🚨 The #OmicronVariant could spread COVID-19 faster than ever.
🗣️ Scientists have linked it to vaccine inequity, with Africa being the least immunised continent partly due to vaccine hoarding by rich nations.
Will Omicron convince them to change? We answer the key questions. 🧵
🤔 Who now needs vaccines the most?
💰 While wealthy countries are rolling out third vaccines, less than 6% of people in low-income nations have had even one dose.
💉 An estimated 11 billion doses are needed to give everyone in the world two jabs.
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⭕️ How many people in the UK have had at least one shot?
📈 In the UK, 75% of the population have had at least one shot, and in the US nearly 70%.
📉 Meanwhile, less than 3% of people in Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon and Sudan have been vaccinated.
💉 The majority of them have only had one dose.
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🤔 How are booster jabs affecting supplies?
🌏 Every extra dose going to a wealthy nation is one that cannot reach poorer countries, says @WHO.
💉 This makes it difficult for them to reach target vaccination rates.
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🤔 Why is it important to ensure the whole world is protected?
📈 A large pool of unvaccinated people allows the virus to spread and mutate.
⭕️ This increases the risk that new and more dangerous variants will emerge. Another Omicron could be on the horizon.
🤔 What should richer countries do?
💰 Experts say they must deliver more vaccines to ensure everyone can be protected against COVID-19.
⭕️ This would crucially benefit not only poorer nations but would in turn safeguard their own populations.
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🤔 What is the view from South Africa?
🗣 President @CyrilRamaphosa said: "The emergence of the #OmicronVariant should be a wake up call to the world that vaccine inequality cannot be allowed to continue."
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🤔 Will the vaccines work against Omicron?
🤷 Nobody knows yet.
🦠 Omicron has over 30 mutations in the part of the virus that current jabs target.
🔬 Scientists say it's potentially more contagious than other strains, but don't know yet if it will cause more severe illness.
🗣 "The inequity that has characterised the global response has now come home to roost," said @DrRHatchett, CEO of @CEPIvaccines.
⭕️ Read more about the link between vaccine inequity and the emergency of #Omicron 👇
news.trust.org/item/202109211…
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