<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106828830-1611347616160-gettyimages-1230731609-AFP_8ZD3FL.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-395873" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106828830-1611347616160-gettyimages-1230731609-AFP_8ZD3FL.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106828830-1611347616160-gettyimages-1230731609-AFP_8ZD3FL-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>US President Joe Biden signs executive orders for economic relief to Covid-hit families and businesses in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on January 22, 2021.
Nicholas Kamm | AFP | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



WASHINGTON, Jan 24 (Reuters) &#8211; President Joe Biden will impose a ban on most non-U.S. citizens entering the country who have recently been in South Africa starting Saturday in a bid to contain the spread of a new variant of COVID-19, a senior U.S. public health official told Reuters.



Biden on Monday is also reimposing an entry ban on nearly all non-U.S. travelers who have been in Brazil, the United Kingdom, Ireland and 26 countries in Europe that allow travel across open borders.



&#8220;We are adding South Africa to the restricted list because of the concerning variant present that has already spread beyond South Africa,&#8221; said Dr. Anne Schuchat, the CDC&#8217;s principal deputy director, in an interview Sunday.



She added the agency was &#8220;putting in place this suite of measures to protect Americans and also to reduce the risk of these variants spreading and worsening the current pandemic.&#8221;



Then-President Donald Trump directed on Jan. 18 those restrictions on Brazil and Europe be lifted effective Tuesday but Biden&#8217;s proclamation will rescind that decision.



Biden, who took office on Wednesday, is taking an aggressive approach to combating the spread of the virus after Trump rejected mandates sought by U.S. health agencies.



Some health officials are concerned that current vaccines may not be effective against the South Africa variant, which also raises the prospect of re-infection.



The South African variant, also known as the 501Y.V2 variant, is 50% more infectious and has been detected in at least 20 countries. CDC officials told Reuters they would be open to adding additional countries to the list if needed.



The South African variant has not yet been found in the United States but at least 20 U.S. states have detected a UK variant known as B.1.1.7. Current vaccines appear effective against the UK mutations.



The South African embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">CDC ORDERS COMING</h2>



Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director (CDC) head Rochelle Walensky will sign a separate order Monday requiring masks on all airplanes, ferries, trains, subways, buses, taxis, and ride-share vehicles for all travelers two and older, officials said. The new requirements are set to take effect in the coming days, they said, and masks can be removed for brief periods while eating or drinking.



On Tuesday, new CDC rules take effect requiring all international air travelers 2 and older to present a negative coronavirus test taken within three calendar days of travel or proof of recovery from COVID-19 to enter the United States.



The CDC will not, as it said on Jan. 12, consider granting temporary waivers to airlines to exempt some travelers from countries with limited testing capacity. Numerous U.S. airlines last week had asked CDC for waivers, airline officials said.



But CDC officials said they would consider case-by-case humanitarian exemptions for some travelers if needed.



CDC officials noted 120 countries currently have mandatory COVID-19 testing requirements for international travel.



The CDC order says travelers should self-quarantine for seven days upon return to the United States and consider getting a new COVID-19 test within three to five days of returning to the United States.



&#8220;With the pandemic worsening and these more contagious variants emerging it’s not the time to lift restrictions on international travel,&#8221; Schuchat said.



CDC officials have for weeks discussed the possibility of adding these testing requirements before U.S. domestic flights or requiring testing upon return from international travel but have made no decisions.



The U.S. restrictions barring most visitors from Europe have been in place since mid-March when Trump signed proclamations imposing them, while the Brazilian entry ban was imposed in May. The restriction, along with the new South Africa ones, mean most non-U.S. citizens who have been in one of those countries within the last 14 days are not eligible to travel to the United States.



Permanent U.S. residents and family members and some other non-U.S. citizens are permitted to return to the United States under the order.



Under Trump, the CDC push to mandate masks in transit was blocked and the agency instead only issued strong recommendations for mask use and officials initially blocked mandating COVID-19 testing for travelers from the UK before relenting on Dec. 24.



Trump opposed efforts by Congress to require masks in transit. Airlines have required passengers to wear masks and some local governments mandate mask use.



(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html

106828830-1611347616160-gettyimages-1230731609-AFP_8ZD3FL

Biden to impose South Africa travel ban to combat new COVID-19 variant -CDC

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="305" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1212601247-820x305.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-395562" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1212601247-820x305.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1212601247-300x112.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1212601247-768x285.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1212601247-1536x571.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1212601247-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Viral Infection Concept</figcaption></figure>



Vaccine skepticism and outright anti-vaccination sentiment have become rife in recent months, with more members of the public questioning not only the efficacy of vaccines, but their development practices, safety standards and their objectives.



The rapid development of coronavirus vaccines over the past year, an urgent task given the devastation to lives and livelihoods being caused by the global pandemic, has made them a prime target for hesitancy and myth.



But disinformation and misinformation that casts doubt over safety and efficacy can endanger lives.



The World Health Organization said vaccine hesitancy was among its top 10 global health threats in 2019. Vaccination, it said, “prevents 2-3 million deaths a year, and a further 1.5 million could be avoided if global coverage of vaccinations improved.”



When it comes to Covid-19 vaccines, experts and public health officials say it’s crucial to combat misinformation (false or inaccurate information) and the more nefarious disinformation (false information intended to mislead people) being spread about inoculations.&nbsp;Here are some of the main myths that are circulating about coronavirus vaccines:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myth-covid-19-vaccines-are-unsafe-because-they-were-developed-too-fast">Myth: Covid-19 vaccines are unsafe because they were developed too fast</h2>



Fact:&nbsp;The coronavirus vaccines that are now being deployed have undergone strict and rigorous clinical trials involving thousands of human participants after initial animal trials.



Vaccine makers have insisted that no corners were cut and trial results have proved the vaccines are safe and effective. Before being authorized for use, trial data from the vaccines — such as those made by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=PFE">Pfizer</a>&#8211;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=BNTX">BioNTech</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=MRNA">Moderna</a>&nbsp;and the University of Oxford-<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=AZN-GB">AstraZeneca</a>&nbsp;— have undergone strict scrutiny by regulators including the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency and Britain’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.WATCH NOWVIDEO13:21How the coronavirus vaccine works and why Americans should trust it



In late-stage clinical trials, both&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/18/coronavirus-pfizer-vaccine-is-95percent-effective-plans-to-submit-to-fda-in-days.html">the Pfizer-BioNTech</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/30/moderna-covid-vaccine-is-94point1percent-effective-plans-to-apply-for-emergency-ok-monday.html">Moderna</a>&nbsp;vaccines were found to be 95% and 94.1% effective, respectively, at preventing severe Covid-19 infection. The vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/23/oxford-astrazeneca-covid-vaccine-is-70percent-effective-trial-shows-.html">was found to have an average efficacy of 70%.</a>&nbsp;



When the U.K. in early December became the first country to approve the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, Dr. June Raine, chief executive of the U.K.’s MHRA, said no corners had been cut in its approval, saying experts had worked “round the clock, carefully, methodically poring over tables and analyses and graphs on every single piece of data.” &nbsp;



The MHRA’s scientists and clinicians conducted a “rolling review” of the data as it was made available during clinical trials, hence allowing it to speed up its assessment of the vaccine and whether to authorize it. This was critical, the MHRA said, given the public health emergency.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myth-coronavirus-vaccines-alter-dna">Myth: Coronavirus vaccines alter DNA</h2>



Fact:&nbsp;The coronavirus vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna contain messenger RNA (or mRNA) which instruct our cells how to make a protein that triggers an immune response. This builds immunity against the virus that causes Covid.



The mRNA (i.e., the instructions) from a Covid vaccine never enters the nucleus of the cell, which is where our DNA is kept, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says</a>.



“This means the mRNA cannot affect or interact with our DNA in any way. Instead, Covid-19 mRNA vaccines work with the body’s natural defenses to safely develop immunity to disease.” In addition, immune cells break down and get rid of the mRNA soon after they have finished using the instructions.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/mrna.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Find out more from the CDC here.</a>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myth-coronavirus-vaccines-affect-fertility">Myth: Coronavirus vaccines affect fertility</h2>



Fact:&nbsp;Some women are concerned that the coronavirus vaccine could harm their fertility and there has been a mass of misinformation online regarding this. Indeed, on Tuesday, the U.K.’s Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists and the Royal College of Midwives issued a statement about Covid vaccinations, fertility and pregnancy.



In it, Dr. Edward Morris, president at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “We want to reassure women that there is no evidence to suggest that Covid-19 vaccines will affect fertility. Claims of any effect of Covid-19 vaccination on fertility&nbsp;are speculative and not supported by any data.”



He continued: “There is​&nbsp;​no biologically plausible mechanism by which current vaccines would cause any impact on women’s fertility.&nbsp;Evidence has not been presented that women who have been vaccinated have gone on to have fertility problems.”







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myth-the-vaccine-is-unsafe-for-me-because-i-m-pregnant">Myth: The vaccine is unsafe for me because I’m pregnant</h2>



Fact:&nbsp;There is limited data about the safety of Covid-19 vaccines for people who are pregnant,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/recommendations/pregnancy.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the CDC says</a>.



Of the data available from animal studies, “no safety concerns were demonstrated in rats that received Moderna COVID-19 vaccine before or during pregnancy;&nbsp;studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are ongoing,” the CDC said.



Studies in people who are pregnant are planned and both vaccine manufacturers are monitoring people in the clinical trials who became pregnant, it added.



In the U.K., where the AstraZeneca and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are currently being deployed,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-vaccination-women-of-childbearing-age-currently-pregnant-planning-a-pregnancy-or-breastfeeding/covid-19-vaccination-a-guide-for-women-of-childbearing-age-pregnant-planning-a-pregnancy-or-breastfeeding" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the government says</a>&nbsp;that: “the vaccines have not yet been tested in pregnancy, so until more information is available, those who are pregnant should not routinely have this vaccine.”



Nonetheless, the government notes that evidence from nonclinical studies of the Pfizer-BioNTech and University of Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines have been reviewed by the WHO and regulators around the world and have “raised no concerns” about safety in pregnancy.



The U.K.’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation, which advises the government on its vaccination strategy, “has recognized that the potential benefits of vaccination are particularly important for some pregnant women,” including those at very high risk of catching the infection or those with clinical conditions that put them at high risk of suffering serious complications from&nbsp;Covid. In these cases, the government recommends that women discuss possible vaccination with their doctor.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myth-if-you-ve-had-the-vaccine-you-don-t-need-to-wear-a-mask">Myth: If you’ve had the vaccine you don’t need to wear a mask</h2>



Fact:&nbsp;Even if you are immunized against Covid, you could still pass the virus on to others. We still don’t know how vaccinations affect onward transmission and until we do — and while many people remain unvaccinated — people are being urged to follow social-distancing guidelines, wear masks and wash hands to prevent possibly passing the virus on.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myth-i-don-t-need-the-vaccine-because-i-ve-already-had-covid">Myth: I don’t need the vaccine because I’ve already had Covid</h2>



Fact:&nbsp;While a previous coronavirus infection might provide people with antibodies against reinfection, experts are not yet sure how long this protection lasts. Preliminary results from a U.K-wide study of thousands of health workers found that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/14/covid-infection-provides-around-as-much-immunity-as-vaccines-study.html">people who had been infected with Covid were likely to have some form of immunity for at least five months</a>. However, the data also suggested a small number of people with antibodies may still be able to carry and transmit the virus.







<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-myth-you-can-get-covid-19-from-the-vaccine">Myth: You can get Covid-19 from the vaccine</h2>



Fact: You can’t get Covid from the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna coronavirus vaccines because they do not contain live virus. The University of Oxford’s Vaccine Knowledge Project explains that the active ingredient of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine “is made from a modified adenovirus which causes the common cold in chimpanzees. This virus has been modified so that it cannot cause an infection. It is used to deliver the genetic code for the coronavirus spike protein.”

Virus Background

Here are 7 of the biggest coronavirus vaccine myths busted by experts

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="740" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1213304774-1110x740.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-395014" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1213304774-1110x740.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1213304774-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1213304774-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1213304774-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1213304774-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Cropped hand wearing a nitrile glove holding a Covid-19 vaccine vial and a syringe</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Jan 20 (Reuters) &#8211; South African healthcare experts are urging the government to share a detailed plan for administering COVID-19 vaccines with private sector partners who are offering their help, warning infrastructure bottlenecks will otherwise delay the rollout.



With around 1.34 million total cases and 37,449 deaths as of Monday, South Africa is by far the African nation hardest hit by the pandemic and is grappling with a second wave of infections driven by a new variant of the virus first identified in the country.



The government has said the first vaccine doses will arrive by the end of January, and South Africa will aim to vaccinate 40 million people by the end of 2021.



But with a public health system creaking even before the pandemic hit, experts say the vaccination drive will require a plan to coordinate with private health services, pharmacies, supermarkets, major employers and non-government sectors.



&#8220;South Africa needs all hands on deck,&#8221; said Glenda Gray, president of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC). &#8220;If we rely on the current healthcare system, then the plan is doomed.&#8221;



On Tuesday, the government released a statement saying a national committee would oversee the vaccine roll-out in both the public and private sectors.



It did not say when the roll-out would start, how distribution and storage logistics would be managed or identify private companies that would be involved. The health ministry did not reply to an email sent on Monday seeking those details.



Experts contacted by Reuters said they believed big private sector players should already be on board.



&#8220;Currently there is a single channel of procurement and no clarity on efficient and speedy delivery,&#8221; said Alex van den Heever, a professor at the Wits School of Governance in Johannesburg. &#8220;It is hugely constraining.&#8221;



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-scale-of-the-challenge">SCALE OF THE CHALLENGE</h2>



South Africa immunizes around 5,000 babies daily for diseases such as measles and diphtheria as part of what is currently its biggest mass vaccination scheme.



To reach its COVID-19 vaccination target, it would need to administer some 150,000 doses every day for the next year.



A programme on that scale will need to manage reams of data on who must be vaccinated, who has received a dose of vaccine and who still needs a follow-up shot.



Tuesday&#8217;s government statement said the system would be based on a pre-vaccination registration and appointment system, but did not go into details on when and where people can get registered.



The vaccination drive will also require vast cold chain infrastructure at a time when South Africa is suffering from regular power cuts, as well as a plan to deal with unprecedented amounts of bio-medical waste, experts say.



Some private companies and industry bodies with the necessary expertise and infrastructure have already volunteered their assistance.



The Independent Community Pharmacy Association (ICPA), which represents around 1,164 pharmacies, said last week it had sent the government details of how it could assist the vaccination effort.



ICPA said it was working with the National Department of Health on vaccine roll-out, but did not say if a plan had been agreed.



Clicks Group, South Africa&#8217;s biggest pharmacy chain, told Reuters it was ready to offer the use of its vast distribution network but was awaiting clarity on how the government&#8217;s programme would work.



The Minerals Council &#8211; an industry body for mining companies &#8211; said its members were developing plans to use the sector&#8217;s healthcare infrastructure and delivery capability for the vaccine drive.



Supermarket chains and retailers are also offering to help.



&#8220;The Shoprite Group is &#8230; ideally positioned to assist with the distribution and administration of COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa once the government provides final details,&#8221; the country&#8217;s largest retailer told Reuters.



Health experts said such private sector support was encouraging, but added a detailed government blueprint was needed to avoid delays.



&#8220;It should have been developed already,&#8221; said Jeremy Nel, head of the infectious diseases division at Johannesburg&#8217;s Helen Joseph Hospital on the roll-out plan. &#8220;Slower you are to roll-out, you will have to measure the cost of failure in deaths.&#8221;



(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee and Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Joe Bavier and Alex Richardson)



(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html

A doctor holds an ampoule of the Corona vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer between his fingers in the pharmacy of the University Hospital Tübingen (UKT).

S.African experts urge government to lay out COVID-19 vaccine plan

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="1110" height="740" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1222832010-1110x740.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-395149" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1222832010-1110x740.jpg 1110w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1222832010-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1222832010-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1222832010-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1222832010-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/GettyImages-1222832010-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 1110px) 100vw, 1110px" /><figcaption>Health visitor and a senior woman during home visit &#8211; using digital tablet</figcaption></figure>



South Africa’s AfroCentric says it is ready to help the government vaccinate frontline health workers in the fight against COVID-19.



The diversified health solutions business provider is offering its 3,000 nurses to travel around country to vaccinate about 150,000 workers per day as part of its contribution to sight the pandemic which has killed more than 37&nbsp;105 South Africans since last year.



&nbsp;“Afrocentric is working closely with Government to procure COVID-19 vaccines as soon as they are approved by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority SAHPRA and has the infrastructure to rapidly distribute the vaccines, maintaining the cold chain to all corners of South Africa,’’ AfroCentric’s CEO Ahmed Banderker said in a statement. &#8220;We have already dispensed more than 10 million prescriptions in 2020.’’



This comes after President Cyril Ramaphosa recently announced that South Africa has secured 20 million vaccine doses to combat the coronavirus, which are to be delivered mainly in the first half of the year. Health Minister Dr Zweli Mkhize says the country is expected to receive one million doses of a Covid-19 vaccine from the Serum Institute of India (SII) in January, and 500,000 doses in February.



Afrocentric says this will help meet the National Department of Health’s phased approach for delivery, in partnership with the private sector for 1.25 million frontline healthcare workers prioritised for Phase 1 and 16 million essential workers and high-risk people, prioritised for Phase 2.



AfroCentric’s membership base of over 3.8 million lives includes members of medical schemes Government Employees Medical Scheme&nbsp;(GEMS), Polmed, Bonitas, MediPos and other medical schemes that support South Africa’s frontline workers. Bandeker says these include doctors, nurses, policemen and women.



&nbsp;“These nurses will provide services on an appointment basis at AfroCentric and Medscheme branches, occupational health and primary health clinics nationwide, onsite at the members’ place of work and will follow-up with members afterwards to monitor their response to the vaccine” he added.



The extensive network of international suppliers Afrocentric has will source WHO-prescribed PPE for healthcare workers to enable them to administer vaccines safely without risk to themselves or our members.

Health visitor and a senior woman during home visit – using digital tablet

Afrocentric steps up to help in Covid-19 battle

The Covid-19 vaccine developed by China’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=SVA">Sinovac Biotech</a>is just 50.4% effective in a Brazilian trial — barely meeting the threshold for regulatory approval and well below the initially reported efficacy rate, according to several media reports. &nbsp;



Brazil is the first to complete late-stage trial of the vaccine CoronaVac. The state-run Butantan Institute has been criticized by scientists and health experts for a lack of transparency in making public its trial data.



The institute reportedly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/24/brazil-institute-says-coronavac-efficacy-above-50percent-but-delays-full-results.html">delayed releasing trial results three times</a>&nbsp;— which it blamed on a confidentially clause in its contract with Sinovac — and last week announced partial data that showed an efficacy rate that was later revised much lower.



Butantan said last week that CoronaVac was 78% effective among volunteers with mild to severe infections,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/chinas-sinovac-covid-19-vaccine-is-50-4-in-late-stage-brazil-trials-11610470581" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">reported the Wall Street Journal</a>. But the institute said Tuesdaythat the overall efficacy rate fell to 50.4% when including “very mild” cases that did not require medical assistance, the Journal reported. &nbsp;&nbsp;



In comparison, Covid vaccines from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=PFE">Pfizer</a>&#8211;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=BNTX">BioNTech</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=MRNA">Moderna</a>&nbsp;were found to be about 95% effective in their late-stage trials.



Sinovac did not immediately respond to CNBC’s emailed request for comment.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-hope-for-china-s-vaccines">Hope for China’s vaccines</h2>



Brazil and other developing nations have pinned their hopes on Chinese vaccines as wealthier countries snap up vaccines developed in the West.



Sinovac’s CoronaVac vaccine is also cheaper and easier to transport because it can be stored in ordinary refrigerators — unlike the vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna that&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/25/ultra-cold-freezer-maker-sees-surge-in-demand-to-store-covid-vaccines.html">must be kept at subfreezing temperatures</a>.



The South American country has reported more than 8.1 million Covid infections in total, the third highest number globally, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. The country’s death toll of over 204,000 is the second highest in the world, Hopkins data showed.



Butantan has requested for CoronaVac to be authorized for emergency use, reported Reuters. Brazil’s health regulator Anvisa, which has stipulated a minimum 50% efficacy rate for vaccines in the pandemic, said it will meet on Sunday to decide, the news agency said.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-trials-in-other-countries">Trials in other countries</h2>



In addition to Brazil, other developing countries including Turkey and Indonesia are also conducting trials on CoronaVac.



Indonesia on Monday approved the vaccine for emergency use — the first country outside China to do so after interim data from a late-stage trial showed that CoronaVac was 65.3% effective, <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/11/25/ultra-cold-freezer-maker-sees-surge-in-demand-to-store-covid-vaccines.html">reported Reuters.</a>



Meanwhile, Turkish researchers said their interim analysis showed the vaccine to be 91.25% effective,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-turkey-china/turkey-says-chinas-sinovac-covid-vaccine-91-25-effective-in-late-trials-idINKBN28Y1R1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Reuters reported last month.</a>



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-sinovac/piecemeal-data-releases-threaten-to-undermine-sinovacs-covid-19-vaccine-idUSKBN2920QQ" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Experts quoted by the news agency said it’s not unusual</a>&nbsp;for differential trials of a vaccine to show differing efficacy rates. But fragmental releases of CoronaVac trial data could add to skepticism and undermine confidence in the vaccine, Reuters said.

106819656-1609928400136-gettyimages-1285458686-dsc_5580

Brazil researchers now say China’s Sinovac vaccine is 50% effective — lower than announced earlier

A mutated and more infectious&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/coronavirus-live-updates.html">coronavirus</a>&nbsp;strain first identified in South Africa is “disturbing” and could pose a threat to antibody treatments that are used to prevent people from falling seriously ill from Covid-19, White House health advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Tuesday.



New coronavirus strains first identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/south-africa-covid-strain-a-guide-to-what-you-need-to-know.html">have caused some concerns among scientists</a>&nbsp;who say the mutated variants are highly infectious, though they don’t appear to be any deadlier compared with previous strains.



So far, health experts&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">have said there’s no evidence</a>&nbsp;the mutations alter the effectiveness of current vaccines. However, there’s some concern that the variant found in South Africa, known as 501Y.V2, might be more resistant to monoclonal antibodies, which have helped some people fight the virus when administered early on in their infection.WATCH NOWVIDEO02:30Our Covid antibody treatment will work against new strains: Vir CEO



Through discussions with health experts in South Africa, Fauci said preliminary data shows there’s “more of a threat” the strain would evade some of the protections antibody treatments provide.



“It could be having some impact on protection for the monoclonal antibodies and perhaps even for the vaccine. We don’t know that,” Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said during a Q&amp;A session at Schmidt Futures’ Forum on Preparedness.



He added that researchers in laboratories at the National Institutes of Health and across the country are quickly trying to determine the possible impact of the strain found in South Africa.



“People ask me, ‘Are you worried about it?’ These are not the kind of things I worry about, but it’s the kind of thing that I take very seriously,” Fauci said.



As viruses spread, they’re expected to mutate over time as the spikes on their surfaces change, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says</a>. The 501Y.V2 variant gets its name from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/csr/don/21-december-2020-sars-cov2-variant-united-kingdom/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the N501Y mutation</a>&nbsp;found in the spike protein that the virus uses to gain entry into cells within the body.&nbsp;



This mutation is also seen in the variant U.K. health authorities identified in December, known as B.1.1.7. While both variants found in the U.K. and South Africa shared the N501Y mutation, they are different, according&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/csr/don/21-december-2020-sars-cov2-variant-united-kingdom/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">to the World Health Organization</a>.



Fauci has previously said the mutated Covid-19 variations could pose a risk to the coronavirus therapeutics. Unlike vaccines, which trigger an immune response that attacks different parts of the virus, monoclonal antibodies target a very specific component, Fauci&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/30/california-has-identified-first-case-with-new-covid-strain-newsom-says-.html">told California Gov. Gavin Newsom i</a>n late December.



<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=LLY">Eli Lilly</a>&nbsp;Chairman and CEO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.lilly.com/leadership/executive-committee/david-ricks" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Dave Ricks</a>&nbsp;told&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/12/covid-variant-found-in-south-africa-could-evade-eli-lillys-antibody-drug-ceo.html">CNBC earlier Tuesday that he expects</a>&nbsp;the company’s monoclonal antibody treatment to be effective against the variant found in the U.K., though the one in South Africa could pose more challenges. Eli Lilly’s drug was given emergency authorization in the U.S. in November and was followed by another drug from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=REGN">Regeneron</a>.



“The South African variant &#8230; is the one of concern. It has more dramatic mutations to that spike protein, which is the target” of these antibody drugs, Ricks said on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/squawk-box-us/">“Squawk Box.”</a>&nbsp;“Theoretically, it could evade our medicines.”



The CDC has yet to identify any strains of the 501Y.V2 variant in the United States, though the agency has found at least 72 cases with the B.1.1.7 strain found in the U.K. as of Monday, according to data from&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant-cases.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the CDC</a>.



— CNBC’s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/holly-ellyatt/">Holly Ellyatt</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/kevin-stankiewicz/">Kevin Stankiewicz</a>&nbsp;contributed to this report.

Tracking Dr. Anthony Fauci’s Comments On Coronavirus

Dr. Fauci warns Covid variant found in South Africa could pose threat to antibody drugs

105500770-1539253589126gettyimages-909184932

SOUTH AFRICA’S PRESIDENT RAMAPHOSA SAYS  COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN COUNTRY AT ITS MOST DEVASTATING

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106821138-1610081333688-gettyimages-1230473469-20090101210108-99-939413.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-394615" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106821138-1610081333688-gettyimages-1230473469-20090101210108-99-939413.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106821138-1610081333688-gettyimages-1230473469-20090101210108-99-939413-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A doctor holds an ampoule of the Corona vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer between his fingers in the pharmacy of the University Hospital Tübingen (UKT).
</figcaption></figure>



LONDON — A coronavirus vaccine developed by <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=PFE">Pfizer</a> and <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=BNTX">BioNTech</a> appears to be effective against a key mutation in the more infectious variants of the virus discovered in the U.K. and South Africa, according to a study conducted by the U.S. pharmaceutical giant.



It comes as countries scramble to contain the variants that are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/07/coronavirus-who-warns-of-tipping-point-in-covid-pandemic.html">significantly more transmissible</a>, with public health experts anxious about the potential impact on inoculation efforts.



The research, published Thursday on preprint server&nbsp;<a href="https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.07.425740v1" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">bioRxiv</a>&nbsp;and not yet peer-reviewed, suggested the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine worked to neutralize the so-called N501Y mutation.



The N501Y mutation has been reported in the more infectious variants. It is altering an amino acid within six key residues in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/06/south-africa-covid-strain-a-guide-to-what-you-need-to-know.html">receptor-binding domain</a>&nbsp;— a key part of the spike protein that the virus uses to gain entry into cells within the body.



“These findings are good news for the likely effectiveness of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against these new variants of SARS-CoV-2,” said Dr. Michael Baker, an epidemiologist at the University of Otago in Wellington, New Zealand.



“In other words, the Pfizer vaccine is likely to induce immunity that covers the two new more infectious variants originating in England and South Africa,” he added.



Pfizer and researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch conducted the study on blood taken from people who had been given the Covid-19 vaccine.



The findings are limited, however, because the study does not look at the full set of mutations found in either of the new rapidly spreading variants.



“Pfizer and BioNTech have tested sera from people immunized with the BNT162b2 vaccine for its ability to neutralize multiple mutant strains,” a Pfizer spokesperson told CNBC via email on Friday, referring to the official name of the Covid vaccine.



“To date, we have found consistent coverage of all the strains tested. The two companies are now generating data on how well sera from people immunized with BNT162b2, may be able to neutralize new strains.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-we-urgently-need-data">‘We urgently need data’</h2>



Researchers hope to have more data on whether the vaccines work against other mutations found in the U.K. and South Africa variants in the coming weeks, Reuters reported.



“It’s important to note that the study does not actually examine these variants directly but only focuses on one single mutation in these variants (the 501Y mutation),” Dr. Deepti Gurdasani, clinical epidemiologist at Queen Mary University of London, told CNBC via email on Friday.



“So, while it’s reassuring that one mutation within these variants is not associated with escape from vaccines, at least in the laboratory, we urgently need data on these mutations, and preferably on the variant virus with a combination of mutations, as these may act differently in combination.”



The World Health Organization said last month that health authorities were “urgently investigating” whether the N501Y mutation may have any impact on vaccine performance.



Of particular concern is the variant of the virus that emerged in South Africa. That’s because this variant carries two other mutations in the spike protein (E484K and K417N, among others) which are not present in the U.K. strain, named “VOC-202012/01,” with VOC standing for “Variant of Concern.”



Gurdasani said the E484K mutation was “particularly concerning” because it had been associated with significantly reduced neutralization by antibodies in the laboratory.



To date, more than 88.1 million people have contracted the coronavirus worldwide, with 1.9 million deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.



— CNBC’s Holly Ellyatt contributed to this report.

Pfizer vaccine appears to neutralize a key mutation of Covid variants found in UK, South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, Jan 8 (Reuters) &#8211; South Africa&#8217;s rand firmed on Friday, as investors found some comfort in news that the country has secured COVID-19 vaccines for healthcare workers and that the rollout should start sooner than anticipated after criticism of delays.



At 0712 GMT, the rand was trading at 15.3800 against the dollar, 0.49% firmer from an overnight close of 15.4550.



Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Thursday the government would receive 1.5 million doses of AstraZeneca&#8217;s shot from the Serum Institute of India (SII), spread over January and February.



Health workers have voiced concern that the authorities have not acted fast enough to secure enough vaccines.



Analysts at NKC African Economics said the announcement was &#8220;welcoming news&#8221; at a time when COVID-19 cases within the country hit a record 21,832 on Wednesday and over 20,000 in the last 24 hours.



Government bonds were little changed, with the yield on the benchmark 2030 bond up 1 basis point at 8.810%.



In the equities markets, stocks also firmed, with Aspen Pharmacare, which is producing the Johnson &amp; Johnson COVID-19 vaccines in South Africa, leading the rally.



Aspen climbed 3.34% at 0724 GMT after a senior company executive told Reuters on Thursday that the country&#8217;s biggest pharmaceutical firm could start production of the J&amp;J vaccines by late March or early April if all approvals are in place.



The health ministry&#8217;s announcement that negotiations on sourcing a vaccine are at an advanced stage with J&amp;J, also boosted gains at Aspen.



The Johannesburg All-Share index rose 0.76%, while the Top-40 index climbed 0.77% (Reporting by Nqobile Dludla; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)



(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2021. Click For Restrictions &#8211; https://agency.reuters.com/en/copyright.html

South Africa’s rand firms as country secures COVID-19 vaccines

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106819656-1609928400136-gettyimages-1285458686-dsc_5580.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-394538" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106819656-1609928400136-gettyimages-1285458686-dsc_5580.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/106819656-1609928400136-gettyimages-1285458686-dsc_5580-300x169.jpeg 300w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Scientist in a protective suit holds and compares two different Coronavirus of different color in his hands.
Aitor Diago | Moment | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Viruses mutate all the time, so it’s no surprise that the coronavirus which emerged in China at the end of 2019 has undergone significant mutations as the virus replicates and spreads.



But a new strain that has emerged in South Africa is causing concern. Like a variant discovered in the U.K. in recent months, the one that in South Africa is proving to be far more transmissible.



While the two strains spread more easily, scientists do not believe they are deadlier. But being more transmissible means more people can get infected, and this could mean more serious infections and more fatalities.



Questions are now being raised over whether the coronavirus vaccines developed at breakneck speed in the last year, the Western frontrunners being those developed by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=PFE">Pfizer</a>&#8211;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=BNTX">BioNTec</a>h,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=MRNA">Moderna</a>&nbsp;and the University of Oxford/<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/quotes/?symbol=AZN-GB">AstraZeneca</a>&nbsp;will be effective against significant mutations of the virus, such as the one identified in South Africa.



While scientists believe the U.K. variant is not likely to affect the efficacy of the vaccines currently being rolled out in the West, there is more uncertainty regarding the other strain.



Experts are keen to point out that there’s still a lot we don’t know about the new strains, although they are being investigated, and they are urging people not to panic. Here’s what we know so far:



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-do-we-know-about-the-variant">What do we know about the variant?</h2>



On Dec. 18, South Africa announced the detection of the mutation that was rapidly spreading in three provinces, becoming the dominant strain in Eastern Cape, Western Cape, and KwaZulu-Natal provinces.



South Africa named the variant “501Y.V2” because of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/csr/don/21-december-2020-sars-cov2-variant-united-kingdom/en/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">the N501Y mutation</a>&nbsp;they found in the spike protein that the virus uses to gain entry into cells within the body. This mutation, among others, was also found in the new strain that the U.K. identified in December (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/covid-19-sars-cov-2-information-about-the-new-virus-variant" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">but estimated to have been in circulation since September</a>) with both regarded as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/04/british-prime-boris-johnson-imposes-national-lockdown-for-england-to-combat-new-covid-variant.html">increasing the transmissibility of the virus, making it spread more efficiently</a>.



With authorities in the U.K. and South Africa alerting the World Health Organization to the new mutations in December, the WHO noted that while both variants found in the U.K. and South Africa shared the N501Y mutation, they are different.



The variant in South Africa carries two other mutations in the spike protein (E484K and K417N, among others) which are not present in the U.K. strain, named “VOC-202012/01,” with VOC standing for “Variant of Concern.” Experts said the mutations could affect how vaccines against Covid work.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-worried-should-we-be">How worried should we be?</h2>



Some experts are worried about the South Africa variant, now more widely known as “501.V2.”&nbsp;<a href="https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/weekly-epidemiological-update---5-january-2021" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">So far, it has only been found in a handful of cases, WHO noted Tuesday, albeit in an increasing number of countries</a>&nbsp;including the U.K., France, Switzerland, Japan, Austria and Zambia.



Multiple countries have banned flights from South Africa&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2020/12/21/new-covid-strain-makes-uk-a-global-pariah-amid-travel-bans.html">and the U.K.</a>&nbsp;as a result of the new strains in a bid to stop their spread.



Earlier this week,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/04/south-african-coronavirus-variant-more-of-a-problem-than-uk-one.html">U.K. Health Secretary Matt Hancock said the variant found in South Africa was especially concerning</a>. “I’m incredibly worried about the South African variant, and that’s why we took the action that we did to restrict all flights from South Africa,” he told the BBC’s “Today” program Monday.



“This is a very, very significant problem, &#8230; and it’s even more of a problem than&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/04/british-prime-boris-johnson-imposes-national-lockdown-for-england-to-combat-new-covid-variant.html">the U.K. new variant</a>,” he said without explanation.



On Tuesday, former U.S. FDA chief Dr. Scott Gottlieb warned that vaccinating Americans against Covid is more critical than ever, especially as the variant in South Africa appears to inhibit antibody drugs, and is spreading elsewhere.&nbsp;&nbsp;



“The South Africa variant is very concerning right now because it does appear that it may obviate some of our medical countermeasures, particularly the antibody drugs,” Gottlieb told CNBC’s <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/the-news-with-shepard-smith/">“The News with Shepard Smith”</a> on Tuesday.



“Right now that strain does appear to be prevalent in South America and Brazil, the two parts of the world, right now, that are in their summer, but also experiencing a very dense epidemic, and that’s concerning.”&nbsp;



The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted on Sunday that scientists are investigating the variants “to better understand how easily they might be transmitted and whether currently authorized vaccines will protect people against them.”



“Currently, there is no evidence that these variants cause more severe illness or increased risk of death. New information about the virologic, epidemiologic, and clinical characteristics of these variants is rapidly emerging,” it added.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-what-about-the-risk-to-vaccines">What about the risk to vaccines?</h2>



As countries scramble to kickstart vaccination programs, or to speed up those already underway, experts noted that one of the biggest potential consequences of emerging variants is their “ability to evade natural or vaccine-induced immunity.”



“Both vaccination against and natural infection with SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus) produce a ‘polyclonal’ response that targets several parts of the spike protein. The virus would likely need to accumulate multiple mutations in the spike protein to evade immunity induced by vaccines or by natural infection,” the CDC&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/science-and-research/scientific-brief-emerging-variants.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said Sunday in its brief on the emerging variants.</a>



The ability to evade vaccine-induced immunity is, for the CDC, the most concerning potential consequence of emergent strains “because once a large proportion of the population is vaccinated, there will be immune pressure that could favor and accelerate emergence of such variants by selecting for ‘escape mutants.’”



The CDC stressed, however, that “there is no evidence that this is occurring, and most experts believe escape mutants are unlikely to emerge because of the nature of the virus.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-how-did-it-originate">How did it originate?</h2>



How and where these variants originated is unclear, experts stress, noting that it’s unfair to “blame” countries for mutations, given that they could have originated anywhere but have been discovered by certain countries “looking for them,” i.e. those that conduct advanced surveillance of viruses and thus are likely to find more mutations.



The variant in the U.K., for example, was found by the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cogconsortium.uk/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">‘Covid-19 Genomics UK Consortium,’</a>&nbsp;which undertakes random genetic sequencing of positive Covid samples around the country. Since being set up in April, the consortium has sequenced 170,256 virus genomes from people infected with Covid. It uses the data to track outbreaks and identify variant viruses and publishes its data weekly.

Covid variant found in South Africa is worrying experts: Here’s what we know so far

The global economy faces profound uncertainties, particularly in the face of the&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/africa/covid-19">COVID-19</a>&nbsp;pandemic. In addition, faith in the efficacy of international bodies such as the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/whatis_e.htm">World Trade Organisation</a>&nbsp;(WTO) has been weakened by a power struggle between China and the US.



As the process for appointing a new head of the organisation moves into its final phase, it’s worth considering what front runner Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala could bring to the complex role of managing an international organisation, including designing and implementing reforms.



The WTO&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wto.org/english/thewto_e/whatis_e/whatis_e.htm">describes itself</a>&nbsp;as a forum for governments to negotiate trade agreements. A key objective of the WTO is the liberalisation of trade for the mutual benefit of its members. This concept has become a divisive issue as a result of the perceived imbalances in the rights and obligations of members and the perceived uneven distribution of the gains from trade.



Okonjo-Iweala would be in a position to use her multifaceted experiences to energise the WTO’s 164 members to work harder to achieve the value of the multilateral trade systems. Given her experience in being able to diplomatically manage people and institutions resistant to change, she could also provide the impetus for member countries to overcome the challenges that have paralysed the trade organisation for years.



Okonjo-Iweala has gained acute negotiation skills from her experiences in negotiating with institutions and countries, as she did when she negotiated for Nigeria’s debts relief.



In addition, Okonjo-Iweala has held top positions in several international bodies, including corporates as well as not for profit organisations. Her ability to serve in senior positions in these disparate cultural settings means that she will be able to navigate the complex terrain of an organisation that has a mandate to serve the interests of 164 member states.



Her international exposure also means that she has developed an extensive network across the globe which she is bound to call on in the WTO job.



In addition, Okonjo-Iweala has a proven track record in carrying out successful reforms both at the World Bank and as the&nbsp;<a href="https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/reforming-unreformable">finance minister in Nigeria</a>. Carrying out these reforms would have required negotiating with various constituencies.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-the-early-days">The early days</h2>



Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala was born to a royal family of Chukwuka and Kamene Okonjo on 13 June 1954, in Delta State, Nigeria. Her parents were both professors at the University of Ibadan. She completed secondary school at the International School Ibadan and St. Anne’s School, Molete, Ibadan. The young Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala proceeded to Harvard University. She graduated in 1977 with honours in economics. She went on to complete a PhD in regional economics and development at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.



Okonjo-Iweala’s professional life points to decades in the thick of economic policy – global as well as local.



She worked for many years at the World Bank where she started as an intern. After gaining her PhD she returned to the bank to work as a development economist. She was to spend 25 years at the institution, rising to the position of vice president.



Okonjo-Iweala spearheaded several World Bank initiatives to assist low income countries during the&nbsp;<a href="https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/16505?locale-attribute=en">2008-2009 food and financial crises</a>. For example, as managing director of the World Bank from 2007 to 2011, she had oversight responsibility for the World Bank’s $81 billion operational portfolio in Africa, South Asia, Europe and Central Asia.



In 2010, she was chair of the World Bank’s successful drive to raise $49.3 billion in grants and low interest credit for the poorest countries in the world.



<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2012/apr/16/world-bank-president-jim-kim">In 2012</a>&nbsp;she became the first female and black candidate to contest for the presidency of World Bank Group. She lost to Jim Yong Kim, the president of Dartmouth College.



Having worked for about 25 years in the World Bank, negotiating and pushing for progressive agreement and development, Okonjo-Iweala has developed keenly honed negotiation skills.



In addition, she is an outsider to the WTO who offers the comprehensive skills and experience needed to shake up the organisation and bring progress to world trade. Her African origin places her on political neutral ground, enabling her, among other things, to objectively mediate issues between China and US.



These skills and traits also mean that she’s in a strong position to build a trade institution where there is greater trust among its members.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-her-service-to-nigeria">Her service to Nigeria</h2>



In 2003, she was appointed Nigeria’s minister of finance by the then President Olusegun Obasanjo. She became the first female finance minister and had several reforms to her credit.



As minister of finance in Nigeria, she spearheaded negotiations with the Paris Club of Creditors&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cgdev.org/topics/nigerian-debt-relief#:%7E:text=In%20October%202005%2C%20Nigeria%20and,of%20any%20Paris%20Club%20debt.">that led to the wiping out of $30 billion of Nigeria’s debt</a>, including the outright cancellation of $18 billion.



She had several battles with powerful political interests in Nigeria. She slashed the number of agencies in the country. She drastically cut fuel subsidies in a subsidy scheme that was enmeshed in a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/apr/19/nigeria-fuel-subsidy-scheme-corruption">difficult web of corruption</a>&nbsp;that made the country lose $6.8bn over a three-year period.



Okonjo-Iweala introduced practical economic reforms which changed the worldview of Nigeria as seemingly hopeless and comatose. She turned around the largest economy in Africa.



Nigeria, for the first time in history, had electronic financial management reforms. She also introduced macroeconomic reforms and many policy strategies like a medium term expenditure framework and medium term budgeting.



For a brief period in 2006, Okonjo-Iweala served as Nigeria’s first female minister of foreign affairs. After resigning from government she set up a research organisation, NOI Polls.



In 2011 she was reappointed as minister of finance and coordinating minister of the economy by the then President of Nigeria, Goodluck Jonathan. She served in the position until 2015. In that time, Nigeria’s economic growth rate remained at an average of 6% per annum.



Under her leadership, Nigeria’s Bureau of Statistics&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-04-06/nigerian-economy-overtakes-south-africa-s-on-rebased-gdp">rebased the gross domestic product</a>for the time first in 24 years. This saw Nigeria emerge as the largest economy in Africa. She took a lot of heat for the government’s decision to remove the fuel subsidy. Protests ensued and the policy was reversed.



I have no doubt in my mind that Okonjo-Iweala would be an exemplary leader of the global trade organisation because she would balance policies between the advanced economies and developing ones to achieve sustainable global economic growth and development.

Okonjo-Iweala

Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala: how global and local experience would play out in WTO top job

The COVID-19 crisis is one of many indicators that we live in dangerous and uncertain times. Others include the international community’s struggle to respond to technological and climate change, demographic shifts, growing poverty and inequality as well as increased global insecurity.



The global governance arrangements for managing these changes are no longer fit for purpose. Take the decision making procedures in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.un.org/securitycouncil/">UN Security Council</a>&nbsp;and the International Monetary Fund&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imf.org/external/index.htm">(IMF)</a>. They don’t account for the growing importance of developing countries. Nor do they meaningfully accommodate non-state actors such as transnational corporations and civil society groups.



These changes are pushing countries to reassess how they use foreign policy to serve their national interests. A recently published book,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pulp.up.ac.za/edited-collections/values-interests-and-power-south-african-foreign-policy-in-uncertain-times">Values, Interest and Power: South African Foreign Policy in Uncertain Times</a>, contributes to such a reassessment in South Africa. The book was co-edited by foreign relations expert Elizabeth Sidiropoulos and me.



In the book, a group of senior and junior South African authors offer suggestions on how the country can formulate and implement a foreign policy that responds to a changing global world.



We maintain that foreign policy making should be guided by the national interest. The South African&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/constitution/SAConstitution-web-eng.pdf">constitution</a>&nbsp;provides important guidance on this. This is because it’s a product of the country’s history, politics and culture. It expresses its values and aspirations.



On foreign policy, it allocates responsibilities and authority among the different branches of government. It also instructs relevant government authorities to base their foreign policy on the values expressed in the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/constitution/SAConstitution-web-eng-02.pdf">bill of rights</a>.



Subject to these constraints, policy makers are free to determine foreign policy priorities according to their view of the country’s economic, geo-strategic, political, cultural, environmental and security interests.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-recommendation">Recommendation</h2>



The book concludes with some recommendations for South Africa’s foreign policy makers.



First, foreign policy should:



<ul><li>contribute to implementing the domestic economic and social transformation agenda,</li><li>be consistent with the values and governance arrangements set out in the constitution,</li><li>position South Africa to be a norm entrepreneur in global affairs. This means pursuing creative and principled solutions to global issues,</li><li>advocate reforms to global governance arrangements so that they become more responsive to the concerns of the global South. And become more accountable.</li></ul>



Secondly, we recommend changing the way which foreign policy is designed. The Presidency should establish an inter-agency coordinating council that can formulate a coherent and effective foreign policy. The&nbsp;<a href="http://www.dirco.gov.za/department/index.html">Department of International Relations and Cooperation</a>&nbsp;should then lead implementation.



Our third recommendation is that Parliament and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.justice.gov.za/legislation/constitution/SAConstitution-web-eng-09.pdf">Chapter 9 institutions</a>&nbsp;should play a role in foreign policy making. These institutions support the country’s constitutional democracy. For example, the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.sahrc.org.za/">Human Rights Commission</a>&nbsp;could issue an annual report assessing how effectively the government has used international relations to advance human rights at home.



In addition, there should be an annual meeting with these bodies to discuss the government’s foreign policy objectives for the year ahead. This could be run by the executive through the Presidency or the foreign relations department.



Fourthly, we recommend that a concerted effort be made to ensure that foreign service staff have the technical and language skills to deal with the expanding range of issues facing the country on the global arena. Equally important, they should also understand the links between domestic social and economic transformation and foreign policy.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-top-of-mind-topics">Top of mind topics</h2>



We also make recommendations on specific topics.



Economic development and cooperation:&nbsp;South Africa needs to pay attention to its trade and economic relations, particularly in Africa. For example, the new&nbsp;<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-africas-free-trade-area-offers-so-much-promise-93827">African Continental Free Trade Area</a>&nbsp;should open important trading and job creating opportunities. It will also help develop regional value chains.



We recommend that the government, business, labour and other stakeholders develop an integrated strategy to take advantage of these opportunities.



Climate change:&nbsp;The country has played an important leadership role in the global&nbsp;<a href="https://www.environment.gov.za/projectsprogrammes/donorfunded/unfccc">United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change</a>&nbsp;negotiations.



<figure class="wp-block-image"><img decoding="async" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/370292/original/file-20201119-15-qrhl1w.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=237&amp;fit=clip" alt=""/></figure>



To continue playing this role credibly, it should reduce the inconsistencies between its domestic and global climate change related policies. In particular, it needs to stress in both arenas the important relationship between climate change and social justice.



Peace and security:&nbsp;South Africa should draw lessons from its experiences in African peacemaking about how it can help African regional bodies end conflicts.



We also recommend that the country develops a maritime strategy. This is important for two reasons. First, South Africa is bounded by two major oceans. Its exclusive economic zone is bigger than its land mass. Second, external actors are becoming increasingly interested in the Indian Ocean. They see it as part of a bigger maritime space stretching from the Pacific to the east coast of Africa. Without such a strategy, it will be difficult for the country to protect its interests.



The multilateral system:&nbsp;Middle sized powers like South Africa need a reformed multilateral system. It should, therefore, continue to be engaged in the debates on reforming it.



Given resource constraints, it needs to focus on institutions where reform is feasible. These include the World Trade Organisation, the IMF and the World Bank. Reforms should focus on creating greater voice for underrepresented countries, and more public accountability and transparency.



South Africa should also use its platform in global forums like the&nbsp;<a href="https://g20.org/en/about/Pages/whatis.aspx">G20</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.gov.za/about-government/brics-brazil-russia-india-china-south-africa-1">BRICS</a>&nbsp;to promote issues of concern to Africa, and to foster greater inter-regional cooperation.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-need-for-coherence">Need for coherence</h2>



A foreign policy that looks incoherent – or is merely reactive – can have both reputational and material costs. We hope this book contributes to improving the gains the country can make from its international relations.

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