as full-body searches on entry.”

Mr Marks also told The Independent there have been “robust” safety and wellbeing measures at Rekom venues for years, including 24/7 full CCTV coverage, metal detectors and entry searches.

In a bid to help women feel even safer on nights out, The Playwright, located near Nottingham Trent University’s city campus, was set to host its first ever girls-only event on the 3rd of November, with the rules that no men were permitted entry and the venue was staffed by an all-female team. However, this event was unfortunately cancelled due to safety concerns but it did fuel the conversation that venues can and should be doing more to provide a safe space for women.

While there have been small changes made to tackle the issue of injection spiking, it’s clear that more needs done and until women don’t have to worry about a night out with friends turning into a potentially life-threatening situation, our voices will be as loud as ever.

Melanie Sykes Celebrates Her Diagnosis With Autism at 51

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People have praised Melanie Sykes for her openness and celebration when publicly announcing that she has been diagnosed with autism at the age of 51.

The presenter, who is best known for co-hosting Today with Des and Mel with Des O’Connor and Let’s Do Lunch with Gino D’Acampo, confirmed her diagnosis this month.

Sykes opened up about her experiences on Loose Women earlier this week (November 23) and said “we need to change” society’s attitude towards autism.

“My phone has blown up with mothers of teenage girls, who are like, ‘I’ve just shown her your video and they’re like ‘It’s a good thing’”, Sykes said, “and it is a good thing because it’s all the positives about someone.”

Autism charities have commended public figures like Sykes for talking openly about being diagnosed as adults.

Around one in 100 people in the UK are autistic, amounting to roughly 700,000 people, according to the National Autistic Society.

It is common for those with autism to not be formally diagnosed until much later in life due to the variation in symptoms, and a lack of awareness.

 

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Peter Watt, the director of national programmes for the National Autistic Society said: “”A diagnosis can be life-changing and vital to getting timely care and support. But many autistic people aren’t diagnosed well into adulthood – and may have gone through life without a full understanding of who they are and the support they’re entitled to.”

What does autism look like?

Autism can affect people in completely different ways but often involves symptoms of sensory overload or extreme bouts of anxiety.

Signs and symptoms can vary a lot between children and adults, and adults may struggle more to get a diagnosis.

 

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According to the NHS, the most common signals of autism in adults include:

• finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
• getting very anxious about social situations
• finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
• seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
• finding it hard to say how you feel
• taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like “break a leg”
• having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes

Other signs include misunderstanding social rules and ques, disliking physical touch and having a very active and keen interest in certain subjects.

Adult women struggle the most to get a diagnosis of autism, as they typically may be quieter, hide their feelings and appear to cope better with social situations even if they are not.

‘Every minute of every day I’m starting to have realisations’

Melaine Sykes admitted on Loose Women that she is learning something about herself every day since discovering that she is on the autistic spectrum.

Autism is also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is a condition related to brain development that impacts how a person perceives interaction and communication.

 

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Sykes has said that she doesn’t feel that autism should be referred to as a disorder.

She said: “They call it a disorder, which needs to get scrapped because it isn’t the things I can’t do, it’s the things I can do that are my autistic sensibilities. That’s what we need to change.”

Sykes also addressed the gender gap when it comes to autism in adults, criticising how long it can take for women to be diagnosed.

“It throws up that question of if you’re being tested on how a boy or a male presents a certain condition or disease like heart disease, it looks very different to a woman”, Sykes said. 

“Why are we being looked at in the form of man when we’re completely different animals? We’ve got to start looking at women and what happens with that woman.”

‘It all makes sense now’

Other celebrities have also opened up about their own experiences with late autism diagnosis, including Christine McGuinness.

The 33-year-old wife of Paddy McGuinness was diagnosed recently whilst the pair were filming their upcoming BBC documentary.

 

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In an exclusive extract from her new book that has been shared by the Mirror, Christine wrote: “I have been confirmed as autistic. It’s strange, but I’ve noticed there are little hints throughout my life that I’m autistic and more like my children than I ever could have imagined.

“It all makes sense now. And as much as I’m not totally surprised, it’s still been emotional for me to accept, but it’s a relief as well.”

Peter Watt said that “many autistic people and families will see a lot of themselves” in the celebrities’ stories.

Speaking on Loose Women, Melanie Sykes made it clear that she was speaking out publicly for anyone who is struggling with their diagnosis.

“I know what makes me autistic and it’s the fabric of who I am and who I’ve always been and I think I’m great. I don’t need the air time, I don’t care about the column inches – I’ve had 25 years of this and that’s not what I did it for.”