<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106990564-1639689436720-gettyimages-1359399089-ay4i2806_30bb4881-efb6-47c6-aaf6-f4a239332ae1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414283" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106990564-1639689436720-gettyimages-1359399089-ay4i2806_30bb4881-efb6-47c6-aaf6-f4a239332ae1.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106990564-1639689436720-gettyimages-1359399089-ay4i2806_30bb4881-efb6-47c6-aaf6-f4a239332ae1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106990564-1639689436720-gettyimages-1359399089-ay4i2806_30bb4881-efb6-47c6-aaf6-f4a239332ae1-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Alejandro Brown receives a Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine from a healthcare worker at a drive-thru site at Tropical Park on December 16, 2021 in Miami, Florida. Joe Raedle | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Covid will become an endemic disease as early as 2024, Pfizer executives said Friday, meaning the virus will transition from a global emergency to a constant presence causing regional outbreaks across the world — much like the flu.



“We believe Covid will transition to an&nbsp;endemic&nbsp;state, potentially by 2024,” Nanette Cocero, global president of Pfizer Vaccines, said during an investor call Friday.



Covid-19 would reach the endemic level when populations have enough immunity from vaccines or from prior infections to keep transmissions, hospitalizations and deaths under control even as the virus circulates.



“When and how exactly this happens will depend on the evolution of the disease, how effectively society deploys vaccines and treatments, and equitable distribution to places where vaccination rates are low,” Pfizer chief scientific officer Mikael Dolsten said. “The emergence of new variants could also impact how the pandemic continues to play out.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-africa-needs-to-make-own-vaccines-but-hurdles-are-high-experts-say">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/africa-needs-to-make-own-vaccines-but-hurdles-are-high-experts-say/">Africa needs to make own vaccines but hurdles are high, experts say</a></h3>



The timing of Covid’s transition to an endemic state could vary from place to place, according to Dolsten.



“It seems like over the next year or two, some regions will transition to an&nbsp;endemic&nbsp;model while other regions will continue in pandemic mode,” Dolsten said.



The comments from Pfizer executives come as the U.S. battles a surge of Covid cases led by the delta variant, while the omicron strain quickly spreads. The seven-day average of new hospital admissions for Covid jumped 4% from the prior week, Centers for Disease Control Director Rochelle Walensky said Friday in a White House briefing.



Stockpiling vaccines and Covid treatments such as Pfizer’s oral antiviral pill could become more commonplace as the disease becomes endemic, Angela Hwang, group president of the Pfizer Biopharmaceuticals Group, said.



Pfizer expects countries will prioritize annual revaccination, Cocero said.

106990564-1639689436720-gettyimages-1359399089-ay4i2806_30bb4881-efb6-47c6-aaf6-f4a239332ae1

Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="563" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-820x563.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411716" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-820x563.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-300x206.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-131x90.jpg 131w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-768x527.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-1536x1054.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/ADQOYSLRQBLPDMQ2VOQFC6BNRU-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: A health worker talks to her colleagues as they prepare to receive the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine under the COVAX scheme against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) at the Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi, Kenya March 5, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi</figcaption></figure>



DAKAR, Dec 14 (Reuters) &#8211; Africa is experiencing its fastest surge in COVID-19 cases this year, with the number up 83% in the past week, although deaths remain low, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday.



The spike in cases is driven by the Delta and <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/how-worried-should-we-be-about-omicron-variant-2021-11-27">Omicron variants</a>, the WHO said in a statement. The number of new COVID-19 cases on the continent is currently doubling every five days, the shortest time frame reported this year.



Africa&#8217;s low inoculation rates have encouraged viral mutations like the new Omicron variant to spread, according to health experts. The continent struggled to <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-vaccine-protecting-against-hospitalisation-during-omicron-wave-study/">obtain vaccine doses</a> until recently, and is <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-but-africa-cant-get-them-all-into-arms/">facing challenges to distribute</a> them including lack of funds, staff and equipment.



As of Monday, only 20 African countries had vaccinated at least 10% of their population, according to the WHO. Some countries, like Democratic Republic of Congo and Chad, have vaccinated less than 1%, data collected by Reuters shows.



&#8220;We are cautiously optimistic that deaths and severe illness will remain low in the current wave, but slow vaccine roll-out in Africa means both will be much higher than they should be,&#8221; said Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa.



Africa recorded more than 196,000 new cases for the week ending on Dec. 12, up from around 107,000 the previous week, the WHO said. Deaths dropped by 19% in the same period, it said, and have averaged about 1,000 per week in the fourth pandemic wave.



At the current pace, it will take until May 2022 before Africa reaches 40% vaccination coverage and August 2024 before it reaches 70%, the WHO said.



(Reporting by Nellie Peyton; Editing by William Maclean)

FILE PHOTO: Kenya to kick off coronavirus vaccination campaign with COVAX shots in Nairobi

Africa sees 83% surge in COVID-19 cases in past week

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="728" height="486" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZGQTHP6LK5OBJGQQ3OEWNLNXTY.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414187" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZGQTHP6LK5OBJGQQ3OEWNLNXTY.jpg 728w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZGQTHP6LK5OBJGQQ3OEWNLNXTY-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZGQTHP6LK5OBJGQQ3OEWNLNXTY-135x90.jpg 135w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 728px) 100vw, 728px" /><figcaption>Vials labelled &#8220;VACCINE Coronavirus COVID-19&#8221; and a syringe are seen in front of a displayed Pfizer logo in this illustration taken December 11, 2021. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Dec 14 (Reuters) &#8211; Two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech&#8217;s COVID-19 vaccine appear to have given 70% 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&#8217;s largest private health insurance administrator, Discovery Health, was based on more than 211,000 positive COVID-19 test results from Nov. 15 to Dec. 7, around 78,000 of which were attributed to Omicron.



The 78,000 results are not confirmed Omicron cases, meaning the study is not able to draw conclusive findings about the variant labelled &#8220;of concern&#8221; by the World Health Organization.



South African scientists have so far confirmed around 550 Omicron sequences, with the variant accounting for 78% of sequences from November, more than the previously dominant Delta variant.



South Africa alerted the world to Omicron late last month, triggering alarm that it could cause another surge in global infections, and leading to the imposition of travel restrictions on southern Africa. South Africa&#8217;s daily infections have since risen to around 20,000 in recent days.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-but-africa-can-t-get-them-all-into-arms">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-but-africa-cant-get-them-all-into-arms/">COVID shots are finally arriving, but Africa can’t get them all into arms</a></h3>



Based on analysis by Discovery&#8217;s clinical research and actuarial teams, and in collaboration with South Africa&#8217;s Medical Research Council (SAMRC), the real-world study calculated that two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech offered 70% protection against hospitalisation during the recent surge in cases and 33% protection against infection.



South Africa is using the Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson &amp; Johnson vaccines in its COVID-19 immunisation campaign, with more than 20 million Pfizer doses administered so far.



It concluded that there was a higher risk of reinfection during the fourth wave than during previous waves and that the risk of hospitalisation among adults diagnosed with COVID-19 was 29% lower than during the country&#8217;s first wave early last year.



Children appeared to have a 20% higher risk of hospital admission with complications during the fourth wave than during the first, despite a very low absolute incidence, it said.



Discovery cautioned that the study&#8217;s findings should be considered preliminary.



Glenda Gray, SAMRC president, said it was important that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine appeared to be offering good protection against severe disease and hospitalisation.



(Reporting by Alexander Winning and Wendell Roelf; Editing by Giles Elgood)

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Pfizer vaccine protecting against hospitalisation during Omicron wave – study

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913464-1626783928878-gettyimages-1233680604-AVDjune7.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-410942" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913464-1626783928878-gettyimages-1233680604-AVDjune7.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913464-1626783928878-gettyimages-1233680604-AVDjune7-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/106913464-1626783928878-gettyimages-1233680604-AVDjune7-140x80.jpeg 140w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>In this Photo illustration a World Health Organization(WHO) logo seen displayed on an Android phone.
Avishek Das | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



GENEVA, Dec 13 (Reuters) &#8211; The Omicron coronavirus variant, reported in more than 60 countries, poses a &#8220;very high&#8221; global risk, with some evidence that it evades vaccine protection but clinical data on its severity remain limited, the World Health Organization says.



Considerable uncertainties surround Omicron, first detected last month in South Africa and Hong Kong, whose mutations may lead to higher transmissibility and more cases of COVID-19 disease, the WHO said in a technical brief issued on Sunday.



&#8220;The overall risk related to the new variant of concern <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-countries-must-prepare-who-2021-11-29">Omicron remains very high</a> for a number of reasons,&#8221; it said, reiterating its first assessment of Nov. 29.



&#8220;And second, preliminary evidence suggests potential humoral immune escape against infection and high transmission rates, which could lead to further surges with severe consequences,&#8221; the WHO said, referring to the virus&#8217; potential ability to evade immunity provided by antibodies.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-chief-says-omicron-could-dent-global-economic-growth">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/imf-chief-says-omicron-could-dent-global-economic-growth/">IMF chief says Omicron could dent global economic growth</a></h3>



The WHO cited some preliminary evidence that the number of people getting reinfected with the virus has increased in South Africa.



While preliminary findings from South Africa suggest that Omicron may be less severe than the Delta variant &#8211; currently dominant worldwide &#8211; and all cases reported in the Europe region have been mild or asymptomatic, it remains unclear to what extent Omicron may be inherently less virulent, it said.



&#8220;More data are needed to understand the severity profile,&#8221; it said. &#8220;Even if the severity is potentially lower than for the Delta variant, it is expected that hospitalisations will increase as a result of increasing transmission. More hospitalizations can put a burden on health systems and lead to more deaths.&#8221;



Further information was expected in coming weeks, it added, noting the time lag between infections and outcomes.



(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay, Editing by William Maclean)

106913464-1626783928878-gettyimages-1233680604-AVDjune7

Omicron poses “very high” global risk but data on severity limited – WHO

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6BVOZWSNURNNLFN7XWB75LZTDA-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414088" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6BVOZWSNURNNLFN7XWB75LZTDA-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6BVOZWSNURNNLFN7XWB75LZTDA-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6BVOZWSNURNNLFN7XWB75LZTDA-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6BVOZWSNURNNLFN7XWB75LZTDA-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/6BVOZWSNURNNLFN7XWB75LZTDA.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A healthcare worker administers the Pfizer coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine to a man, amidst the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 variant Omicron, in Johannesburg, South Africa, December 9, 2021. REUTERS/Sumaya Hisham</figcaption></figure>



GENEVA, Dec 9 (Reuters) &#8211; The World Health Organization warned wealthy countries on Thursday against hoarding COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots as they try to fight off the new Omicron variant, threatening supplies to poorer countries where inoculation rates are low.



Many Western nations have been rolling out boosters, targeting the elderly and people with underlying health issues, but worries about the fast-spreading Omicron have prompted some to expand their programmes.



The <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/whos-advisory-panel-outlines-recommendations-boosters-2021-12-09">WHO recommended boosters</a> instead for those with health issues, or those who have received an inactivated shot.



The jury is still out on how effective current vaccines are against Omicron. They have so far proved hugely successful in slowing the spread of the coronavirus and the severity of illness, but low rates of inoculation pose the risk of more dangerous and more vaccine-resistant variants emerging.



&#8220;As we head into whatever the Omicron situation is going to be, there is risk that the global supply is again going to revert to high-income <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/who-wealthy-countries-may-hoard-covid-19-shots-again-fight-new-variant-2021-12-09">countries hoarding vaccine</a>,&#8221; the WHO&#8217;s vaccine director, Kate O&#8217;Brien, told a briefing.



Mike Ryan, WHO emergencies director, said Omicron appeared to be &#8220;fitter and faster&#8221; but it was not invincible.



&#8220;We don&#8217;t fully understand the implications clinically or the implications for our vaccines. &#8230; What we do in the coming days and weeks, both in terms of virus suppression, vaccination and equity will make a huge difference to the evolution of this pandemic in 2022,&#8221; he said.



Omicron was first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong and Africa accounts for 46% of reported cases globally, Richard Mihigo, coordinator of the WHO&#8217;s Immunisation and Vaccine Development Programme for Africa, told an online briefing.



Just 7.5% of more than one billion people in Africa have had primary vaccine shots.



O&#8217;Brien&#8217;s warning came as supplies to the global COVAX vaccine-sharing programme run by the WHO and charity GAVI have increased in the past few months due to donations from wealthy countries and after India eased limits on exports of vaccines.



She said a major problem for COVAX had been wealthy countries donating vaccines with a relatively short shelf life.



The WHO has said in recent months that administering primary doses should be a priority and its vaccine advisory panel recommended on Thursday that people who are immunocompromised or received an inactivated vaccine should receive a booster.



Coronavirus infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in central China two years ago.



More than 267.28 million people have been infected and nearly 5.6 million have died, according to a Reuters tally.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-lockdown-parties">LOCKDOWN PARTIES</h2>



WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world was not on track to meet vaccination targets and that Omicron illustrated the &#8220;perilous situation&#8221; the world was in.



Britain was struggling to enforce tougher restrictions to slow the spread of Omicron after revelations about alleged lockdown parties at Prime Minister Boris Johnson&#8217;s residence provoked an outcry over hypocrisy.



Johnson apologised in parliament for a video showing staff laughing about a party in Downing Street during a 2020 Christmas COVID lockdown when such festivities were banned for the population.



World stock markets stalled at two-week highs on Thursday as increased restrictions in parts of the world to contain the spread of Omicron tempered optimism on the vaccine front.



John Nkengasong, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control, said on Thursday the Serum Institute of India (SII), the world&#8217;s biggest vaccine maker, had let Africa down by pulling out of talks to supply vaccines.



He denounced recent comments from the SII that uptake of its COVID-19 shots had slowed because of low demand from Africa and vaccine hesitancy, saying the real problem lay with the institute.



Serum did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.



Nkengasong said SII had engaged in discussions last year with the Africa Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), and that at one point he had believed a deal was very close, but then SII abruptly ended the talks.



&#8220;Serum just decided to act in a very unprofessional manner and stop communicating with AVATT team, so that created a situation where we found ourselves extremely unhappy &#8230; and then engaged with Johnson &amp; Johnson,&#8221; he said.



African countries had agreed to buy 400 million doses of COVID vaccines from J&amp;J, abandoning efforts with SII, he said.



Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open <a href="https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7">https://tmsnrt.rs/2FThSv7</a> in an external browser. 



Eikon users can click <a href="https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1063154666">https://apac1.apps.cp.thomsonreuters.com/cms/?navid=1063154666</a> for a case tracker.



(Additional reporting by Alexander Winning and Wendell Roelf in Johannesburg and Alistair Smout and Guy Faulconbridge in London; Writing by Nick Macfie; Editing by Susan Fenton)

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WHO warns against vaccine hoarding as poor countries go without

<figure class="wp-block-image" id="block-3a1c7f28-656a-4298-a0a7-0054842d9100"><img decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/106913632-16267943792021-06-25t184217z_2101887965_rc2u7o9yru9z_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who.jpeg" alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is 106913632-16267943792021-06-25t184217z_2101887965_rc2u7o9yru9z_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who.jpeg"/><figcaption>World Health Organization (WHO) Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a bilateral meeting with Swiss Interior and Health Minister Alain Berset on the sidelines of the opening of the 74th World Health Assembly at the WHO headquarters, in Geneva, Switzerland May 24, 2021. Laurent Gillieron | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



GENEVA, Dec 8 (Reuters) &#8211; Governments need to reassess national responses to COVID-19 and speed up vaccination programmes to tackle Omicron, though it is it too early to say how well existing shots will protect against the new variant, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.



The variant&#8217;s global spread suggests it could have a major impact on the COVID-19 pandemic, and the time to contain it is now before more Omicron patients are hospitalised, WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.



&#8220;We call on all countries to increase surveillance, testing and sequencing,&#8221; he told a media briefing. &#8220;&#8230; Any complacency now will cost lives.&#8221;



WHO emergency director Mike Ryan said that as the variant appears to be more easily spread, efforts must be redoubled to break chains of transmission.



The WHO noted early evidence from BioNTech and Pfizer of the effectiveness of their vaccine against Omicron.



The German and U.S. companies said on Wednesday a three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test, while two doses resulted in lower neutralising antibodies by a factor of 25.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="block-cc000e55-36b0-483d-9979-8f14b521a5a5">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/world-faces-an-anxious-wait-as-covid-vaccine-makers-prepare-for-omicron-variant/">World faces an anxious wait as Covid vaccine makers prepare for omicron variant</a></h3>



Warning against jumping to conclusions from the test, the WHO&#8217;s chief scientist said it was too soon to say whether the reduction in neutralising antibodies meant the shot was less effective.



&#8220;It is premature to conclude that this reduction in neutralising activity would result in a significant reduction in vaccine effectiveness. We do not know that because as you know the immune system is much more complex,&#8221; Swaminathan said.



&#8220;And so what we need now is a coordinated research effort and not jumping to conclusions study by study.&#8221;



Ana Maria Henao-Restrepo, WHO head of research and development unit, said that its closed-door meeting of experts on Monday had reviewed variability in the results of early data on vaccine effectiveness against Omicron.



&#8220;Neutralising antibodies are an important piece of information, they play an important role in the control of the infection, but they are only one part of the protection against severe disease,&#8221; she said.



The WHO also said it would publish a review of its stance on booster doses within days, but with vaccination rates worryingly low in much of the developing world, administering primary doses &#8211; rather than boosters &#8211; remained its priority.



&#8220;Wholesale boosters are not the solution,&#8221; Swaminathan said.



(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay and Michael Shields; Writing by John Stonestreet; Editing by Alison Williams and Bernadette Baum)

106913632-16267943792021-06-25t184217z_2101887965_rc2u7o9yru9z_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who

Act now to curb Omicron’s spread, WHO’s Tedros tells world

<figure class="wp-block-image" id="block-9644332c-70fb-42bb-9796-7b488d756de1"><img decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GettyImages-1229877394-820x547.jpg" alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is GettyImages-1229877394-820x547.jpg"/><figcaption>NETHERLANDS &#8211; 2020/11/29: In this photo illustration, a man holds a syringe with a fake Covid-19 vaccine with the Pfizer logo in the background. (Photo Illustration by Robin Utrecht/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



Dec 8 (Reuters) &#8211; BioNTech and Pfizer said on Wednesday a three-shot course of their COVID-19 vaccine was able to neutralise the new Omicron variant in a laboratory test and they could deliver an Omicron-based vaccine in March 2022 if needed.



In the first official statement from vaccine manufacturers on the likely efficacy of their shot against Omicron, BioNTech and Pfizer said that two vaccine doses resulted in significantly lower neutralising antibodies but that a third dose of their vaccine increased the neutralising antibodies by a factor of 25.



Blood obtained from people that had their third booster shot a month ago neutralised the Omicron variant about as effectively as blood after two doses fought off the original virus first identified in China.



&#8220;Ensuring as many people as possible are fully vaccinated with the first two dose series and a booster remains the best course of action to prevent the spread of COVID-19,&#8221; Pfizer boss Albert Bourla said in the statement.



Though the necessity remains unclear, the companies said they would continue their effort to bring an Omicron-specific COVID-19 vaccine to market, which they kick-started when the new lineage first raised global concern among scientists on Nov. 25.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="block-28c6758e-5f78-4e06-b252-5bb6618abc6a">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-but-africa-cant-get-them-all-into-arms/">COVID shots are finally arriving, but Africa can’t get them all into arms</a></h3>



A planned output of 4 billion doses of the Comirnaty vaccine in 2022 was not expected to change if an adapted vaccine was required, they added.



The findings are broadly in line with a preliminary study published by researchers at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa on Tuesday, saying that Omicron can partially evade protection from two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, suggesting also that a third shot might help fend off infection.



A lab analysis at the university hospital of Frankfurt, Germany, however found a reduced antibody response to Omicron even after three shots.



The U.S.-German vaccine partners also struck an optimistic tone on the prospect of their shot protecting against any severe disease from Omicron, even though the lab data did not yield new insights on that.



The vast majority of surface structures on the Omicron spike protein targeted by the T-cells, which typically emerge after vaccination, are not affected by Omicron&#8217;s mutations, they said.



&#8220;The companies believe that vaccinated individuals may still be protected against severe forms of the disease,&#8221; they added.



T-cells are the second pillar of an immune response, alongside antibodies, and are believed to prevent severe disease by attacking infected human cells.



(Reporting by Ludwig Burger; editing by Jason Neely, Jane Merriman and Alex Richardson)

In this photo illustration, a man holds a syringe with a

BioNTech, Pfizer vaccine neutralises Omicron with three shots

<figure class="wp-block-image" id="block-d6828e86-9eba-4f42-92b7-d6d8b9ce0564"><img decoding="async" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IMVO3523SRKDNH5OX23C5Q5EVM-820x547.jpg" alt="This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is IMVO3523SRKDNH5OX23C5Q5EVM-820x547.jpg"/><figcaption>A healthcare worker assists a patient being treated at a makeshift hospital run by charity organisation The Gift of the Givers, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Johannesburg, South Africa, July 11, 2021. REUTERS/ Sumaya Hisham</figcaption></figure>



GENEVA, Dec 8 (Reuters) &#8211; The Omicron variant has been reported in 57 nations and the number of patients needing hospitalisation is likely to rise as it spreads, the World Health Organization said on Wednesday.



The WHO, in its weekly epidemiological report, said more data was needed to assess the severity of disease caused by the Omicron variant and whether its mutations might reduce protection from vaccine-derived immunity.



&#8220;Even if the severity is equal or potentially even lower than for Delta variant, it is expected that hospitalisations will increase if more people become infected and that there will be a time lag between an increase in the incidence of cases and an increase in the incidence of deaths,&#8221; it said.



On Nov. 26, the WHO declared the Omicron variant, which was first detected in southern Africa, a variant of concern. It is the fifth SARS-CoV-2 strain to carry such a designation.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="block-56aafd5b-cc6d-424f-b772-ff41082eb7d4">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/omicron-covid-variant-likely-circulating-for-longer-and-more-widely-than-thought-experts-say/">Omicron Covid variant likely circulating for longer — and more widely — than thought, experts say</a></h3>



The number of reported COVID-19 cases in South Africa doubled in the week to Dec. 5 to more than 62,000 and &#8220;very large&#8221; increases in incidence have been seen in Eswatini, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Namibia and Lesotho, it said.



The spread of Omicron, coupled with enhanced testing and low vaccination rates may have played a role, it added.



Referring to the risk of reinfection, the WHO said: &#8220;Preliminary analysis suggests that the mutations present in the Omicron variant may reduce neutralising activity of antibodies resulting in reduced protection from natural immunity.&#8221;



&#8220;There is a need for more data to assess whether the mutations present on the Omicron variant may result in reduced protection from vaccine-derived immunity and data on vaccine effectiveness, including the use of additional vaccination doses,&#8221; it said.



The Omicron variant can partially evade the protection from two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech, the research head of a laboratory at the Africa Health Research Institute in South Africa said on Tuesday, reporting the results of a small study.



(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Andrew Heavens and Edmund Blair)

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Omicron reported in 57 countries, hospitalisations set to rise, WHO says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106873061-1619191861000-bour.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414033" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106873061-1619191861000-bour.jpg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106873061-1619191861000-bour-300x169.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/106873061-1619191861000-bour-160x90.jpg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla addresses a press conference after a visit to oversee the production of the Pfizer-BioNtech COVID-19 vaccine at the factory of U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer in Puurs, Belgium April 23, 2021.
John Thys | Pool | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



Pfizer&nbsp;CEO Albert Bourla on Tuesday said the omicron variant of the virus that causes Covid-19 appears to be milder than previous strains, but also seems to spread faster and could lead to more mutations in the future.



“I don’t think it’s good news to have something that spreads fast,” Bourla told The Wall Street Journal during an interview at the paper’s CEO Council Summit. “Spreads fast means it will be in billions of people and another mutation may come. You don’t want that.”



White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said reports over the weekend from South Africa suggest omicron is not as severe as initially feared, while noting that more data is needed to fully assess the risk posed by the variant.



The South African Medical Research Council, in a report released Saturday, said most patients admitted to a hospital in Pretoria who had Covid didn’t need supplemental oxygen. The report also noted that many patients were admitted for other medical reasons and were then found to have&nbsp;Covid.



Bourla cautioned that it is difficult to draw definitive conclusions from the wave of infection in South Africa right now. Just 5% of South Africans are over the age of 60, and younger people normally have milder cases of Covid. However, many people in South Africa are also HIV positive, which would presumably lead to more severe disease from Covid, he said.



The Pfizer CEO said he expects the number of confirmed omicron cases to surge from dozens to millions over the next few weeks.



“We will have a good understanding let’s say before the year-end as to what exactly it means for clinical manifestation,” Bourla said.



Pfizer can develop a vaccine that targets omicron by March 2022, Bourla said, but it’s not clear yet whether there’s a need for a new shot. It will take a few weeks to determine whether the current vaccines provide enough protection against the variant, he said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-imf-chief-says-omicron-could-dent-global-economic-growth">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/imf-chief-says-omicron-could-dent-global-economic-growth/">IMF chief says Omicron could dent global economic growth</a></h3>



Bourla said Pfizer is confident that its oral antiviral medication, Paxlovid, will fight omicron and every other variant of the virus that has emerged so far. The pill inhibits an enzyme the virus needs to replicate, known as a protease.



Most of the virus’s mutations have occurred on the spike protein so far, the mechanism it uses to attach to human cells, Bourla said. Vaccines and antibody treatments that target the spike protein may need updates when mutations occur on that part of the virus, he said.



However, it’s much harder for the virus to mutate in a way where it can live without the protease enzyme that Paxlovid targets, he said.



“It’s very difficult for the virus to create a strain that can live without this protease,” Bourla said. “It’s not impossible. It’s very difficult.”



Bourla doesn’t expect the total elimination of Covid anytime soon, but he said society will start to view the virus like the seasonal flu as more people get vaccinated and more powerful treatments come to market.



“Once we get people vaccinated, once we get politics out of the equation — that’s the small problem,” Bourla said, noting that society will never reach 100% vaccination. “That’s why treatments unfortunately will be needed. But we can live normal lives. Normal lives means that you can go to restaurants and don’t need to wear masks and suffocate everyday.”



Bourla said he expects more normality next year “absent a variant that changes everything.”



“I think we were in a good path mid of next year to be having things under control,” he said.

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Pfizer CEO says omicron appears milder but spreads faster and could lead to more Covid mutations

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="516" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZVCJ6QP4TJJFZGMPGAXMEB35JU-820x516.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414026" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZVCJ6QP4TJJFZGMPGAXMEB35JU-820x516.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZVCJ6QP4TJJFZGMPGAXMEB35JU-300x189.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZVCJ6QP4TJJFZGMPGAXMEB35JU-143x90.jpg 143w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZVCJ6QP4TJJFZGMPGAXMEB35JU-768x483.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/ZVCJ6QP4TJJFZGMPGAXMEB35JU.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>The African Union logo is seen outside the AU headquarters building in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, November 8, 2021. REUTERS/Tiksa Negeri/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



NAIROBI, Dec 7 (Reuters) &#8211; The African Union on Tuesday called for an urgent end to travel restrictions imposed on some of its member states, saying the measures effectively penalize governments for timely data sharing in line with international health regulations.



The measures act &#8220;as a disincentive for information sharing in the future, potentially posing a threat to health security on the continent and globally,&#8221; the AU said in a statement.



Late last month, European Union states, the United States and Britain, among other nations such as Israel, imposed travel curbs on seven southern African countries after they reported several cases of the Omicron variant, which is considered highly infectious. 



This is a developing story&#8230;



(Reporting by Maggie Fick; Editing by Mark Porter)

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African Union calls for end to Omicron travel curbs on some African nations

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="533" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/MPOUKB6U6NPG3G5ETXZLVV2NHE.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-411370" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/MPOUKB6U6NPG3G5ETXZLVV2NHE.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/MPOUKB6U6NPG3G5ETXZLVV2NHE-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/MPOUKB6U6NPG3G5ETXZLVV2NHE-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/MPOUKB6U6NPG3G5ETXZLVV2NHE-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /><figcaption>A medical worker injects the AstraZeneca&#8217;s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine to a woman at the Nationa Hospital in Abuja, Nigeria March 31, 2021. REUTERS/Afolabi Sotunde/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



KIGALI, Dec 7 (Reuters) &#8211; Africa needs to make its own vaccines to avoid a repeat of its supply problems in the COVID-19 pandemic but faces big obstacles in turning itself from a pharmaceutical testing ground into a place where vaccines are created, experts said on Tuesday.



The Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing (PAVM) has set as a target that 60% of the continent&#8217;s routine vaccine needs, or between 1.4 and 1.7 billion doses yearly, should be met by local manufacturing by 2040, up from about 1% now.



Experts meeting at a PAVM conference in Rwanda said the pandemic had shown Africa urgently needed to tackle its dependence on imported vaccines. But they outlined daunting obstacles, from brain drain to power shortages.



Martin Friede, coordinator of the World Health Organisation Initiative for Vaccine Research, said Africa had produced many scientific researchers but not a workforce capable of designing and making vaccines.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-but-africa-cant-get-them-all-into-arms/">COVID shots are finally arriving, but Africa can’t get them all into arms</a></h3>



He urged the continent&#8217;s political and scientific leaders to focus on changing that skillset, drawing a contrast with Africa&#8217;s customary role in pharmaceuticals.



&#8220;Right now Africa is a test tube for many pharmaceutical companies. This is where we bring products to test them,&#8221; he said.



Charles Gore, head of the United Nations-backed Medicines Patent Pool which seeks to boost drugmaking in developing countries, said seeking licences from pharmaceutical firms elsewhere was not a sustainable solution for Africa as it had few incentives to offer those firms.



&#8220;Simply having the development done in the developed world and always transferring it is not an answer to this,&#8221; he said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-high-costs">HIGH COSTS</h2>



Gore also cautioned against launching too many separate initiatives across the continent that would risk yielding only &#8220;white elephants&#8221;, instead urging governments, companies and research hubs to collaborate to create complementary capacities.



Speakers from large drugmakers and from bodies that provide funding stressed the high costs of research, development and production, urging African countries to pool demand in order to incentivise investors with scale and long-term visibility.



&#8220;The higher volumes and consistent long-term contracting are critical to make this work,&#8221; said Patrick van der Loo, Pfizer&#8217;s regional president for Africa and the Middle East.



He cited <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/south-africas-biovac-start-making-pfizer-biontech-covid-19-vaccine-early-2022-2021-12-06">water shortages in South Africa that affected its local partner the Biovac Institute, which has a &#8220;fill and finish&#8221; deal to make the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID vaccine</a>, as an example of Africa&#8217;s crippling infrastructure problems.



He mentioned a lack of regulatory capacity as an obstacle, saying only two national regulators in Africa had achieved WHO maturity level three, a prerequisite to vetting local vaccines.



The PAVM, which is backed by the African Union and brings together experts from across the continent, is working on a wide-ranging strategy to address the various challenges.



(Reporting by Clement Uwiringiyimana, writing by Estelle Shirbon, Editing by William Maclean)

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Africa needs to make own vaccines but hurdles are high, experts say

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="555" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-820x555.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413198" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-820x555.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-300x203.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-133x90.jpg 133w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-768x519.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-1536x1039.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/GettyImages-1194859854-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>PARIS, FRANCE &#8211; DECEMBER 19: International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva is welcomed by General secretary of the presidency Alexis Kohler as she arrives at the Elysee Presidential Palace prior to a meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron on December 19, 2019 in Paris, France. Kristalina Georgieva is the new Managing Director of the IMF, she took office on October 1, 2019. (Photo by Chesnot/Getty Images)</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON, Dec 6 (Reuters) &#8211; International Monetary Fund chief Kristalina Georgieva will visit the Democratic Republic of Congo and Senegal this week, with a focus on how the global lender can best support Africa as it deals with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the IMF said.



Georgieva will travel on to Africa from Brussels, where she addressed a meeting of the Eurogroup on Monday.



The IMF&#8217;s managing director will meet with Congolese President Felix Tshisekedi, who is completing his tenure as chair of the African Union, and incoming AU chair, the Senegalese President Macky Sall, as well as civil society groups and business leaders, an IMF official said.



While in Dakar, Senegal&#8217;s capital, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/africas-covid-vaccine-project-takes-step-forward-with-bottling-agreement-2021-08-05">Georgieva will also visit the Institut Pasteur bio-medical research center</a>, IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said on Twitter. The center is working with U.S. and Belgian companies to become a fully-fledged maker of coronavirus vaccines for Africa.



The IMF in October forecast that <a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/REO/SSA/Issues/2021/10/21/regional-economic-outlook-for-sub-saharan-africa-october-2021">sub-Saharan Africa’s economy</a> would expand by 3.7% in 2021 and 3.8% in 2022, a welcome reversal after a sharp contraction in 2020, but still the slowest recovery relative to other regions.



One huge ongoing source of concern is the lag in vaccination rates between advanced economies and developing countries. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/covid-shots-are-finally-arriving-africa-cant-get-them-all-into-arms-2021-12-06">Only 102 million people, or 7.5% of the African continent&#8217;s population, are fully vaccinated,</a> according to the World Health Organization, which has warned that vaccine inequity will prolong the pandemic.



Climate change and using carbon credits to keep forests standing will be a big focus during Georgieva&#8217;s talks with Tshisekedi, the official said.



&#8220;If we put a good surveillance system in place, the revenues from carbon can be higher than the revenues from logging,&#8221; the official noted.



In Senegal, Georgieva will meet with the incoming AU chair about the continent&#8217;s recovery and vulnerabilities, including high levels of sovereign debt.



She is also due to meet virtually with African finance ministers while in the region. 



(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Aurora Ellis)

French President Emmanuel Macron receives Kristalina Georgieva, International Monetary Fund (IMF) Managing Director

IMF chief Georgieva to visit DR Congo, Senegal this week

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413721" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Director General of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye receives the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine during the vaccination campaign at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, Ghana March 2, 2021. REUTERS/Francis Kokoroko</figcaption></figure>



SEKENANI, Kenya, Dec 6 (Reuters) &#8211; When a group arrived at the Sekenani health clinic in rural Kenya for their COVID-19 vaccines recently, staff told them there were no doses left and that they should come back soon.



For some, it meant a long wasted journey on foot and a day away from their cattle herds.



Yet Narok county, where the clinic is located, was not short of vaccines; nearly 14,000 doses were sitting in a fridge in the nearest town, 115 km away. A mix-up with county officials meant Sekenani did not get enough, two health workers said.



&#8220;We had to say sorry. It&#8217;s not a good feeling, when somebody comes and they want the vaccine, and we don&#8217;t have it,&#8221; clinician Mike Nalakiti, 27, told Reuters.



The small failure in a village 270 km southwest of the capital Nairobi is an illustration of the challenges African nations now face as they battle COVID-19: even though vaccine supplies are finally ramping up, getting needles into arms is proving the hard part.



Successful vaccination campaigns in Africa are vital to ending the pandemic globally, health experts say. The continent&#8217;s low inoculation rates encourage viral mutations like the new Omicron variant spreading across South Africa, which has prompted another spate of international travel bans.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/officials-offer-vaccine-reassurance-who-advises-against-travel-bans/">Officials offer vaccine reassurance; WHO advises against travel bans</a></h3>



Only 102 million people, or 7.5% of the continent&#8217;s population, are fully vaccinated, according to the World Health Organization, which warned vaccine inequity will prolong the pandemic.



African governments have been crying out for higher vaccine deliveries this year, but production constraints and hoarding by richer countries severely limited supplies until recently.



Shortages of funds, medical staff and equipment, as well as vaccine hesitancy, were already hobbling inoculation campaigns in some parts of Africa. The anticipated surge, comprising millions of jabs in the coming weeks, could expose those weaknesses further, experts warn.



About 40% of vaccines that have arrived so far on the continent have not been used, according to data from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, a policy think-tank.



The rate of vaccine use will have to rise four-fold to keep up with expected supply in coming months, the institute says.



&#8220;We are all, like you, very concerned that countries are not picking up the vaccines. The uptake is not as we would have loved to see,&#8221; head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention John Nkengasong said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">FRIDGES AND MOTORBIKES</h2>



Vaccination rates vary widely across Africa, a continent of well over a billion people, and some health systems in relatively small nations and in North Africa are having more success.



Cape Verde, an archipelago nation off West Africa with a population of about 600,000, has vaccinated nearly 65% of adults, rivalling some European countries.



In Democratic Republic of Congo, a restive country in Central Africa with a population of nearly 90 million, the number is 0.1%.



In some ways, Kenya is doing relatively well. East Africa&#8217;s largest economy has received nearly 5 million doses in the past two weeks after months of slow supplies.



On Dec. 1, it vaccinated a record 110,000 people and aims to maintain that rate for the next 30 days, said Willis Akhwale, head of the government&#8217;s COVID-19 vaccine task force. That would bring the total vaccinated to 10 million out of a population of 47 million, he said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/imf-chief-says-omicron-could-dent-global-economic-growth/">IMF chief says Omicron could dent global economic growth</a></h3>



Yet in the rural Sekenani clinic at the edge of the famous Maasai Mara Game Reserve, where elephants and lions roam, challenges abound.



The clinic started offering COVID-19 vaccinations four weeks ago. It keeps running out of doses and has only one reliable fridge, which is also used for routine immunisations, said clinical officer Gerald Yiaile.



Staff need motorbikes to take vaccines to the community, semi-nomadic livestock herders from the Maasai ethnic group who struggle to afford transport for healthcare, he said.



He applied to local authorities for funds for mobile vaccination and has not heard back.



&#8220;We have been forced to ask the community to come to us instead of us going to them,&#8221; Yiaile said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">NOT ENOUGH MONEY</h2>



African nations scrambled to ready their health systems earlier this year as global vaccine-sharing scheme COVAX began delivering doses in small quantities months after wealthy countries began inoculations.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/cash-strapped-africa-overwhelmed-by-covid-vaccine-challenge-2021-04-21">Cash-strapped countries</a> were short of cotton wool, fridges, face masks and trucks.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/indias-halt-vaccine-exports-very-problematic-africa-2021-05-18">COVAX deliveries were then disrupted after COVAX&#8217;s major supplier India halted vaccine exports</a>. The pause gave countries time to improve vaccination rollout without being inundated. They did so to differing degrees.



The GAVI vaccine alliance, a co-leader of COVAX, initially did not prioritize investing in the ultra-cold chain equipment needed for mRNA shots like Pfizer&#8217;s because it expected the bulk of doses to be the cheaper and easier-to-administer AstraZeneca shots produced in India, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/health-coronavirus-who-vaccines-idCNL8N2PX4HH">Reuters reported in September</a>.



As vaccine deliveries to Africa soar, absorption of large volumes is expected to represent a major challenge for many poor countries, particularly because a substantial volume will be from Pfizer, GAVI said in internal documents prepared for its board meeting last week and seen by Reuters.



Even Kenya, which has the ultra-cold chain capacity to store 3 million Pfizer doses, is worried its cold chain will get constrained by the influx, threatening its routine immunization program, Akhwale said.



Cameroon in Central Africa had 244 vaccination centres at the start of its vaccine rollout in April, and now has 1,000, said Njoh Andreas Ateke, deputy head of the immunisation program.



But health workers and officials say that power outages and lack of staff have compromised vaccines.



The country has one refrigerated truck suitable to transport vaccines, said Leonard Kouadio, UNICEF&#8217;S health section head in Cameroon. It needs at least 2,500 more fridge temperature gauges and more trucks to increase distribution, he added.



Mali, one of Africa&#8217;s largest and poorest countries, has two refrigerated trucks to carry vaccines long distances. Some health workers fled their posts in the north because of insecurity caused by an Islamist insurgency, said UNICEF health program manager in Mali, Abdoul Gadiry Fadiga.



The country expects to receive about 3.5 million doses between now and the end of March, more than double the number it has received since inoculations began, Fadiga said.



Mali has enough cold chain capacity to deal with the initial rush of doses until March, Fadiga added, but it still needs 288 fridges and freezers for its full rollout, only 10 freezers of which had arrived.



Funds have been slow to materialise. The World Bank has approved $9.8 billion for emergency health responses, including for vaccine deployment, in developing countries globally, but so far only $4.4 billion has been disbursed.



Mali and Cameroon await support.



A World Bank official said disbursements were happening &#8220;very fast&#8221;.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-reaching-out">REACHING OUT</h2>



Even when help arrives it can backfire. Donors have sometimes sent African nations vaccine batches nearing expiration, in some cases rendering them unusable.



Countries desperate for vaccines, including South Sudan and Congo, had to send some back because they could not distribute them in time. <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/namibia-start-destroying-expired-vaccines-due-slow-uptake-2021-11-25">Namibia warned last month it may have to destroy thousands of out-of-date doses</a>.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/africa/exclusive-south-africa-delays-covid-vaccine-deliveries-inoculations-slow-2021-11-24">South Africa asked Johnson &amp; Johnson and Pfizer to delay delivery of vaccines</a> because it had too much stock.



A key difficulty in administering vaccines is community skepticism, sometimes driven by religious belief and mistrust of Western drug companies and their own governments. Insufficient education about COVID-19 vaccines enables rumours to spread.



That can be the result of local staff and budget shortages, health workers from across the continent told Reuters.



Ethiopia is worried that vaccines might expire before they are used due to low demand, and is trying to overcome vaccine hesitancy through outreach to communities via local religious and civil society groups, said Muluken Yohannes, a senior adviser to Ethiopia&#8217;s health ministry.



&#8220;Currently, developed countries&#8230; have satisfied their vaccine needs. As a result, they are pushing leftover vaccines &#8230; to developing countries. However, the golden period to absorb these vaccines has already passed,&#8221; he said.



Kenya has ramped up its vaccine rollout with social media and television and radio ads promoting vaccines. Posts on the health ministry Twitter feed urge pregnant and breastfeeding mothers to get vaccinated.



Not everyone gets the message. Nicky Theron, 20, who works at a clothing shop in the town of Talek, is five months pregnant and scared of the jab. She doesn&#8217;t follow any government Twitter accounts.



&#8220;I have never heard of anybody who is pregnant receiving the vaccine,&#8221; she said.



Some feel they could be persuaded if someone came to explain in person.



Julius Tuyioto, who herds livestock on arid plains in southern Kenya, hears the government warn of the dangers of COVID-19 on the radio. But the disease hasn&#8217;t hit his community; he says it doesn&#8217;t feel real.



&#8220;There is no civic education on why we should be vaccinated. No one is telling us,&#8221; Tuyioto told Reuters outside his mud brick home in Narok County, to the chime of goat bells.



Last month, the government sent vaccines by motorbike to the nearest primary school, five kilometres away, he said. But he did not hear about it until the third and final day, when it was too late for him to go. 



(Reporting by Maggie Fick and Edward McAllister; Additional reporting by Francesco Guarascio in Brussels, Josiane Kouagheu in Douala, Cameroon and Giulia Paravicini in Addis Ababa; Editing by Mike Collett-White and Alexandra Zavis)

IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ

COVID shots are finally arriving, but Africa can’t get them all into arms

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/106445687-1584363442885gettyimages-1205265918.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-412712" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/106445687-1584363442885gettyimages-1205265918.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/106445687-1584363442885gettyimages-1205265918-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/106445687-1584363442885gettyimages-1205265918-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva speaks at a press conference in Washington D.C., on March 4, 2020.
Liu Jie | Xinhua | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON, Dec 3 (Reuters) &#8211; The International Monetary Fund is likely to lower its global economic growth estimates due to the new Omicron variant of the coronavirus, the global lender&#8217;s chief said at the Reuters Next conference on Friday in another sign of the turmoil unleashed by the ever-changing pandemic.



Omicron has spread rapidly to at least 40 countries since it was first reported in South Africa last week, officials say, and many governments have tightened travel rules to try to keep it out.



&#8220;A new variant that may spread very rapidly can dent confidence, and in that sense, we are likely to see some downgrades of our October projections for global growth,&#8221; IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told the conference.



Much remains unknown about Omicron. Researchers said it could have picked up genetic material from another virus, perhaps one that causes the common cold, which would allow it to more easily evade human immune system defences.



Parts of Europe and the United States are grappling with a wave of infections of the more familiar Delta variant. The new strain could further destabilize economies that are still emerging from COVID-19 related lockdowns and disruptions.



A corporate Christmas party in the Norwegian capital Oslo resulted in at least 13 infections, making it the biggest outbreak outside of South Africa, officials said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/officials-offer-vaccine-reassurance-who-advises-against-travel-bans/">Officials offer vaccine reassurance; WHO advises against travel bans</a></h3>



The World Health Organization&#8217;s (WHO) chief scientist Soumya Swaminathan told Reuters Next that the fast-spreading variant would have to become more transmissible to out-compete Delta, which accounts for 99% of current transmissions.



&#8220;We need to be prepared and cautious, not panic, because we&#8217;re in a different situation to a year ago,&#8221; she said.



WHO&#8217;s emergencies director Mike Ryan said there was no evidence that existing vaccines needed to be modified to fight Omicron. He said officials should work on getting more people inoculated with vaccines currently on the market.



&#8220;We need to focus on getting people most at risk vaccinated,&#8221; Ryan said at a social media event.



However, WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a United Nations briefing in Geneva that vaccine makers should prepare for the likelihood of adjusting their products.



Ugur Sahin, CEO of Germany&#8217;s BioNTech, which makes a COVID-19 vaccine with Pfizer, told Reuters Next the company <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biontech-ceo-says-can-adapt-vaccine-quickly-omicron-2021-12-03">should be able to adapt the shots relatively quickly</a>.



Sahin also said current vaccines should continue to provide protection against severe disease, despite mutations.



&#8220;I believe in principle at a certain timepoint we will need a new vaccine against this new variant. The question is how urgent it needs to be available,&#8221; Sahin said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-worrying-gaps-in-vaccination">WORRYING GAPS IN VACCINATION</h2>



Australia became the latest country to report community transmission of the new variant. Officials have found the new strain in 10 U.S. states, adding another challenge to a healthcare system that is already dealing with more COVID-19 illness caused by Delta.



More than 264 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus since it was first detected in central China in late 2019 and 5.49 million people have died, according to a Reuters tally.



Cases in Europe, the pandemic&#8217;s current epicentre, crossed the 75 million mark on Friday.



Vaccination rates vary from country to country but there are worrying gaps in poorer nations. Indonesia, the world&#8217;s fourth most populous country and once Asia&#8217;s COVID-19 epicentre, has fully inoculated only about 35% of its population.



In the United States, fewer than 60% of the population have been fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates among wealthy nations.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/nigeria-says-found-omicron-variant-from-october-samples/">Nigeria says found Omicron variant from October samples</a></h3>



Aside from wreaking havoc in the travel industry, the clampdown has pounded financial markets and undermined major economies just as they were beginning to recover from the lockdowns triggered by Delta.



Germany said it would bar the unvaccinated from all but essential businesses, and legislation to make vaccination mandatory would be drafted for early next year.



Several countries, including Britain and the United States, were bringing forward plans to offer booster shots, but, like travel bans, they are controversial.



Many scientists say the way to stop the virus spreading is to make sure poorer countries have access to vaccines, not to give blanket booster shots to people in richer countries.



(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Andy Sullivan, Stephen Coates and Nick Macfie; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Grant McCool)

106445687-1584363442885gettyimages-1205265918

IMF chief says Omicron could dent global economic growth

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RDFODGZE7JOXVJTA5PQMUSJJ5Q-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413942" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RDFODGZE7JOXVJTA5PQMUSJJ5Q-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RDFODGZE7JOXVJTA5PQMUSJJ5Q-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RDFODGZE7JOXVJTA5PQMUSJJ5Q-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RDFODGZE7JOXVJTA5PQMUSJJ5Q-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/RDFODGZE7JOXVJTA5PQMUSJJ5Q.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>People wait in a line to undergo coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test at its testing site in central Seoul, South Korea, December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji</figcaption></figure>



GENEVA, Dec 3 (Reuters) &#8211; The World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries to boost healthcare capacity and vaccinate their people to fight a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant, saying that travel curbs could buy time but alone were not the answer.



Despite shutting its borders to travel from high-risk southern African countries, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/us/omicron-covid-19-variant-case-identified-minnesota-2021-12-02">Australia became the latest country to report community transmission of the new variant, a day after it was found in five U.S. states</a>.



Omicron has gained a foothold in Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East and Europe and has reached seven of the nine provinces of South Africa, where it was first identified. Many governments have tightened travel rules to keep the variant out.



&#8220;Border controls can buy time but every country and every community must prepare for new surges in cases,&#8221; Takeshi Kasai, the WHO&#8217;s western Pacific director, told a media briefing.



&#8220;People should not only rely on border measures. What is most important is to prepare for these variants with potential high transmissibility. So far the information available suggests we don&#8217;t have to change our approach.&#8221;



Kasai urged countries to fully vaccinate vulnerable groups and stick to preventive measures such as mask wearing and social distancing.



Omicron has been listed as a &#8220;variant of concern&#8221; by the WHO and scientists are still gathering data to establish how severe and contagious it is just as parts of Europe have been hit by surges of winter infections by the more familiar Delta variant.



&#8220;I have not seen reports of Omicron-related deaths yet,&#8221; WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told a U.N. briefing in Geneva.



But vaccine makers should prepare for the likelihood of adjusting their products to protect against Omicron, he said.



Ugur Sahin, CEO of Germany&#8217;s BioNTech, which makes a COVID vaccine with Pfizer, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/biontech-ceo-says-can-adapt-vaccine-quickly-omicron-2021-12-03">told the Reuters Next conference the company should be able to adapt the shots relatively quickly</a>.



Sahin also said that current vaccines should continue to provide protection against severe disease, despite mutations.



Almost 264 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus since it was first detected in central China in late 2019 and 5.48 million people have died, according to a Reuters tally.



&#8216;SCIENCE AND SPEED&#8217;



Vaccination rates vary from country to country but there are worrying gaps in poorer countries. Indonesia, the world&#8217;s fourth most populous country and once Asia&#8217;s COVID-19 epicentre, has fully inoculated only about 35% of its population.



Australia&#8217;s chief medical officer, Paul Kelly, said Omicron was likely to become the dominant variant globally within months, but at this stage there was no evidence it was any more dangerous than Delta.



In the United States, the Biden administration announced measures to guard against the virus spreading. From Monday, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/new-us-covid-19-international-travel-testing-rules-take-effect-monday-2021-12-02">international air travellers arriving in the United States</a> will have to have obtained a negative COVID-19 test within a day of travel.



&#8220;We&#8217;re going to fight this variant with science and speed, not chaos and confusion,&#8221; President Joe Biden said.



Fewer than 60% of the U.S. population have been fully vaccinated, one of the lowest rates among wealthy nations.



Global travel curbs have accelerated with Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Norway and Russia, among others, announcing new measures on Thursday.



Aside from wreaking havoc in the travel industry, the clampdown has pounded financial markets and undermined major economies just as they were beginning to recover from the lockdowns triggered by Delta.



Bank of England<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/might-make-sense-wait-omicron-data-before-rates-decision-boes-saunders-2021-12-03"> policymaker Michael Saunders, who voted for an interest rate hike last month, said on Friday he wanted more information about Omicron before deciding how to vote this month</a>.



&#8220;At present, given the new Omicron COVID variant has only been detected quite recently, there could be particular advantages in waiting to see more evidence on its possible effects on public health outcomes and hence on the economy,&#8221; Saunders said in a speech.



Germany said it would bar the unvaccinated from all but essential businesses, and legislation to make vaccination mandatory would be drafted for early next year.



Several countries, including Britain and the United States, were bringing forward plans to offer booster shots, but, like travel bans, they are controversial.



Many scientists say the way to stop the virus spreading is to make sure poorer countries have access to vaccines, not to give blanket booster shots to people in richer countries.



(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Writing by Stephen Coates and Nick Macfie; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Angus MacSwan)

RDFODGZE7JOXVJTA5PQMUSJJ5Q

Vaccination, not travel curbs, key to battling Omicron, WHO says

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="573" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o-820x573.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413903" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o-820x573.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o-300x210.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o-129x90.jpg 129w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o-768x537.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o-1536x1074.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres at a Press Conference in Geneva Photo: via Flickr</figcaption></figure>



UNITED NATIONS, Dec 1 (Reuters) &#8211; United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Wednesday that travel restrictions imposed over COVID-19 that isolate any one country or region as &#8220;not only deeply unfair and punitive &#8211; they are ineffective.&#8221;



Speaking to reporters in New York, Guterres said the only way to reduce the risk of transmission while allowing for travel and economic engagement was to repeatedly test travelers, &#8220;together with other appropriate and truly effective measures.&#8221;



&#8220;We have the instruments to have safe travel. Let&#8217;s use those instruments to avoid this kind of, allow me to say, travel apartheid, which I think is unacceptable,&#8221; Guterres said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-nigeria-says-found-omicron-variant-from-october-samples">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/nigeria-says-found-omicron-variant-from-october-samples/">Nigeria says found Omicron variant from October samples</a></h3>



Omicron was first identified in southern Africa and many countries, including the United States and Britain, have announced travel curbs and other restrictions on the region. Africa has some of the lowest COVID-19 vaccination rates worldwide due to a lack of access to doses.



Guterres has long warned about the dangers of vaccine inequality around the world and that low immunization rates are &#8220;a breeding ground for variants.&#8221;



&#8220;These travel bans are not justified,&#8221; said African Union Commission Chair Moussa Faki Mahamat at the joint news conference with Guterres after the annual meeting between the United Nations and the African Union.



(Reporting by Michelle Nichols, Editing by Franklin Paul and Diane Craft)

7704332996_4c6a5bc3cf_o

U.N. chief slams COVID-19 ‘travel apartheid’ as unacceptable

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IF343VLUNJNZTKLRPJCPXSNGP4-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-413868" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IF343VLUNJNZTKLRPJCPXSNGP4-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IF343VLUNJNZTKLRPJCPXSNGP4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IF343VLUNJNZTKLRPJCPXSNGP4-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IF343VLUNJNZTKLRPJCPXSNGP4-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/IF343VLUNJNZTKLRPJCPXSNGP4.jpg 960w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Passengers wait in line inside the terminal at Newark Liberty International Airport in Newark, New Jersey, U.S., November 24, 2021. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON/TOKYO, Dec 1 (Reuters) &#8211; Air travellers to the United States will face tougher COVID-19 testing rules, as several countries moved to seal-off their borders amid heightened uncertainty around the virulence of the Omicron variant and its ability to dodge existing vaccines.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/sydney-braces-more-omicron-cases-no-lockdowns-now-2021-12-01">In Asia-Pacific, Japan and Hong Kong said they would expand travel curbs, while Australia</a> braced for more cases of the coronavirus variant after at least two people visited several locations in its biggest city while likely infectious.



In an attempt to stave off hasty border curbs, the World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries to apply &#8220;an evidence-informed and risk-based approach&#8221; to travel measures, saying &#8220;blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread, and they place a heavy burden on lives and livelihoods&#8221;.



Investors remained on edge on Wednesday, even as financial markets came off lows plumbed a day earlier following remarks by the CEO of Moderna that raised questions about the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines against Omicron.



Global health officials have since offered reassurances and reiterated calls for people to get vaccinated.



&#8220;Even if the new variant becomes more widespread, the vaccines we have will continue to provide protection,&#8221; European Medicines Agency Executive Director Emer Cooke said.



Laboratory analyses should indicate over the next two weeks whether the blood of vaccinated people has sufficient antibodies to neutralise the new variant, Cooke said, echoing remarks by vaccine maker BioNTech and scientists.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/omicron-poses-very-high-global-risk-world-must-prepare-who/">Omicron poses “very high” global risk, world must prepare -WHO</a></h3>



BioNTech&#8217;s CEO said the vaccine it makes in a partnership with Pfizer would likely offer strong protection against severe disease from Omicron.



Britain and the United States have both pushed their booster programmes in response to the new variant.



First reported in southern Africa a week ago, Omicron has triggered global alarm, roiled markets, led to travel bans, and highlighted the disparity between massive vaccination pushes in rich nations and sparse inoculation in the developing world.



Some 56 countries were reportedly implementing travel measures to guard against Omicron as of Nov. 28, the WHO said.



&#8220;I well understand the concern of all countries to protect their citizens against a variant that we don&#8217;t yet fully understand,&#8221; WHO head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.



&#8220;But I am equally concerned that several member states are introducing blunt, blanket measures that are not evidence-based or effective on their own, and which will only worsen inequities,&#8221; Ghebreyesus added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-border-controls">BORDER CONTROLS</h2>



The United States is moving to require that all air travellers entering the country show a negative COVID-19 test performed within one day of departure, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said late on Tuesday.



Currently, vaccinated international travellers can present a negative result obtained within three days from their point of departure. The new one-day testing requirement would apply to U.S. citizens as well as foreign nationals.



The administration is also considering whether to require air travellers to get another test within three to five days after arrival, officials said.



While the CDC did not confirm that, it noted it continues to recommend all &#8220;travellers should get a COVID-19 viral test 3-5 days after arrival&#8221; and &#8220;post-travel quarantine for any unvaccinated travellers&#8221;.



The CDC lists about 80 foreign destinations as having &#8220;Level Four&#8221;, its highest level of COVID-19 transmission, and discourages Americans from travelling to those destinations.



In Asia, Japan, which had already shut its borders to all newly entering foreigners, said it would expand its ban to foreigners with resident status from 10 African countries including South Africa.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/officials-offer-vaccine-reassurance-who-advises-against-travel-bans/">Officials offer vaccine reassurance; WHO advises against travel bans</a></h3>



Hong Kong will expand its entry ban for non-residents to three more countries, Japan, Portugal and Sweden, from Friday.



South Korean Interior and Safety Minister Jeon Hae-cheol called for tighter virus prevention measures to head off Omicron, after suspected cases entered from Nigeria.



The country, which reported a daily record of over 5,000 COVID-19 cases, has not detected any confirmed cases of the Omicron variant so far.



Global airlines are preparing for fresh volatility, analysts said, as Omicron could force them to adjust schedules and destinations at short notice.



&#8220;It feels a little bit like we are back to where we were a year ago and that&#8217;s not a great prospect for the industry and beyond,&#8221; Deidre Fulton, a partner at consultancy MIDAS Aviation, said at an industry webinar.



(Reporting by David Shepardson in Washington, Sakura Murakami and Elaine Lies in Tokyo, Reju Jose and Jamie Freed in Sydney, and Reuters bureaus; Writing by Himani Sarkar; Editing by Shri Navratnam)

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Health

Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024

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U.N. chief slams COVID-19 ‘travel apartheid’ as unacceptable

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