Anger simmers over Omicron travel bans in southern Africa

  • 📰 CNN Philippines
  • ⏱ Reading Time:
  • 85 sec. here
  • 3 min. at publisher
  • 📊 Quality Score:
  • News: 37%
  • Publisher: 63%

Philippines Headlines News

Philippines Latest News,Philippines Headlines

African leaders are hitting back against travel bans imposed over the Omicron variant, accusing wealthy countries of being hypocrites for delivering new restrictions instead of the vaccine doses the continent desperately needs

Omicron, initially detected in Botswana, has reignited debate over the effectiveness of strict border closures and triggered outrage that South Africa's transparency in reporting the strain has led to what the region sees as its scapegoating.

That list has rapidly expanded since the weekend, in spite of warnings from researchers that the threat the new variant poses is not yet clear. And with it, so has the criticism. "We do not want to see countries penalized for sharing information, because this is how WHO and our partners, this is how we make assessments and how we provide advice," she said.

Images of the Ebola virus' snake-like appearance and depictions of menacing bats remained deep-rooted in the consciousness of observers long after the outbreak ended, the report found. When new viruses are found on the continent, it can trigger panic. Adekoya fears the travel bans could be"completely catastrophic for African economies." To fight this, he suggests leaders stand up to their international counterparts.

The explanation government leaders have given in support of travel bans is that it buys time, she continued."But we already know what we need: a combination of vaccines, masks, better ventilation, testing and social distancing where possible." "We have to call the world out on it. They are excluding and mistreating us," she said."Africa needs to find a collective voice. Our leaders need to wake up, recognize the geopolitical influence they have and recognize that they can do something at this moment."As of October, less than 10% of African countries are expected to hit their vaccination goals, according to WHO.

Some critics argue low vaccination rates on the continent stem from vaccine hesitancy, a theory Alakija describes as"balderdash." She points out that many countries received small quantities to begin with.

 

Thank you for your comment. Your comment will be published after being reviewed.
Please try again later.
We have summarized this news so that you can read it quickly. If you are interested in the news, you can read the full text here. Read more:

 /  🏆 13. in PH

Philippines Latest News, Philippines Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

3 travelers from S. Africa, Burkina Faso, Egypt test positive for COVID-19MANILA, Philippines—Three travelers who recently arrived in the Philippines from South Africa, Burkina Faso, and Egypt tested positive for COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday. ADVERTISEMENT According to Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, the three travelers arrived in the Philippines between Nov. 15 and 29. She said their samples would be tested for […]
Source: inquirerdotnet - 🏆 3. / 86 Read more »

DOH: 3 travelers from S. Africa, Egypt, Burkina Faso test positive for COVID-19Three travelers who came from South Africa, Egypt, and Burkina Faso were found to be positive for COVID-19, the Department of Health (DOH) said Friday, Dec. 3.
Source: manilabulletin - 🏆 25. / 51 Read more »

3 mula Africa positibo sa Covid-19, ayon sa DOHTATLONG pasahero ng eroplanong dumating sa Pilipinas galing sa Africa ang positibo sa Covid-19, pahayag ng Department of Health ngayong Biyernes. Ayon kay Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire, dumating ang tatlong manlalakbay mula sa South Africa, Burkina Faso at Egypt. Ang bansang Egypt ay nasa kontinente ng Africa at Asia. “Mayroon pong dumating na 253 […] banderaphl Isolate and quarantine for at least 14 days and please do a genome sequencing, it could be the omicron variant. banderaphl Hay naku!!!! At it all starts again.... banderaphl Gusto nila yan nag papasok ng virus. May pera sa kanila ang pandemic.
Source: inquirerdotnet - 🏆 3. / 86 Read more »

Biden administration shipping 9 million vaccine doses to Africa and another 2 million worldwideThe Friday shipment brings the total number of US-provided doses sent to Africa to 100 million.
Source: CNN Philippines - 🏆 13. / 63 Read more »

DFA: Overseas Filipinos stranded due to Omicron travel bansDozens of Filipinos are stranded in Europe and Africa following travel bans in those regions amid the spread of the Omicron COVID-19 variant.
Source: ANCALERTS - 🏆 26. / 50 Read more »

Reinfection sa COVID-19, mataas sa Omicron variantAyon sa ilang eksperto sa South Africa, malaki ang tsansa na magkasakit ulit ang mga dati nang gumaling sa COVID-19 kapag tinamaan ng Omicron variant.
Source: ABSCBNNews - 🏆 5. / 83 Read more »