PHILIPSBURG:--- As of January 27, 2021, Sint Maarten has imposed a travel ban from certain countries including the UK, South Africa, and South America. The reason for this is due to three new variants of the COVID-19 virus that are circulating worldwide, which are more infectious than the original COVID-19 strain.
These variants have originated in the UK (B.1.1.7), South Africa (B.1.351), and Brazil (P1). Besides these variants of concern, other variants of the COVID-19 virus are circulating. Some of these may develop into more harmful variants over time, while others will keep the same characteristics as the original COVID-19 virus. The table below provides an overview of the most common variants that are circulating in the world, their origin, spread, characteristics, and whether they have been detected on Sint Maarten to date.
Table. COVID-19 variants as of March 4, 2021
|
COVID-19 variants |
Origin |
Spread |
Characteristics compared to non-variant COVID-19 |
Detected in SXM |
|
B.1.1.7 |
UK |
Detected in 83 countries. Widespread in UK and Europe. Increasing in USA. |
More infectious; more severe infection |
No |
|
B.1.351 |
South Africa |
Detected in 40 countries. Widespread in South Africa. |
More infectious; less responsive to current vaccines |
No |
|
P.1 |
Brazil |
Detected in 17 countries. Not yet widespread. |
More infectious; possibly less responsive to current vaccines |
No |
|
P.2 |
Brazil |
Widespread in Brazil |
No data to suggest concern yet, but monitoring is warranted |
Yes |
|
B.1.526 |
New York |
Widespread in New York. Increasing in USA. |
Yes |
|
|
B.1.427/ B.1.429 |
California |
Widespread in California. Increasing in USA. |
Yes |
