https://www.scmp.com/rss/505485/feed The latest stories on the coronavirus cases in Africa. The continent is witnessing new cases of Covid-19 in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, as well as other, smaller states. The search for a cure for coronavirus has led to chloroquine poisoning in Nigeria after US President Donald Trump encouraged people to take the antimalarial drug to ward off the disease. Although the pandemic began in Wuhan, China, Africa's coronavirus epidemic originated in Europe after people travelled between the... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com China could play a bigger role in reducing poverty and improving health outcomes in other countries, according to American billionaire Bill Gates, who unveiled US$50 million funding to support a joint disease and medicine research organisation with China. In a speech at the Global Health Drug Discovery Institute (GHDDI) in Beijing on Thursday, the Microsoft founder said there was an urgent need to address global challenges, such as hunger crises, climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3224219/bill-gates-hails-chinas-potential-cut-poverty-and-improve-health-overseas-he-unveils-us50-million?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3224219/bill-gates-hails-chinas-potential-cut-poverty-and-improve-health-overseas-he-unveils-us50-million?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jun 2023 12:00:14 +0000 The world is confronting multiple, compounding crises, from Covid-19, energy, inflation, debt and climate shocks to unaffordable living costs and political instability. The need for ambitious action cannot be greater. However, the return of failed policies such as austerity, now called “fiscal restraint” or “fiscal consolidation”, and a lack of effective taxation and debt-reduction initiatives threaten to exacerbate the macroeconomic instability and daily hardships that billions of people are... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202657/pandemic-austerity-plans-benefit-few-expense-many-must-go?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3202657/pandemic-austerity-plans-benefit-few-expense-many-must-go?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Dec 2022 04:23:22 +0000 A pair of new Omicron subvariants has emerged, raising the possibility that survivors of earlier Omicron strains can get reinfected. BA.4 and BA.5 have gained increasing attention in South Africa as weekly coronavirus cases tripled in the last two weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. “It really came out of the blue over the weekend. We were already settling down with BA.2.12.1, and then BA.4 and BA.5?” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious diseases expert at University of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3176516/coronavirus-new-covid-19-variants-emerge-likely-reinfecting-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3176516/coronavirus-new-covid-19-variants-emerge-likely-reinfecting-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 May 2022 12:45:17 +0000 The World Health Organization said on Monday it is tracking a few dozen cases of two new subvariants of the highly transmissible Omicron strain of the coronavirus to assess whether they are more infectious or dangerous. It has added BA.4 and BA.5, sister variants of the original BA.1 Omicron variant, to its list for monitoring. It is already tracking BA.1 and BA.2 – now globally dominant – as well as BA.1.1 and BA.3. The WHO said it had begun tracking them because of their “additional mutations... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3173920/who-tracking-two-new-omicron-coronavirus-subvariants?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3173920/who-tracking-two-new-omicron-coronavirus-subvariants?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 Apr 2022 21:39:26 +0000 German vaccine maker BioNTech, which developed the first widely approved shot against Covid-19 together with Pfizer, unveiled plans on Wednesday to establish manufacturing facilities in Africa that would boost the availability of much-needed medicines on the continent. The modular design presented at a ceremony in Marburg, Germany, consists of shipping containers fitted with the equipment necessary to make the company’s mRNA-based vaccine, save for the final step of putting doses into bottles, a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3167330/biontech-plans-modular-coronavirus-vaccine-factories-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3167330/biontech-plans-modular-coronavirus-vaccine-factories-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Feb 2022 17:21:25 +0000 South Africa’s health regulator has registered the Sinopharm Covid-19 shot, clearing the way for the Chinese vaccine’s use for adults in the country. “This authorisation is based on acceptable safety, quality and efficacy data submitted by MC Pharma Pty (Ltd)” over the period from July to December, according to a statement from the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority, or Sahpra. The inactivated vaccine – imported by MC Pharma in South Africa – was developed by Sinopharm and the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3166141/coronavirus-south-african-health-regulator-registers-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3166141/coronavirus-south-african-health-regulator-registers-chinese?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2022 23:00:31 +0000 The World Health Organization and the Commonwealth of Nations issued a joint plea on Monday for vulnerable small states to get better access to Covid-19 jabs to help revive their economies. WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland met at the UN health agency’s headquarters in Geneva to sign an agreement focused on ending the pandemic and combating vaccine inequity. “The impact of the pandemic will be felt for decades, especially among the most... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3166161/who-commonwealth-make-covid-19-jabs-access-plea-vulnerable-small?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3166161/who-commonwealth-make-covid-19-jabs-access-plea-vulnerable-small?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 07 Feb 2022 14:25:56 +0000 Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on Sunday declared a state of emergency to help deal with an unprecedented 10-day occupation by protesting truckers that has shut down much of the core of the Canadian capital. “(This) reflects the serious danger and threat to the safety and security of residents posed by the ongoing demonstrations and highlights the need for support from other jurisdictions and levels of government,” he said in a statement. Watson, who complained earlier in the day that the demonstrators... https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/us-canada/article/3166039/coronavirus-hit-and-run-vaccine-protests-canada-russia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/us-canada/article/3166039/coronavirus-hit-and-run-vaccine-protests-canada-russia?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Feb 2022 16:15:06 +0000 US biotech billionaire Patrick Soon-Shiong launched a plant that will produce a billion Covid-19 vaccine doses a year in Cape Town by 2025, which would make it the biggest such factory in Africa and could help the least vaccinated continent tackle the pandemic. Africa has struggled to secure vaccines while wealthy countries were already giving their populations shots. To date just 10.1 per cent of Africa’s 1.2 billion people are fully vaccinated. That compares with 62 per cent of Americans and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3164004/us-billionaire-patrick-soon-shiong-launches-giant-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3164004/us-billionaire-patrick-soon-shiong-launches-giant-coronavirus?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Jan 2022 18:26:37 +0000 The Omicron coronavirus variant causes less severe disease than the Delta strain even in those who are unvaccinated or who haven’t had a prior Covid-19 infection, a study from South Africa’s Western Cape province showed. The research in the region where Cape Town is the capital compared 11,609 patients from the first three waves of infection, the most recent of which was caused by the Delta variant, and 5,144 patients from the latest Omicron-driven wave. The findings add to growing evidence that... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3163444/coronavirus-omicron-less-severe-even-unvaccinated-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3163444/coronavirus-omicron-less-severe-even-unvaccinated-south-africa?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 14 Jan 2022 10:36:29 +0000 Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa said on Wednesday that China would be donating a further 10 million Covid-19 vaccine doses over the course of 2022. Zimbabwe, like most African countries, is struggling with low rates of vaccination, because of availability issues as well as vaccine hesitancy or public apathy. The country has so far fully vaccinated just over a fifth of its population of 15 million people, mostly using vaccines either bought from or donated by China. Nearly a third of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3163212/coronavirus-zimbabwe-says-china-donate-10-million-doses-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3163212/coronavirus-zimbabwe-says-china-donate-10-million-doses-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Jan 2022 05:09:46 +0000 South Africa has lifted a midnight to 4am curfew on people’s movement with immediate effect, believing the country has passed the peak of its fourth Covid-19 wave driven by the Omicron variant, a government statement said on Thursday. The country made the changes based on the trajectory of the pandemic, levels of vaccination in the country and available capacity in the health sector, according to a press release issued by Mondli Gungubele, a minister in the presidency. Studies show T cells fight... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3161632/south-africa-lifts-curfew-saying-its-omicron-coronavirus-wave-has?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3161632/south-africa-lifts-curfew-saying-its-omicron-coronavirus-wave-has?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Dec 2021 23:33:57 +0000 The US will lift travel restrictions on eight southern African countries imposed last month over concerns about the fast-spreading Covid-19 Omicron variant, a senior Biden administration official said. Foreign nationals who are barred from the US because they have been in one of the eight countries within the prior 14 days will again be allowed on America-bound flights leaving after 12.01am (ET) on December 31, the official added. Washington on November 29 barred nearly all non-US citizens who... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3161017/coronavirus-us-lift-omicron-travel-ban-8-african?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3161017/coronavirus-us-lift-omicron-travel-ban-8-african?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Dec 2021 13:21:14 +0000 Turkey will send 15 million Covid-19 vaccine doses to Africa, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Saturday at a major summit of the continent’s leaders, adding that the low vaccination rates there were a blot on humanity. Ankara has invested heavily in developing trade and diplomatic ties with the world’s poorest continent during Erdogan’s rule as prime minister and then president since 2003. In opening remarks to dozens of African leaders and ministers gathered in Istanbul, Erdogan said... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3160255/turkeys-erdogan-pledges-15-million-vaccine-doses-africa-low-rates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3160255/turkeys-erdogan-pledges-15-million-vaccine-doses-africa-low-rates?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Dec 2021 13:36:11 +0000 In just three weeks since the world became aware of a new variant of the coronavirus which causes Covid-19, Omicron has demonstrated a stunning pace of growth. The World Health Organization warned member states on Sunday that Omicron appears to have a growth advantage over Delta – an already highly transmissible variant of the virus – and predicts it is likely to outcompete its predecessor where community transmission occurs. But along with the high rate of transmission, Omicron appears to bring... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159809/why-rapid-spread-mild-omicron-cause-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3159809/why-rapid-spread-mild-omicron-cause-alarm?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Dec 2021 04:00:17 +0000 The situation has become indefensible, according to one top health expert. Across Africa, as the Omicron variant extends its reach, more than 80 per cent of the 1.2 billion people on the continent have yet to have a single dose of a coronavirus vaccine and only 8 per cent have received a full regime. In the beginning, the problem was a lack of supply but as the production of doses has been ramped up around the world, the lack of shots in arms has been complicated by vaccine hesitancy, short... https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/health-medicine/article/3159717/omicron-looms-africa-battles-get-vaccine-shots-arms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/health-medicine/article/3159717/omicron-looms-africa-battles-get-vaccine-shots-arms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 22:00:30 +0000 Britain will remove all 11 countries from its Covid-19 travel red list from Wednesday because there is now community transmission of Omicron, Health Secretary Sajid Javid told parliament. The British government added the southern African countries to its red list in late November, meaning that entry was only allowed to UK citizens or residents who then must quarantine in a hotel, in a bid to slow the spread of the new variant. “Now that there is community transmission of Omicron in the UK and... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3159718/coronavirus-uk-lifts-omicron-travel-ban-11-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3159718/coronavirus-uk-lifts-omicron-travel-ban-11-african-nations?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 15:20:32 +0000 Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine appear to have given 70 per cent protection against hospitalisation in South Africa in recent weeks, a major real-world study on the potential impact of Omicron showed on Tuesday, as the country battles a spike in infections linked to the new variant. The study released by South Africa’s largest private health insurance administrator, Discovery Health, was based on more than 211,000 positive Covid-19 test results from November 15 to December 7,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3159687/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-found-be-effective-against?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3159687/pfizer-covid-19-vaccine-found-be-effective-against?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 14 Dec 2021 10:30:04 +0000 South African President Cyril Ramaphosa tested positive for Covid-19 on Sunday and is receiving treatment for mild symptoms, the presidency said in a statement. Ramaphosa, who is fully vaccinated, began feeling unwell after leaving a state memorial service for former deputy president F W de Klerk in Cape Town earlier in the day but was in good spirits and being monitored by doctors, it said. The highly mutated Omicron variant was first detected in South Africa last month and sparked global panic... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3159448/coronavirus-south-africas-cyril-ramaphosa-has-covid-19-symptoms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3159448/coronavirus-south-africas-cyril-ramaphosa-has-covid-19-symptoms?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Dec 2021 21:16:49 +0000 Nigeria plans to ban flights from Argentina, Britain, Canada and Saudi Arabia from this week in retaliation for being added to those countries’ red lists over the detection of the Omicron coronavirus variant last month, the aviation minister said. Several countries have restricted the movement of people from some African nations since the Omicron variant was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong. It has since spread to at least 57 countries. In recorded comments shared with journalists... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3159437/nigeria-plans-reciprocal-ban-flights-four-countries-over-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3159437/nigeria-plans-reciprocal-ban-flights-four-countries-over-covid-19?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 12 Dec 2021 15:56:47 +0000 The Omicron strain may be spreading faster in Britain than in South Africa, with UK cases of the variant possibly topping 60,000 a day by Christmas, according to epidemiologist John Edmunds. It’s likely there are more Omicron cases than confirmed by tests, The Guardian reported, citing Edmunds, who works at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, speaking at a webinar organised by the Royal Society of Medicine on Thursday. The emergence of the Omicron variant and its large number of... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3159235/britains-omicron-cases-could-top-60000-day-christmas-scientist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3159235/britains-omicron-cases-could-top-60000-day-christmas-scientist?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Dec 2021 09:25:21 +0000 A World Health Organization advisory body has stuck by its decision not to recommend Covid-19 booster shots for now, but says it will keep a close watch on the impact of the new Omicron coronavirus variant. The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation (Sage) reviewed data from recent months on how well Covid-19 vaccines are holding up over time at a special meeting on Tuesday. They did not discuss data on Omicron, as preliminary studies are only starting to emerge. The group looked at... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159117/coronavirus-who-advisory-group-says-booster-shots-risk?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3159117/coronavirus-who-advisory-group-says-booster-shots-risk?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 13:57:45 +0000 While countries around the world have responded to the emergence of the Omicron variant with stringent lockdowns and travel bans, in the country where it was first identified, things are largely business as usual. During a previous coronavirus outbreak, in March 2020, this country at the southern tip of Africa had instituted one of the strictest lockdowns in the world: its level 5 measures mandated no exercise, no shopping (except at supermarkets), no school, a 7pm–5am curfew, no alcohol or... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3159078/omicron-why-south-africans-are-keeping-calm-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3159078/omicron-why-south-africans-are-keeping-calm-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Dec 2021 11:15:12 +0000 China has started putting in place the logistics to supply its promised extra 1 billion doses of Covid-19 vaccines to Africa. Senior Chinese diplomat Yang Jiechi, on his second visit to the continent this year, said supply and transport of the vaccines to African countries would be arranged as soon as possible. “Closing the immunisation gap and addressing the inequity of vaccine distribution is a top priority,” he told Chinese state news agency Xinhua in Sierra Leone on Monday. Yang’s visit to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158897/china-says-covid-19-vaccines-africa-top-priority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3158897/china-says-covid-19-vaccines-africa-top-priority?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Dec 2021 10:06:23 +0000 South African researchers have provided the first tentative answers to the question of how well vaccines currently in use may protect against Omicron, the new and highly mutated coronavirus variant. Their findings, made public on Tuesday ahead of peer review, indicated the variant was significantly better at evading virus-fighting antibodies produced by the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine than previous strains. However, evasion was not complete and boosters could help increase protection, the findings... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158903/could-vaccines-beat-back-omicron-south-african-study-offers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158903/could-vaccines-beat-back-omicron-south-african-study-offers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Dec 2021 08:58:54 +0000 When South African officials held a briefing introducing a new and worrying coronavirus variant late last month, the reaction was swift: countries around the world threw up travel bans, decimating flight schedules and isolating nations across southern Africa. As African leaders decried the moves and warned of dire economic impacts, the global fallout began. A top South African scientist said the bans were disrupting imports of lab materials critical for generating data needed by the world. And a... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158694/omicron-puts-travel-bans-and-vaccines-inequity-front-and-centre?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158694/omicron-puts-travel-bans-and-vaccines-inequity-front-and-centre?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Dec 2021 22:00:29 +0000 In theory, the world should be in a better position to deal with the Omicron variant after nearly two years of battling Covid-19. But despite the World Health Organization’s call for calm, there is panic in the air. Many nations have suspended flights from South Africa, where the highly mutated variant was first found, and its neighbouring countries. Some have also closed their borders to non-citizens. However, with Omicron spreading to about one-third of US states and more than 40 countries,... https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/analysis-opinion/article/3158793/omicron-shows-nations-need-work-together-not-slam?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/coronavirus/analysis-opinion/article/3158793/omicron-shows-nations-need-work-together-not-slam?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Dec 2021 12:00:23 +0000 Tap here to launch this special feature https://www.scmp.com/infographics/world/article/3158620/omicron-variant-visual-guide-symptoms-cases-spread-map-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/infographics/world/article/3158620/omicron-variant-visual-guide-symptoms-cases-spread-map-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Dec 2021 21:30:09 +0000 The Omicron variant, now present in at least 23 countries around the world, was probably incubated in the body of a person with an immune system battered by HIV or another immune-compromising condition that can cause a prolonged coronavirus infection, according to the South African scientist who detected the fast-spreading genetic mutant. Tulio de Oliveira, director of South Africa’s Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation at Stellenbosch University, said the emergence of Omicron in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158645/omicron-variant-likely-born-hiv-patient-says-south-african?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158645/omicron-variant-likely-born-hiv-patient-says-south-african?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 06 Dec 2021 09:30:40 +0000 A corporate Christmas party in Norway turned into an Omicron superspreader event, with up to 60 people possibly infected, officials say. The outbreak has become the biggest outside South Africa, where researchers first detected the new coronavirus variant. “This party has been a superspreader event,” Preben Aavitsland, a senior doctor at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health said. “Our working hypothesis is that at least half of the 120 participants were infected with the Omicron variant... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3158545/norway-christmas-party-largest-omicron-superspreader-outside?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3158545/norway-christmas-party-largest-omicron-superspreader-outside?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 05 Dec 2021 12:26:22 +0000 The Omicron coronavirus variant has been detected in 38 countries but no deaths have yet been reported, the WHO said on Friday, as authorities worldwide rushed to stem the heavily mutated Covid-19 strain’s spread amid warnings that it could damage the global economic recovery. The United States and Australia became the latest countries to confirm locally transmitted cases of the variant, as Omicron infections pushed South Africa’s total cases past three million. The World Health Organization has... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158443/coronavirus-who-says-no-omicron-deaths-yet-variant-detected-38?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158443/coronavirus-who-says-no-omicron-deaths-yet-variant-detected-38?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Dec 2021 23:31:09 +0000 About 1,600 children and 400 other people have been quarantined at Lake Geneva in western Switzerland because of two cases of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The two cases at an international school were linked to a family member who had returned from a trip to South Africa, the health authorities of the cantons of Vaud and Geneva reported on Thursday evening. Anyone who had been staying at Founex, one of the three sites of the International School of Geneva, is affected. Founex is about... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3158418/switzerland-2000-people-quarantined-after-two-covid-19-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3158418/switzerland-2000-people-quarantined-after-two-covid-19-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Dec 2021 14:31:33 +0000 The Omicron coronavirus strain has shown “substantial” ability to evade natural immunity and increases the risk of reinfection, South African scientists at the forefront of researching the new variant of concern have found. Early evidence presented by the researchers suggests the risk of coronavirus reinfection increased threefold between the beginning of October and the end of November, the period when scientists believe the new variant was on the rise. This differed from what they observed... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158344/omicron-has-substantial-ability-evade-natural-immunity-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158344/omicron-has-substantial-ability-evade-natural-immunity-south?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Dec 2021 09:30:19 +0000 A preliminary study by South African scientists published Thursday suggests the Omicron variant is three times more likely to cause reinfections compared to the Delta or Beta strains. The findings, based on data collected by the country’s health system, provides the first epidemiological evidence about Omicron’s ability to evade immunity from prior infection. The paper was uploaded on a medical preprint server and has not yet been peer-reviewed. There were 35,670 suspected reinfections among... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158248/reinfections-three-times-more-likely-omicron-coronavirus-variant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158248/reinfections-three-times-more-likely-omicron-coronavirus-variant?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Dec 2021 22:57:15 +0000 Competition is brewing between China and the United States in Africa. After US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s visit to reenergise American engagement last month, the recently concluded Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in Senegal spotlighted China’s trade, investment and political ties on the continent. Coupled with the emotions that China’s presence in Africa often invokes in the West, Africa is sometimes framed as another venue in a new Cold War-style rivalry between Beijing and... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3158026/how-us-china-team-effort-africa-could-lower-tensions-and-benefit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3158026/how-us-china-team-effort-africa-could-lower-tensions-and-benefit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Dec 2021 17:00:20 +0000 The Omicron coronavirus variant is spreading faster in Gauteng, the epicentre of the latest outbreak in South Africa, than the Delta strain or any of the earlier mutations, an adviser to the provincial government said. There is the “strongest acceleration in community transmission ever seen in South Africa”, and is “consistent with dominance of a variant that is more transmissible”, Bruce Mellado, the adviser, said in a presentation on Thursday. South Africa announced the discovery of a new... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158234/omicron-spreading-quicker-all-other-covid-19-variants-south?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3158234/omicron-spreading-quicker-all-other-covid-19-variants-south?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 02 Dec 2021 15:30:32 +0000 Relations between China and Africa are healthy, as demonstrated by the recent forum between the sides hosted by Senegal. Among the agreements forged were pacts on cooperation to 2035 and a declaration on climate change. Importantly for the continent, President Xi Jinping announced a donation of 1 billion coronavirus vaccines to improve a worryingly low immunisation rate, urgently needed as a new variant takes hold. The moves are proof that ties are strengthening despite global challenges, to the... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3158088/beijing-jab-donations-show-it-has-health-africa-its-heart?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3158088/beijing-jab-donations-show-it-has-health-africa-its-heart?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 17:30:44 +0000 Scientists have urged the world to help vaccinate Africa against Covid-19 to reduce global transmission rates, limit the emergence of new variants and better control the pandemic. In an opinion piece published in the journal Nature on Thursday, four scientists and clinical practitioners working in hospitals and laboratories across South Africa said vaccine equity across the continent and a reduction in the stigma surrounding HIV could help reduce the number of future variants. “A failure to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158062/scientists-call-world-help-africa-covid-19-vaccines-wake-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3158062/scientists-call-world-help-africa-covid-19-vaccines-wake-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 16:30:16 +0000 Countries across the world scrambled this week to impose border and travel curbs after the new Omicron variant emerged. But in China, it was business as usual. While scientists race to figure out whether the Covid-19 variant first sequenced in South Africa will pose a bigger problem than the highly infectious Delta strain, countries ranging from the UK and Israel to Japan erred on the side of caution. They put in place pre-emptive defences and travel restrictions designed to keep the variant... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157996/chinas-zero-covid-stand-vindicated-omicron-shuts-borders-around?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157996/chinas-zero-covid-stand-vindicated-omicron-shuts-borders-around?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 01 Dec 2021 06:27:46 +0000 Chinese President Xi Jinping appears to be banking on the private sector to drive the next phase of China-Africa cooperation as China’s policy banks take a cautious approach to lending. Speaking via a video link from Beijing during the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC) on Monday, Xi outlined nine initiatives China planned to implement in the next three years, most of them relating to providing coronavirus vaccines, growing trade and encouraging private Chinese companies to invest in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157912/xi-jinping-plays-roles-private-sector-china-africa-trade-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3157912/xi-jinping-plays-roles-private-sector-china-africa-trade-and?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Nov 2021 22:00:23 +0000 For someone who is not a professional journalist, I seem frequently to be blessed with opportunities to look at societies through “fieldwork research” beyond my original intentions. I walked into the lion’s den again as I began a three-month visit to South Africa on November 24. Little did I know South Africa had identified the newest coronavirus variant that has a large number of mutations and has shown, based on preliminary evidence, an increased risk of reinfection, and that as a responsible... https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3157766/why-shunning-south-africa-based-covid-19-omicron-variant-fears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/comment/opinion/article/3157766/why-shunning-south-africa-based-covid-19-omicron-variant-fears?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Nov 2021 19:30:12 +0000 The Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to enter China, but mainstream tests will be able to detect any cases, and the country’s zero-Covid response will block community transmission, according to a senior public health official. “Omicron was present not only in Africa but also [many countries outside Africa] and might possibly have spread in the community, which means the variant has a high chance of being introduced to China,” Xu Wenbo, head of the National Institute for Viral Disease... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157855/omicron-likely-enter-china-expert-confident-zero-covid-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157855/omicron-likely-enter-china-expert-confident-zero-covid-strategy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 30 Nov 2021 06:01:26 +0000 US President Joe Biden cautioned Americans against panicking over a new variant of the coronavirus recently identified in South Africa, and urged them to instead get vaccinated or obtain booster shots. “This variant is a cause for concern. Not a cause for panic,” Biden said in remarks at the White House after a private briefing from his health advisers. He said the administration does not yet believe new formulations of coronavirus vaccines will be necessary, but that it is already working with... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3157812/joe-biden-cautions-against-panic-over-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3157812/joe-biden-cautions-against-panic-over-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Nov 2021 17:52:59 +0000 South Africa’s daily Covid-19 infection rate could triple to more than 10,000 by the end of this week as the new Omicron variant spreads rapidly, a top infectious disease expert said on Monday. Professor Salim Abdool Karim, the government’s chief adviser during the initial response to the pandemic, also said that while existing vaccines should be effective at preventing severe disease from the variant, South African hospitals could be under pressure from a flood of admissions within two to three... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3157809/south-africas-coronavirus-cases-could-triple-week-omicron-variant?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3157809/south-africas-coronavirus-cases-could-triple-week-omicron-variant?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Nov 2021 16:00:49 +0000 Malawi’s President Lazarus Chakwera on Sunday accused Western countries of “Afrophobia” for shutting their borders to his and other neighbouring nations after South Africa flagged a new coronavirus variant last week. Dozens of countries have barred flights from southern Africa in a bid to keep the variant, named Omicron, off their shores. Chakwera is currently chairing the 16-nation Southern African Development Community (SADC) which has seen most of its members blacklisted, sparking... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3157695/coronavirus-malawi-president-blasts-afrophobic-virus-travel-bans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3157695/coronavirus-malawi-president-blasts-afrophobic-virus-travel-bans?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Nov 2021 18:26:34 +0000 Dutch health authorities said on Sunday that 13 cases of the new Omicron coronavirus variant have been found in the Netherlands among passengers that were on two flights from South Africa that arrived on Friday. They were among 61 passengers who tested positive for Covid-19 on the two flights, which carried about 600 people. Those who tested positive are being kept in isolation at a hotel near the airport. “In our [virus] sequencing investigation, which is still ongoing, we have so far found 13... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3157685/coronavirus-dutch-confirm-13-omicron-cases-among-61-positive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3157685/coronavirus-dutch-confirm-13-omicron-cases-among-61-positive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Nov 2021 13:30:32 +0000 South Africa has complained it is being “punished” for detecting a new Covid-19 variant which the World Health Organization has termed a “variant of concern” and is more transmissible than the dominant Delta strain. The decision by a host of countries to ban flights from southern Africa following the discovery of the Omicron variant “is akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker,” the foreign affairs ministry said in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3157617/south-africa-complains-flight-bans-are-punishment-it-detecting-omicron-new?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3157617/south-africa-complains-flight-bans-are-punishment-it-detecting-omicron-new?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Nov 2021 13:02:14 +0000 The Netherlands says 61 flight passengers arriving from South Africa have tested positive for the virus amid worldwide concern about the new variant first detected there. Meanwhile, the United Arab Emirates says it has given all of its citizens at least one Covid-19 jab. Dutch health authorities said on Saturday that 61 passengers from two flights from Johannesburg tested positive for Covid-19, with the results being examined for the new Omicron variant. “We now know that 61 of the results were... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3157610/netherlands-says-61-positive-covid-19-flights-south-africa-uae?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3157610/netherlands-says-61-positive-covid-19-flights-south-africa-uae?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Nov 2021 10:12:08 +0000 The World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday designated a new Covid-19 variant detected in South Africa with a large number of mutations as being “of concern”, the fifth variant to be given the designation. The WHO said in a statement that it had assigned the B. 1.1.529 variant the Greek letter Omicron. The UN health agency also said early evidence on the variant has shown an increased risk of reinfection compared to other highly transmissible variants, indicating that people who contracted... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3157579/who-designates-coronavirus-variant-found-south-africa-concern?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/africa/article/3157579/who-designates-coronavirus-variant-found-south-africa-concern?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Nov 2021 18:28:59 +0000 Stocks closed sharply lower on Wall Street on Friday, after the new Omicron coronavirus variant detected in South Africa appeared to be spreading across the globe and the European Union proposed suspending air travel from southern Africa. The Dow Jones Industrial Average lost 905 points. The S&P 500 index fell 2.3 per cent, its worst day since February and the Nasdaq composite had its worst drop in two months. Travel and energy stocks are among the biggest losers, with Royal Caribbean, Carnival... https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3157575/stocks-sink-new-covid-19-variant-dow-jones-loses-900-points-airlines-hammered?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/article/3157575/stocks-sink-new-covid-19-variant-dow-jones-loses-900-points-airlines-hammered?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Nov 2021 16:04:06 +0000