28″ November 2021″SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES
Members of UN health agency reach draft consensus on future pandemic treaty as UK says it will call urgent G7 meeting over variant
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has called on countries to “urgently” reverse “scientifically unjustified” travel bans linked to the discovery of the new coronavirus variant Omicron.
“We call upon all those countries that have imposed travel bans on our country and our southern African sister countries to immediately and urgently reverse their decisions,” he said on Sunday in his first address to the nation following last week’s detection
Dozens of countries have blacklisted South Africa and its neighbours since South African scientists flagged Omicron last week.
“The prohibition of travel is not informed by science,” Ramaphosa said
Dr Katelyn Jetelina: ‘Good science takes time’
Dr Jetelina from the University of Texas Health Science Center says patience will be key in the following weeks.
I understand the worry, but good science takes time,” Dr Jetelina told Al Jazeera.
“We have to engineer this virus. We have to let it grow in the lab in order to test it against how well our vaccines are going.
“We can’t rush that process … so patience is going to be a virtue these … weeks,” she added.
The UK to call G7 health ministers meeting over Omicron
The UK has said it will convene an urgent meeting of G7 health ministers to discuss developments on the new variant.
The British government announced new measures on Saturday to try to slow the spread of the strain, toughening rules for people arriving in the UK and ordering the use of masks in retail settings and on public transport in England.
WHO reaches draft consensus on future pandemic treaty
Member states of the World Health Organization (WHO) have reached a tentative consensus to negotiate a future agreement on preventing pandemics, bridging the gap between sides led by the European Union and United States, diplomats have said.
The draft resolution, hammered out in negotiations over the weekend, will be presented for adoption to health ministers at the WHO’s three-day special assembly that opens on Monday, they said.
The diplomatic breakthrough came amid growing international concern over the Omicron variant.
South Africa to enter fourth COVID-19 wave
South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa has said that his country should expect a fourth wave of coronavirus infections in the wake of the discovery of the omicron variant.
But he said authorities would not be considering economic lockdown restrictions for the time being. Ramaphosa also called on countries to “urgently” reverse travel bans.
WHO says it is not yet clear if Omicron causes more severe disease
The WHO has said that it is not yet clear if the new variant is more transmissible compared to other SARS-CoV-2 variants or if it causes more severe disease.
“Preliminary data suggests that there are increasing rates of 壯陽藥 hospitalisation in South Africa, but this may be due to increasing overall numbers of people becoming infected, rather than a result of specific infection with Omicron,” it said.
Keep borders open as we tackle new variant: WHO
The head of the WHO in Africa has urged countries to follow the science rather than imposing flight bans in a bid to contain the new Omicron variant.
“With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, putting in place travel bans that target Africa attacks global solidarity,” said WHO regional director general Matshidiso Moeti
OPEC postpones technical meetings to evaluate Omicron impact: Report
The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is moving two technical meetings to later this week in order to give committees more time to evaluate the impact of the Omicron variant, Bloomberg News has reported, citing delegates from some member countries.
Swiss vote to approve COVID restrictions
Swiss voters have backed the government’s pandemic response plan in a referendum by a clear majority, paving the way for the continuation of exceptional measures to stem the rising tide of cases.
The government’s tally showed a majority of 62.01 percent of voters supporting the law passed earlier this year to provide financial aid to people hit by the COVID-19 crisis and allowing for COVID-certificates, which provide proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test and which are currently required to enter restaurants and certain events.
Djokovic ‘probably won’t’ play Australian Open
Novak Djokovic “probably won’t” play the Australian Open in January over mandatory COVID vaccination rules, the world number one’s father has said, likening the restrictions to “blackmail”.
The 34-year-old Djokovic, who would be bidding for a record-breaking 21st Grand Slam title in Melbourne, has refused to say whether or not he has been vaccinated against coronavirus.
But Australian Open tournament chief Craig Tiley has said that all players must be inoculated to take part.
UK records third case of Omicron
The UK has recorded the third case of the Omicron variant, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) said, adding that the individual, who was no longer in the UK, was linked to travel to southern Africa.
UKHSA said that while in the UK, the individual was in Westminster in central London. Read more here.
