Syriacus Buguzi
More than 20 countries around the world have detected the
Omicron variant, with two Southern African countries -- Botswana and South
Africa -- accounting for 62 per cent of the reported cases, according to a
World Health Organization (WHO) statement last week (2 December).
But the United Kingdom, EU countries and the United States
have imposed travel bans targeting only Sub-Saharan African countries including
Eswatini, Malawi, Nigeria and Zimbabwe.
"There is a good reason to be worried about the new
variant," says Francis Hyera, head of the Department of Public Health at
Walter Sisulu University in South Africa, adding that imposing immediate travel
bans is "premature and could set a harmful precedent".
"We need to collect data. We need to investigate and
understand this variant," he tells SciDev.Net.
It comes as the WHO reveals that less than a third of health
workers in Africa have been vaccinated against VOCID-19, compared with over 80
per cent in high-income countries.
Omicron, classified by the WHO as a "variant of
concern", is a highly mutated variant containing 32 mutations in its spike
protein. It was first reported to the WHO by South Africa last month (24
November).
The WHO, in a statement on 28 November, vowed to stand with
African nations and called for borders to remain open, saying: "Travel
restrictions may play a role in slightly reducing the spread of COVID-19, but
place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods.
"If restrictions are implemented, they should not be
unnecessarily invasive or intrusive and should be scientifically based."
Hyera adds: "If the [objective] is to prevent the
variant from coming in, it really doesn't make sense to exempt [other]
countries where it has been identified and which have even more direct flights
than Southern Africa."
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa called on countries
to "urgently" reverse the travel ban during a national address on 28
November.
According to Elisha Osati, an internal medicine specialist
at Muhimbili National Hospital in Tanzania, the travel bans, if left
unaddressed, could leave Southern Africa and the wider continent in a tricky
situation.
"Going forward, we could see other countries being
influenced to impose further travel restrictions on Africa in case the Omicron
variant spreads more widely. This could have a detrimental impact on our
response efforts against COVID-19," he tells SciDev.Net.
Abdou Salam Gueye, the WHO regional emergency director for
Africa, says the origin of the new variant and the effectiveness of measures
against it are being investigated.
"The only thing we are sure about when a country
detects a virus is that the country's surveillance system is good. That's what
happened in Southern Africa," Gueye explains.
"Taking measures against such a country is like taking
measures against a good surveillance system."
Strengthening the vaccination drive should have been the
main focus despite the emergence of new variants, says Mohammed Mukhier,
regional director for Africa, International Federation of Red Cross.
"Variants will continue to emerge while the virus
continues to circulate. Vaccine, data and knowledge equity are key to
protecting the African continent and the world," says Mukhier in a
statement published last week (29 November).
"We call on the international community to make
decisions based on solid scientific evidence, and avoid any move which may
unjustifiably lead to a further worsening of the socio-economic impacts of
COVID-19."
This piece was produced by SciDev.Net's Sub-Saharan Africa
English desk.
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