Will Omicron Variant Spur End to Vaccine Apartheid?

Sonali Kolhatkar speaks with Peter Maybarduk, the Public Citizen’s Global access to Medicines Director

South Africa’s sophisticated scientific infrastructure has detected and sequenced a new mutated variant of the COVID-19 virus and alerted the world about its existence. The new variant, dubbed Omicron, was in the Netherlands, Europe, a week before being detected by South African scientists but that hasn’t stopped the U.S. from imposing travel bans on several African nations including South Africa.

It is not yet clear if symptoms from the Omicron variant are milder or worse than the Delta variant, if it is more transmissible, or if it responds badly to existing vaccines. But, critics point out that the longer that “vaccine aparthied” persists--wherein rich nations are hoarding vaccines--the more the virus has a chance to mutate.

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Coronavirus Covid COVID-19 Europe Free Speech TVOmicron Infrastructure Netherlands Omicron Variant Peter Maybarduk Public Citizen Rising Up with Sonali Sonali Kolhatkar South Africa Travel Ban Vaccine Mandates