So far only a few dozen cases of the new variant have been identified in South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.īut the case of Israel was a person who had recently arrived from Malawi, according to state broadcaster Kan.Īnd the Belgium case was detected in an unvaccinated young woman who had recently returned from a trip abroad, but not to South Africa or neighboring countries, Belgian researchers said. Shares fell around the world on Friday as news of the variant spooked markets, prompted Britain, France, Italy and other countries to ban flights and impose restrictions, and terrified many Europeans already exhausted by news of the breakthroughs in infections, surge in cases ahead of another jeopardized holiday season, and rallies from vaccine skeptics. “Virtually nothing is known about the new variant,” adding that people should not panic. Roberto Burioni, one of the leading Italian virus experts, wrote on Twitter: Yet even the public health researchers who have been the strongest advocates for protection from the virus called for calm on Friday, noting that little is known about the variant and that several seemingly threatening variants have appeared and disappeared in recent months. In the protein that helps create an entry point for the coronavirus to infect human cells, the new variant has 10 mutations, many more than the dangerous delta variant, de Oliveira said. The new variant, initially called B.1.1.529, presents a “very unusual constellation of mutations,” according to Tulio de Oliveira, director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research and Innovation Sequencing Platform. There is no evidence yet that the variant may decrease the protective power of vaccines, but the uncertainty on this issue was one of the factors that influenced the speed with which the countries adopted the restrictions. Those who stopped or restricted flights from South Africa included Germany, Bahrain, Belgium, Great Britain, Croatia, France, Israel, Italy, Japan, Malta, the Netherlands, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and Singapore. This time, the restrictions occurred at few hourss from South Africa’s announcement:Īt least 10 countries measures from around the world had announced measures before South African scientists had wrapped up a meeting with experts from the World Health Organization on the variant on Friday. In the past, governments have taken days, weeks or months to issue travel restrictions in response to the new variants. The “Joyride” box set also offers a chance to hear two previously unreleased demos of songs originally released by Per’s former group Gyllene Tider, who in 1984 tried to break the international market with the album “Heartland Café”.A healthcare worker collects a swab from Bronwen Cook for a PCR test against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) before traveling to London, REUTERS / Sumaya Hisham Twelve of the songs are previously unreleased, among them the first recording of ”Hotblooded”, which originally was meant to be the album’s opening track until ”Joyride” knocked it down a notch, giving the album and the upcoming “Join the Joyride” World Tour its name. A richly illustrated 32 page booklet tells the story. This autumn the 30th Anniversary of ”Joyride” will be celebrated with the release of a 4-album vinyl, containing the original release as well as previously unreleased or hard-to-get material, that paints a fuller picture of a unique time in pop history. On May 1, the title track zoomed all the way up to #1 position on the Billboard Hot 100 chart – setting a record no Scandinavian group or artist has yet been able to break, helping to make “Joyride” a 11+ million seller. ”Joyride” was the album that was supposed to cement Roxette’s new-found status as a global hit-makers. This year, Swedish group Roxette celebrates the 30th Anniversary of their third album “Joyride”, following the band’s spectacular global breakthrough with “Look Sharp!” in 1989.