Covid-19: Bolivia rules out for time being border closure due to new Omicron variant

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Minister Auza said at a press conference that the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) classified this new variant as “of concern,” requiring further research to understand its characteristics.

“Closing the borders at this time is not advisable until the features of this variant are determined,” Auza said, adding that Bolivia will wait for the results of scientific studies on the variant to make “responsible and solid decisions.”

Vice-Minister of Promotion, Epidemiological Surveillance and Traditional Medicine María Renée Castro reiterated to the population that biosecurity measures, such as mask use and social distancing, must be reinforced.

PAHO/WHO representative in Bolivia Alma Morales said that so far it is unknown if the Omicron variant is more transmissible than past variants or if it increases lethality. “Unfortunately, countries have closed their borders, which is neither recommended by WHO/PAHO nor established in international health regulations,” Morales explained.

The representative further said that closing the borders would be a kind of “punishment” for countries that are conducting “genomic surveillance” and “responsibly reporting it.” “What each country should do is strengthen its genomic surveillance, strengthen its biosecurity measures, increase its vaccination coverage,” Morales stressed. Finally, she emphasized that Bolivia has “a very successful response plan that has always been technically aligned with WHO recommendations.”

There are reports that the Omicron variant is now circulating in Australia, Brazil, Belgium, Canada, China, Spain, Italy, United States, Israel, South Africa, among others. Brazil this week reported the first cases of this new variant, the first in Latin America.

Countries such as Brazil, Chile, Ecuador and Paraguay have banned the entry of people who had been in several southern African countries.

Bolivia continues its vaccination plan which has already reached 4,109,745 people with the first dose, 3,187,345 with the second, 369,690 with the booster, while 983,282 have been vaccinated with single-dose Janssen. Bolivia has accumulated 539,762 Covid-19 infections and 19,196 deaths since the first cases were registered in March last year.