The Emergence of Omicron Exposes World Vaccination Gap
According to WHO data, in poor countries, only four out of 100 people have been vaccinated.
By
kompas team
·4 minutes read
AFP/LEON LORD
People wait in queue for their first dose of the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Suva on August 9, 2021, amid a rise in coronavirus cases in the Pacific nation.
PRETORIA, MONDAY — The immediate response of several countries to close their borders to people arriving from the African continent, in a bid to prevent the entry of the new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, reflects the irony of pandemic recovery efforts. On one hand, the hasty move shows global vigilance, but on the other, it also exposes discriminatory behavior, considering the international community does not seem to be making any effort to accelerate the vaccine rollout across Africa.
“Suddenly barring people arriving from South Africa is discriminatory because it is not based on scientific evidence. This hurts the economies of the countries that have been blacklisted because we will not be able to recover from the pandemic if our economies are not moving,” said South African President Cyril Ramaphosa at a press conference, Sunday (11/28/2021).
Ramaphosa’s criticism aligns with the statement of World Health Organization (WHO) director for Africa Matsidisho Moeti. He reminded that the WHO had never stated that barring people was an effective way to control the pandemic. More importantly, the new strain of the coronavirus emerged because of the gap in access to Covid-19 vaccinations in many countries.
According to WHO data, in poor countries, only four out of 100 people have been vaccinated. Compare this figure with developed countries, where the number of people fully inoculated reaches an average of 133 per 100 people.
The African continent is home to 1.2 billion people. However, the African Center for Disease Control revealed that only 6.6 percent of the population on this continent had been fully vaccinated.
When viruses are transmitted between humans, some enter cells more easily and develop into new strains that are stronger or more easily spread.
As quoted in an article on The Conversation, a senior researcher from the University of Melbourne’s department of microbiology and immunology, Jennifer Juno, explained that each type of virus naturally mutates. When viruses are transmitted between humans, some enter cells more easily and develop into new strains that are stronger or more easily spread.
“Scientifically, the relationship between mutations and gaps in access to vaccinations still needs to be studied more comprehensively. However, the lack of vaccination increases the risk of transmission and results in the emergence of clusters. This is what gives the virus an opportunity to mutate,” said Juno.
She said vaccination remains the most effective weapon against the pandemic.
AFP/ADALBERTO ROQUE
In this file photo taken on August 24, 2021 Pedro Montano holds his daughter Roxana Montano, 3, as she is inoculated against COVID-19 with Cuban vaccine Soberana Plus, at the Juan Manuel Marquez hospital in Havana, as part of a vaccine study in children and adolescents. - Cuba will inoculate children and adolescents aged two to 18 from September 3, 2021 with its own Abadala and Soberana vaccines against COVID-19, a condition set by the government before reopening schools, authorities announced on September 1, 2021.
The Omicron variant is one of four strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that is on the WHO’s watch list. Omicron is the second variant that developed in South Africa, after the Beta variant.
The Omicron variant was first discovered in Gauteng, South Africa, on 9 November 2021, and is known to have 30 different mutations. Omicron can reinfect people who have recovered from this strain.
Besides Omicron, other strains on the watch list – or those that are able to transmit quickly – include the Beta strain from South Africa, the Gamma strain from Brazil and the Delta strain from India. The Delta is still the largest contributor to Covid-19 cases globally.
The United States, the United Kingdom, Indonesia, Qatar, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands all immediately closed their borders to eight countries in southern Africa that were suspected of being the source of the spread of the Omicron variant. These countries include South Africa,
Eswatini, Botswana, Mozambique, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Namibia and Malawi. In fact, even their neighboring country, Angola, closed its borders.
Anticipative Measures
Indonesian epidemiologist at Griffith University, Dicky Budiman, said apart from constant efforts to keep the new strain from entering its borders, Indonesia must also anticipate a scenario in which the virus does circulate in the country.
AFP/MOHD RASFAN
Passengers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) queue to check-in for their flight at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on November 29, 2021, as countries across the globe shut borders and renewed travel curbs in response to the spread of a new, heavily mutated Covid-19 coronavirus variation dubbed Omicron.
According to Dicky, as recommended by the WHO, countries must continue to implement effective public health measures to reduce the overall circulation of Covid-19, conduct risk analyses and take a science-based approach.
The most effective steps that individuals can take to reduce the spread of Covid-19 is to maintain a physical distance of at least 1 meter from other people, properly wear masks, improve air circulation, keeping hands clean and immediately vaccinating for those that have not been vaccinated yet. (AFP/REUTERS/DNE/AIK)
