Since South Africa reported the first known case of the Omicron variant last week, many countries—including the United States—had a knee-jerk reaction: instituting a travel ban.
 |  | By Daphne Lee, News Editor | | | Since South Africa reported the first known case of the Omicron variant last week, many countries—including the United States—had a knee-jerk reaction: instituting a travel ban. | | | Today's Top Story | | Why Travel Bans Can't Stop COVID-19 |  | The Biden administration banned travelers from eight countries in southern Africa starting on November 29.
Public health experts have repeatedly warned that a travel ban won't prevent Omicron from crossing borders. It only punishes South Africa for alerting everyone else about the variant.
Two days after the ban, the first U.S. case caused by the Omicron variant was detected in California. Scientists also realized that the variant was already circulating in Europe, where cases have been rising for the past few weeks. But the U.S. hasn't banned travelers from countries that are wrestling with a COVID surge.
Banning international visitors is ineffective if the virus is already circulating locally. It can also discourage countries from reporting accurate COVID data in the future.
The White House insists that the travel ban will buy more time for authorities to prepare for the variant. But it's a temporary solution that doesn't resolve the core problems that are fueling the pandemic, such as vaccine hoarding among rich countries and vaccine hesitancy. If we don't strive to vaccinate the global population as soon as possible, the pandemic will never come to an end. | | Know More | | All international travelers coming to the U.S. will need to test for COVID-19 within 24 hours of departure. The mask mandate for domestic flights and public transportation has been extended through March 18, 2022. | | Feel Better | | Yesterday, the White House announced a new pandemic strategy that would make at-home COVID-19 tests free. The plan also includes a vaccination campaign that aims to encourage all U.S. adults to get a booster shot if they haven't already done so. | | |  | | Listening to Familiar Songs Can Help People With Dementia | | Remember that scene in the movie "Coco" where Miguel sings to his great-grandmother and she finally recognizes the family? Turns out music can really help people with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease. A small study found that hearing a familiar or favorite song on repeat can change the brain's mental function and structure that are connected with memory performance. | | | | Ann Arbor Makes Period Products Free in Public Restrooms | | Ann Arbor, Michigan recently became the first U.S. city to require public restrooms to provide free menstrual products, along with hand soap and toilet paper. More than half of the states impose a "tampon tax," which makes menstrual products even more expensive. Advocates said that period products should be as accessible as toilet paper to reduce period poverty. | | | | | | | |  | | In an interview with Verywell, Daniel Tisch, PhD, MPH said that you don't have to wait for more data on the Omicron variant to get your COVID-19 vaccines or booster shots. |  | | The current variants are bad enough—there's no need to wait for something that's terrible to get vaccinated. Vaccination right now is our greatest tool against COVID-19, regardless of any future variants that might emerge. | |  |  | Daniel Tisch, PhD, MPH
Epidemiologist and Biostatistician at Case Western University
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