🚨 The #OmicronVariant could spread COVID-19 faster than ever.

πŸ—£οΈ 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. 🧡
πŸ€” Who now needs vaccines the most?

πŸ’° While wealthy countries are rolling out third vaccines, less than 6% of people in low-income nations have had even one dose.

πŸ’‰ An estimated 11 billion doses are needed to give everyone in the world two jabs.

news.trust.org/item/202109211…
⭕️ How many people in the UK have had at least one shot?
πŸ“ˆ In the UK, 75% of the population have had at least one shot, and in the US nearly 70%.

πŸ“‰ Meanwhile, less than 3% of people in Nigeria, Mali, Cameroon and Sudan have been vaccinated.

πŸ’‰ The majority of them have only had one dose.

news.trust.org/item/202109211…
πŸ€” How are booster jabs affecting supplies?

🌏 Every extra dose going to a wealthy nation is one that cannot reach poorer countries, says @WHO.

πŸ’‰ This makes it difficult for them to reach target vaccination rates.

news.trust.org/item/202109211…
πŸ€” Why is it important to ensure the whole world is protected?

πŸ“ˆ 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.
πŸ€” What should richer countries do?

πŸ’° 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.

news.trust.org/item/202109211…
πŸ€” What is the view from South Africa?

πŸ—£ 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."

news.trust.org/item/202109211…
πŸ€” Will the vaccines work against Omicron?

🀷 Nobody knows yet.

🦠 Omicron has over 30 mutations in the part of the virus that current jabs target.

πŸ”¬ Scientists say it's potentially more contagious than other strains, but don't know yet if it will cause more severe illness.
πŸ—£ "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 πŸ‘‡

news.trust.org/item/202109211…

β€’ β€’ β€’

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
γ€€

Keep Current with Thomson Reuters Foundation News

Thomson Reuters Foundation News Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @TRF_Stories

13 Oct
πŸͺ™ 10 years ago, Afghan entrepreneur @RoyaMahboob started paying her all-female staff in #bitcoin.

πŸ‡¦πŸ‡« It helped some of them to leave the country when the Taliban took power.

But she isn’t alone. Here's why Afghans are embracing #crypto. πŸ‘‡
news.trust.org/item/202110102…
1⃣ Failing banking system

πŸ”΄ In a country where most people don’t have bank accounts, many turned to #cryptocurrency to send and receive cash safely.

πŸ’± It was also a way for women to gain financial independence.
2⃣ Currency dive

🏦 Crypto is becoming increasingly popular for those in conflict zones or in nations with weak governance, according to tech experts.

πŸ‡»πŸ‡ͺ In Venezuela, people have bought essentials with #dogecoin after the nation's currency went into freefall.
Read 7 tweets
11 Oct
🌏 President @JoeBiden issued the first-ever presidential proclamation of #IndigenousPeoplesDay2021 for today.

πŸ”΄ Around the world, Indigenous communities are still fighting for their rights and their land to be respected.

Here are some of the challenges they face. πŸ§΅πŸ‘‡
πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ United States

πŸ—³οΈ Native Americans living in rural areas feared they couldn't cast their votes during the 2020 Presidential elections.

πŸ”΄ "It seems like they look at us as though we're not important enough to help," said Navajo voter Colleen Benally.
news.trust.org/item/202010161…
πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡¦ South Africa

πŸ—οΈ Amazon's new HQ in Africa is set to be a $300m development.

πŸ”΄ But it will also be built on historical South African Indigenous land.

✍️ Thousands have signed a petition opposing the plans, saying β€œit has archeological value”.
news.trust.org/item/202108091…
Read 8 tweets
11 Oct
⚑️ Lebanon’s national electricity grid went entirely offline for 24 hours over the weekend, for the second time in two months.

πŸ‡±πŸ‡§ Earlier today, a fuel storage tank in southern Lebanon exploded.

This is how the power crisis is devastating communities.πŸ‘‡
news.trust.org/item/202108201…
⛽️ Power cuts are hitting poorer and more vulnerable families the hardest.

πŸ”Œ Many can’t afford to pay for private generator networks which switch on when the state grid fails.

⚑️ Others in remote areas are forced to cope for days without electricity. news.trust.org/item/202109071…
πŸ—£οΈ Mental health services have also been affected.

πŸ”΄ A lack of power means crucial online therapy sessions cannot go ahead, leaving distressed patients in the dark.
news.trust.org/item/202110081…
Read 5 tweets
28 Sep
🚨 Did you know 45% of all abortions globally are unsafe due to a lack of access?

♀ NGO @FIGOHQ is marking #InternationalSafeAbortionDay today to help #MakeUnsafeAbortionHistory.

⭕️ In a turbulent year for reproductive rights worldwide, which countries are making changes? πŸ‘‡πŸ§΅
πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡Έ United States

🚨 Women in America are facing an β€˜all-out assault’ on abortion rights.

⭕️ In Texas, a near-total ban has been imposed - the strictest in the U.S.

πŸ—£ Law professor Dr @MaryRZiegler explainsπŸ‘‡
❗️But Texas isn’t the only U.S. state where abortion rights are under attack πŸ‘‡

twitter.com/i/events/14334…
Read 9 tweets
27 Sep
πŸ“Ή After a client secretly recorded their virtual sex session and leaked it, every phone notification sends sex worker Elizabeth Otieno into a cold sweat.

🚨 She’s only one of many sex workers across Africa who have become victims of non-consensual pornography. πŸ‘‡πŸ§΅
πŸ—£ "I feel ashamed and anxious all the time. My partner left me and even my family won't talk to me," says Elizabeth.

"I thought it was a safe and private way to make money, but virtual sex ruined my life."
From Kenya πŸ‡°πŸ‡ͺ and Uganda πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¬ to Zimbabwe πŸ‡ΏπŸ‡Ό and Nigeria πŸ‡³πŸ‡¬, pandemic restrictions have pushed sex workers from bars, brothels and massage parlours to websites, apps and video calls.

⭕️ A lack of digital security awareness is leaving them vulnerable.
Read 4 tweets
27 Sep
πŸŽ‰ Two trans women made history last night as the first trans MPs to be elected to the German parliament!

πŸ‡©πŸ‡ͺ Germany has welcomed Green Party’s @GansGruen and @Nyke_Slawik to the Bundestag.

⭕️ Here’s what you need to know about them. πŸ‘‡πŸ§΅
πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ @GansGruen was the first out trans person to be in a regional or national parliament in Germany.

πŸ—³ This is the first election she has run since coming out.

🟒 She has pushed to make it easier for trans people to change their legal name and gender.
πŸ³οΈβ€βš§οΈ At only 27 years old, @Nyke_Slawik will be serving her first term as an MP.

♻️ She's using her position to help fight the #ClimateCrisis.

πŸ“– She hopes that her election will a start a more diverse chapter in German politics.

Read 6 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(