ডাব্লুএইচও দক্ষিণ আফ্রিকার বৈকল্পিক 'ওমিক্রন' নামকরণ করেছে এবং এটিকে 'উদ্বেগের' হিসাবে শ্রেণীবদ্ধ করেছে
ওমিক্রন: সাম্প্রতিক দিনগুলিতে পাঁচটি দেশে সনাক্ত করা কোভিড -19 এর একটি নতুন রূপ ইতিমধ্যে পরিচিতদের তুলনায় সংক্রমণের বেশি ঝুঁকি তৈরি করেছে, বিশ্ব স্বাস্থ্য সংস্থা (ডব্লিউএইচও) আজ জেনেভায় একটি জরুরি বৈঠক শেষে ঘোষণা করেছে
The strain was defined as ‘of concern’ and classified as ‘Omicron’
To date, the variant, also known as B.1.1.529, has been detected in South Africa, Botswana, Belgium, Hong Kong and Israel.
But a first case has appeared in recent hours in Belgium.
OMICRON VARIANT, POTHIER (CPLO): ‘SOUTH AFRICA ALARM, INJUSTICE ON VACCINES’
“The emergence of a new variant in southern Africa is the latest confirmation of the need to protect ourselves and at the same time to fight global inequalities, including a moratorium on vaccine patents,” said Mike Pothier, analyst at the Parliamentary Office of the Episcopal Conference of South Africa (CPLO).
According to the expert, reached in Cape Town, ‘the country’s health authorities are working to understand the degree of danger of the B.1.1.529 strain and in particular the effectiveness of vaccines against it’.
The theory is that the initial indications are encouraging but that, in any case, the emergence of the variant inevitably reinforces the need to protect oneself.
Pothier also tackles the issue of the moratorium on vaccine patents, which South Africa, together with India, proposed more than a year ago, with the aim of encouraging the production of drugs to benefit the most disadvantaged countries.
“The proposal was supported by more than a hundred countries,” the analyst recalls.
According to Pothier, however, it is difficult for the new variant to change the policy guidelines that Europe has also supported over the past year.
One of the next tests will be the World Trade Organisation (WTO) conference starting next Tuesday, which could theoretically decide on a moratorium.
“At most we will see more donations,” stresses the expert, who is convinced that inequalities remain structural and deep to this day.
“Here in South Africa, about 60 per cent of the adult population has received at least one dose,’ Pothier calculates.
“In other neighbouring countries, such as Botswana, where the variant has also been detected, the figure is not even 20 per cent.
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