Health experts: Omi Keron strain appears to highlight inequality in vaccine distribution

Health experts: Omi Keron strain appears to highlight inequality in vaccine distribution

Health expert: Omi Kiron strain appears to highlight inequality in vaccine distribution Health experts: Omi Kiron strain appears to highlight inequality in vaccine distribution

Xinhua News Agency, Beijing, November 29.
The emergence of the mutated new crown virus Omi Keron has brought new challenges to global epidemic prevention
.

Health experts believe that overstocking of new crown vaccines in wealthy countries leads to unequal distribution of vaccines, which is an important factor in the birth of this new strain

Michael Head, a senior researcher on global health issues at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom, told CNN that previous large-scale pandemics of the new coronavirus have appeared in areas where the epidemic is severe and uncontrolled.
For example, the United Kingdom first reported the discovery of alpha in December last year.
Strain, India reported the discovery of the Delta strain in February this year
.

The Omi Keron strain was detected for the first time in South Africa on November 9
.

Heide said that there are still many people in the world who have not been vaccinated against the new crown, such as in sub-Saharan Africa; the emergence of the Omi Keron strain is "a natural result of slow global vaccination

According to data from the World Health Organization, in low-income countries, the proportion of the population receiving at least one dose of the new crown vaccine is only 7.
5 %.
Because the Omi Kiron strain is most affected by travel restrictions in the eight African countries, the vaccination rate is widespread On the low side, Malawi is as low as 5.
6%
.

In high-income countries, 63.

7.

Heide said, “The more affluent countries have hoarded more than the actual amount needed, and they have not fulfilled their pledge to donate vaccines to the (WHO-led) New Coronary Pneumonia Vaccine Implementation Plan or directly donate vaccines to other countries.
” This has led to South Africa and others.
One of the reasons for the lack of vaccines in many countries
.

According to the WHO plan, at least 40% of the population in each country should be vaccinated before the end of this year; the vaccination rate will reach 70% by mid-2022
.

This goal currently seems difficult to achieve

Gordon Brown, the WHO Global Health Funding Ambassador and former British Prime Minister, wrote in an article published on the 27th in the British "Guardian" that "part of the population in developing countries has not been vaccinated, and now we are struggling to deal with it.
" The emergence of new strains in the poorest countries poses a threat to people in the richest countries, even those who have completed the entire vaccination process
.

”

Richard Lessers, an infectious pathologist at the University of Kwazulu-Natal in South Africa, believes that the reaction of rich countries to South Africa’s report of the Omi Keron strain is an example of the selfishness of these countries
.

He said that the "only and biggest response" made by the United Kingdom and Europe was to impose a travel ban, but "not a word about helping African countries control the epidemic, and especially not about solving the problem of unfair vaccine distribution

Focus on the new crown pneumonia epidemic