AFRICA TO INCUBATE NEW COVID STRAINS
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Low vaccinations rates on the African continent to blame
The Mo Ibrahim Foundation in London published a report Monday detailing the African response to the challenges of Covid 19. In the report it warned that the slow uptake of the Covid vaccines and the lack thereof on the continent will lead it to become a major incubator of the deadly virus.
“Extreme vaccine discrimination” leaves the 1.3 billion Africans behind the populations of rich nations that can afford booster jabs programmes. Less than 7% of Africa’s population is fully vaccinated and unless there is vaccine aid and mass vaccination Africa will present a threat to the world in terms of new viral mutations.
Biologists first identified the Omicron variant in South Africa. Its rapid spread round the globe to more than 40 countries is a perfect example of what happens if the continent continues with the trend of vaccine hesitancy and vaccine scarcity. Mo Ibrahim, the Sudanese telecoms billionaire head of the Africa-focused nonprofit he founded, laments the fact that “we continue to live with extreme vaccine discrimination, and Africa in particular is being left behind. Ensuring equitable and balanced access to vaccines is not just a matter of justice, even less of charity. It is a matter of global security and thus of shared interest.”
Source: Reuters
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