South Africa

South Africa new Covid cases double in 24 hours as Omicron spreads

Thu, 2021-12-02 11:26 — mike kraft

Covid: South Africa new cases double in 24 hours as Omicron spreads The new Omicron variant has now become dominant, the country's top medical scientists say. BBC News

Health officials say the new coronavirus variant Omicron has now become dominant in South Africa and is driving a sharp increase in new infections.

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Germany shuts out unvaccinated, other internstional developments

Thu, 2021-12-02 11:11 — mike kraft

Live updates: Germany shuts out unvaccinated, eyes mandate | AP News BERLIN - Germans who aren’t vaccinated are to be excluded from nonessential stores, cultural and recreational venues. Also, Germany’s parliament is to consider a general vaccine mandate. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Thursday the measures were necessary in light of concerns that hospitals in Germany could become overloaded with COVID-19 patients. AP NEWS

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Merkel said, “The situation in our country is serious.”

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World overview: Omicron and delta spell return of unpopular restrictions in many but not all countries

Thu, 2021-12-02 10:56 — mike kraft

Omicron and delta spell return of unpopular restrictions | AP News PARIS (AP) — Greeks who are over age 60 and refuse coronavirus vaccinations could be hit with monthly fines of more than one-quarter of their pensions — a get-tough policy that the country's politicians say will cost votes but save lives. AP NEWS

PARIS (AP) — ...

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Previous infection protected against Delta. That doesn't seem to be the case with Omicron, South African expert says

Thu, 2021-12-02 10:32 — mike kraft

Previous infection protected against Delta. That doesn't seem to be the case with Omicron, expert says South Africa is seeing an increase in coronavirus reinfections in patients who contract the Omicron variant, Anne von Gottberg, a microbiologist from the country's National Institute for Communicable Diseases, said during a Thursday news briefing. By Rhea Mogul, Adam Renton, Sheena McKenzie & Ed Upright, CNN CNN

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1st US case of COVID-19 omicron variant identified--Fauci

Wed, 2021-12-01 14:25 — mike kraft

Fauci: 1st US case of COVID-19 omicron variant identified | AP News WASHINGTON (AP) — A person in California who had been vaccinated against COVID-19 became the first in the U.S. to have an identified case of the omicron variant, the White House announced Wednesday as scientists continue to study the risks posed by the new virus strain. AP NEWS

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Vaccines are finally available in many African countries, but some people there, as well as in South Asia, are wary of taking them.

Wed, 2021-12-01 12:31 — mike kraft

JOHANNESBURG — The detection of the Omicron variant in Africa signals the next stage of the battle against Covid-19: getting many more people inoculated in poorer nations where vaccines have been scarcest in order to deter new mutations from developing.

But while world leaders sometimes talk about this as if it were largely a matter of delivering doses overseas, the experience of South Africa, at least, hints at a far more complex set of challenges.

Like many poor countries, South Africa was made to wait months for vaccines as wealthier countries monopolized them. Many countries still do not have anywhere near enough doses to inoculate their populations.

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Omicron brings COVID-19 vaccine inequity ‘home to roost’

Mon, 2021-11-29 20:15 — mike kraft

Omicron brings COVID-19 vaccine inequity 'home to roost' | AP News LONDON (AP) — The emergence of the new omicron variant and the world's desperate and likely futile attempts to keep it at bay are reminders of what scientists have warned for months: The coronavirus will thrive as long as vast parts of the world lack vaccines. AP NEWS

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Omicron outbreak turns up heat on EU over vaccine access

Mon, 2021-11-29 11:40 — mike kraft

Omicron outbreak turns up heat on EU over vaccine access India and South Africa want a waiver on patents, but Brussels is not budging. POLITICO

An outbreak of the new Omicron coronavirus variant in Southern Africa is boosting critics of the EU, who say that Brussels is preventing a quick roll-out of jabs across poor nations by zealously defending vaccine patents.

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Moderna CEO says it'll take months to develop, ship coronavirus vaccine targeting omicron variant

Mon, 2021-11-29 10:47 — mike kraft

Moderna CEO says it'll take months to develop, ship coronavirus The CEO of Moderna on Monday said it will take months for the company to develop and ship a vaccine that targets the new COVID-19 omicron variant. Mychael Schnell TheHill

The CEO of Moderna on Monday said it will take months for the company to develop and ship a vaccine that targets the new COVID-19 omicron variant.

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Scientists Are Racing to Find Out if Vaccines will Stop Omicron.

Mon, 2021-11-29 10:44 — mike kraft

As nations severed air links from southern Africa amid fears of another global surge of the coronavirus, scientists scrambled on Sunday to gather data on the new Omicron variant, its capabilities and — perhaps most important — how effectively the current vaccines will protect against it.

The early findings are a mixed picture. The variant may be more transmissible and better able to evade the body’s immune responses, both to vaccination and to natural infection, than prior versions of the virus, experts said in interviews.

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