<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="558" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-820x558.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-415199" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-820x558.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-300x204.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-132x90.jpg 132w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE-768x522.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/JXG4GTGRDVPCPCUFH7ER4YXVWE.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>A medical staff member demonstrates how to activate a respirator as the hospital prepares for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Karen hospital near Nairobi, Kenya, April 6, 2020. REUTERS/Baz Ratner</figcaption></figure>



JOHANNESBURG, Feb 10 (Reuters) &#8211; Africa&#8217;s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has improved over time but the continent needs to accelerate the pace of vaccination to control the pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization&#8217;s Africa division said on Thursday.



&#8220;We are finally able to say that if the current trends hold, there is light at the end of the tunnel. As long as we remain vigilant and we act intensively particularly on vaccination, the continent is on track for controlling the pandemic,&#8221; said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa.



She said the response had become more effective with each new wave of the virus, noting that the first wave had lasted 29 weeks while the fourth was over in six weeks.



However, Moeti said 85% of Africans had yet to receive a single dose of vaccine, and uptake needed to be significantly accelerated.



&#8220;A steady supply of doses is now reaching our shores, so the focus needs to be on translating those into actual shots in people&#8217;s arms,&#8221; she said.



This is a developing story&#8230;



(Reporting by Alexander Winning and James Macharia Chege; Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Catherine Evans)

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Africa’s COVID response improving, vaccinations lag, says 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/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-415195" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/DFQYJVLPSVKGNFPCTU3U4SY33A.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Aminata Laye Diagne, a nurse gives a dose of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine to a woman at Philippe Senghor Hospital in Dakar, amid a surge of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in Senegal July 28, 2021. REUTERS/Zohra Bensemra</figcaption></figure>



LYON/DAKAR, Feb 9 (Reuters) &#8211; Top European Union officials said on Wednesday low absorption of COVID-19 vaccines in African countries had become the main problem in the global vaccine rollout following a recent increase in supplies of jabs.



African nations have begun their vaccine campaigns much later than wealthier states which secured the initially limited doses starting in late 2020.



But in recent months supplies have increased exponentially, and many states have trouble absorbing them, with some, such as Congo and Burundi, having used less than 20% of available doses, according to figures from Gavi, a nonprofit global vaccine alliance.



&#8220;The problem seems no longer to be the level of donations,&#8221; France&#8217;s Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told a news conference in Lyon.



&#8220;The problem is absorption,&#8221; he added at the end of a meeting of EU health and foreign ministers, which he chaired as France holds the rotating presidency of the EU.



EU diplomats said that vaccines&#8217; short shelf life, limited storage facilities, poor healthcare infrastructure and vaccine hesitancy were among the main reasons that hampered vaccination in Africa.



Separately, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU would increase spending to boost vaccinations in African states that were lagging behind.



&#8220;We have to make efforts to accelerate vaccinations, especially in African countries where vaccination rates are the lowest,&#8221; she said at a conference in Dakar, Senegal.



<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>



She added the EU would spend 125 million euros ($143 million) to help countries train medical staff and administer doses, in addition to 300 million euros already committed for this purpose by the EU and its states.



An EU official said the EU wanted to shift its message to Africa &#8220;from vaccines to vaccination.&#8221;



However, von der Leyen said the EU would keep sending doses to Africa, with the aim of delivering 450 million vaccines by the summer, three times higher than the volume already shared.



Vaccine absorption will be a key issue at a summit of EU and African Union leaders next week in Brussels, Le Drian said.



Gavi, which co-runs the world&#8217;s largest COVID-19 vaccine-sharing programme COVAX, said the usage rate of COVID-19 shots in the 91 poorest nations it supports was 67%.



But some African countries were lagging much behind. Zambia, Chad, Madagascar, Djibouti, Somalia, Burkina Faso and Uganda had used only about one-third of doses that they received, Gavi said, citing data updated to late January.



Only about 10% of Africans have been immunised against COVID-19 so far. 



($1 = 0.8741 euros) 



(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio and Edward McAllister; Editing by Richard Chang)

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EU pushes for COVID vaccinations in Africa as supply ‘no longer’ a problem

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-415181" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913619-16267937592020-01-29t000000z_1387970559_rc2spe9j1gzp_rtrmadp_0_china-health-who-1-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>RT: Maria Van Kerkhove, Head a.i. Emerging Diseases and Zoonosis at the World Health Organization (WHO), speaks during a news conference on the situation of the coronavirus at the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland, January 29, 2020. Denis Balibouse | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization expects a more transmissible version of omicron to increase in circulation around the world, though it’s not yet clear if the subvariant can reinfect people who caught an earlier version of the omicron strain.



Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said Tuesday the global health agency is tracking four different versions of omicron. Van Kerkhove said the BA.2 subvariant, which is more contagious than the currently dominant BA.1 version, will likely become more common.



“BA.2 is more transmissible than BA.1 so we expect to see BA.2 increasing in detection around the world,” Van Kerkhove said during a question and answer session livestreamed on WHO’s social media platforms Tuesday.



The WHO is monitoring BA.2 to see if the subvariant causes an increase of new infections in countries that saw a rapid increase and then a sharp decline in omicron cases, Van Kerkhove said.



Van Kerkhove emphasized that there’s no indication of a difference in the severity of infections caused by either subvariant, though she noted that research is ongoing. Omicron generally doesn’t make people as sick as the alpha and delta variants, though it does spread faster.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-who-says-the-new-omicron-subvariant-doesn-t-appear-to-be-more-severe-than-the-original">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/who-says-the-new-omicron-subvariant-doesnt-appear-to-be-more-severe-than-the-original/">WHO says the new omicron subvariant doesn’t appear to be more severe than the original</a></h3>



Researchers in Denmark have found found that BA.2 is about 1.5 times more transmissible than BA.1 and it is more adept at infecting people who are vaccinated and even boosted. However, people who are fully vaccinated are less likely to spread it than the unvaccinated.



Van Kerkhove said the shots remain highly effective at preventing severe disease and death, though they don’t prevent all infections. She called on people to get vaccinated and wear masks indoors.



Dr. Abdi Mahamud, the WHO’s Covid incident manager, said it’s unclear whether BA.2 can reinfect people who previously had BA.1.



That could have a significant impact on how much the virus is able to spread. A study in the U.K. found that two-thirds of people who caught omicron said they had Covid before.



Most states in the U.S. have confirmed the presence of BA.2, though it’s circulating at a low level with 460 total cases confirmed so far, according to an international data base that tracks Covid variants.

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WHO says new omicron BA.2 subvariant will rise globally, but scientists don’t know if it can reinfect people

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-415007" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/106913614-16267935192020-07-03t000000z_902531869_rc2slh9z384g_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-tedros-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>WHO Technical lead head COVID-19 Maria Van Kerkhove attends a news conference organized by Geneva Association of United Nations Correspondents (ACANU) amid the COVID-19 outbreak, caused by the novel coronavirus, at the WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland July 3, 2020. Fabrice Coffrini | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization on Tuesday said there’s no indication omicron’s new sister variant, BA.2, causes more serious infections than the original version, though initial data shows it’s more transmissible.



The WHO and other researchers around the world have found that omicron generally doesn’t make people as sick as the delta variant, though it does spread faster than previous strains of the virus and can evade some of the immune protection provided by vaccines.



Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, indicated on Tuesday that those findings likely hold true for the omicron sister variant, labeled BA.2 by scientists. Van Kerkhove said information is limited, but initial data indicates that BA.2 is “slightly” more transmissible than the original omicron variant, what scientists formally refer to as BA.1, which is currently the dominant version worldwide.



However, there’s no indication that BA.2 is any different from the original omicron in terms of severity, Van Kerkhove said, and the vaccines remain effective at preventing severe disease and death from omicron and all of its subvariants. The WHO is working with scientists around the world to track BA.2 infections and will share more information as it becomes available, she said.



“We need people to be aware that this virus is continuing to circulate and it’s continuing to evolve,” Van Kerkhove said during a Covid update Tuesday in Geneva. “That’s why it’s really important that we take measures to reduce our exposure to this virus, whatever variant is circulating.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-who-says-omicron-won-t-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/who-says-omicron-wont-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week/">WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week</a></h3>



BA.2 has become the dominant version of omicron in Denmark, outpacing the original version, BA.1. Danish scientists, in a study published this week, found that BA.2 is substantially more transmissible and is more adept at infecting people who are vaccinated or boosted.



However, vaccinated and boosted people are actually less likely to spread BA.2 once infected compared with people who have the BA.1 strain. The unvaccinated, on the other hand, transmit BA.2 more efficiently than the original omicron, likely due to a higher viral load, according to the study.



The Danish scientists said BA.2, like the original omicron, appears to be associated with milder infections than the more severe delta variant. “The combination of high incidence of a relative innocuous subvariant has raised optimism,” they wrote.



The WHO has repeatedly warned that new Covid variants will likely emerge as omicron spreads rapidly around the world. Van Kerkhove said last week the next variant will be more transmissible, but it’s an open question on whether it will be more severe.



The WHO labeled omicron, including its sublineages, a variant of concern in November. The BA.2 subvariant has not been separately categorized as such because it falls under omicron, the organization said.



“BA.2 is one of the sublineages of omicron, so BA.2 is omicron, and it is a variant of concern,” Van Kerkhove said Tuesday. “It’s in the family of the variants of concern around omicron.”

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WHO says the new omicron subvariant doesn’t appear to be more severe than the original

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414985" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/SFMGR72ZYZPUBD4ZH6VFH62CGQ.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Boxes containing the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine are prepared to be shipped at the Pfizer Global Supply Kalamazoo manufacturing plant in Portage, Michigan, U.S., December 13, 2020. Morry Gash/Pool via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



Jan 31 (Reuters) &#8211; Pfizer Inc and Germany&#8217;s BioNTech SE are expected to submit an emergency use authorization request as early as Tuesday to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for vaccines for children aged six months to 5 years, <a href="https://wapo.st/3rfjDrC">the Washington Post reported</a> on Monday.



Coronavirus vaccines for children younger than 5 could be available as soon as end-February under a plan that would lead to the potential authorization of a two-shot regimen in the coming weeks, the Post reported, citing people briefed on the situation.



The report says that the FDA urged the companies to submit the application so that regulators could begin reviewing the two-shot data.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-pfizer-and-biontech-launch-clinical-trial-of-covid-vaccine-targeting-omicron">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/pfizer-and-biontech-launch-clinical-trial-of-covid-vaccine-targeting-omicron/">Pfizer and BioNTech launch clinical trial of Covid vaccine targeting omicron</a></h3>



&#8220;The idea is, let&#8217;s go ahead and start the review of two doses,&#8221; the report quoted one of the people familiar with the situation as saying. &#8220;If the data holds up in the submission, you could start kids on their primary baseline months earlier than if you don&#8217;t do anything until the third-dose data comes in.&#8221;



Pfizer, BioNTech and the FDA did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.



Pfizer said in January it expected the latest results from a clinical trial for kids under the age of 5 by April, after it amended its study to give a third dose to everybody who&#8217;s less than five at least eight weeks after their last vaccination.



The company amended the study because children between the ages of 2 and 4 who were given two 3-microgram doses of the vaccine did not have the same immune response that a larger dose of the vaccine generated in older children. 



(Reporting by Juby Babu and Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru; Editing by Richard Pullin and Shailesh Kuber)

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Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 may be available in U.S. by end-Feb – report

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414833" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106970012-1635949231058-gettyimages-1236307241-AFP_9QW6QY-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A ten year old child receives the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine for 5-11 year old kids at Hartford Hospital in Hartford, Connecticut on November 2, 2021. Joseph Prezioso | AFP | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



Pfizer and BioNTech on Tuesday launched a clinical trial to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine that targets the Covid omicron variant, as concerns grow that the current shots aren’t holding up against infections and mild illness caused by the strain discovered just over two months ago.



Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla told CNBC earlier this month that the company will have a vaccine that targets omicron ready by March. The vaccine will also target the other Covid variants that are circulating, Bourla said.



BioNTech CEO Ugur Sahin said there’s growing data indicating that the efficacy of the current vaccine against infection and mild-to-moderate disease from omicron is waning more rapidly compared with prior strains of the virus. The goal is to develop a vaccine that provides durable protection against omicron, Sahin said in a statement Tuesday.



The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found in a study published last week that a booster dose of Pfizer’s vaccine was 90% effective at preventing hospitalization from omicron 14 days after the third shot was administered.



Booster doses are also up to 75% effective at preventing symptomatic infection from omicron two to four weeks after the third shot, according to data from the U.K. Health Security Agency published earlier this month. However, the study found that boosters weaken substantially after about 10 weeks, providing 45% to 50% protection against symptomatic infection.



“While current research and real-world data show that boosters continue to provide a high level of protection against severe disease and hospitalization with omicron, we recognize the need to be prepared in the event this protection wanes over time and to potentially help address omicron and new variants in the future,” Kathrin Jansen, head of vaccine development at Pfizer, said in a statement.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-who-says-omicron-won-t-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/who-says-omicron-wont-be-last-covid-variant-as-global-cases-surge-by-20-in-a-week/">WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week</a></h3>



Pfizer and BioNTech’s clinical study will evaluate up to 1,420 participants ages 18 to 55. In addition to evaluating the omicron vaccine, some people will receive a fourth dose of the current vaccine.



Bourla told CNBC earlier this month he doesn’t know if an omicron-specific vaccine is needed right now or how it would be used. However, Pfizer will have the vaccine ready as many countries are asking for it as soon as possible, he said.



“The hope is that we will achieve something that will have way, way better protection — particularly against infections,” Bourla said.



The omicron variant has dozens of mutations, many of them on the spike protein that the virus uses to invade human cells. The current vaccines, developed in 2020 against the original virus strain, target the spike. It becomes more difficult for vaccine-induced antibodies to block the virus as the spike mutates further and further from the original strain detected in Wuhan, China.



Omicron, first detected in Botswana and South Africa in November, has spread faster than earlier variants, causing an unprecedented wave of infection around the world.



World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Monday there have been more than 80 million Covid cases reported to the WHO since the omicron variant was identified just nine weeks ago — more than were reported in all of 2020.



However, people generally don’t get as sick from omicron compared with the delta variant. But because omicron has mutated so far away from the original strain vaccines were developed to fight, it’s causing more mild breakthrough infections, raising concern that it will result in disruptions to essential services as many people call out sick.

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Pfizer and BioNTech launch clinical trial of Covid vaccine targeting omicron

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414795" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus speaks during a press conference on December 20, 2021 at the WHO headquarters in Geneva Fabrice Coffrini | AFP | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



The Covid-19 pandemic is at a “critical juncture” as it enters its third year, the WHO’s top official said on Monday.



Speaking at a press conference during a meeting with Svenja Schulze, Germany’s minister for economic cooperation and development, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus praised Germany — the biggest donor to the WHO — for approaching global public health with “solidarity and multilateralism.”



“These qualities are more important than ever, because the Covid-19 pandemic is now entering its third year and we are at a critical juncture,” Tedros told reporters.



“We have the tools to end the acute phase of this pandemic. But we must use them equitably and wisely.”



Noting Germany’s commitment to international cooperation and tackling the pandemic under its newly adopted G-7 presidency, Tedros praised the country’s efforts as “an example for all” but warned that “we still have a long road ahead.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-booster-shots-effective-against-severe-illness-from-omicron">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/booster-shots-effective-against-severe-illness-from-omicron/">Booster shots effective against severe illness from omicron</a></h3>



Globally, more than 71 million new cases of Covid were recorded over the past four weeks, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. While the U.S. and France recorded the highest number of cases during that period, with 18.3 million and 7.6 million respectively, Yemen and Vanuatu have suffered the highest case fatality rates in the world throughout the crisis, JHU data shows.



In Yemen, where a civil war is raging and less than 2% of the population has been vaccinated, almost one in five people who have contracted Covid-19 died, according to JHU. Meanwhile, in Vanuatu — where cases have remained low throughout the pandemic but just a third of the population is immunized against the virus — the case fatality rate is 14%.



But according to Tedros, vaccinations are not the only thing world leaders need to consider when looking at ways to help lower income countries protect their populations from the effects of the virus.



“Vaccines alone will not end the pandemic,” Tedros said. “Many countries need diagnostics, life-saving therapeutics — including oxygen and support for vaccine rollout.”



Speaking at the World Economic Forum’s virtual Davos Agenda event last week, Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, said society had a chance to end the Covid emergency in 2022 if longstanding inequities — such as fair access to vaccines and health care — were addressed.

106997682-1641484197141-gettyimages-1237353560-AFP_9UZ94P

Covid pandemic at a ‘critical juncture’ and we still have a long road ahead, WHO’s Tedros 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/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414775" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>A person receives a COVID-19 vaccination dose, during a free distribution of COVID-19 rapid test kits for those who received vaccination shots or booster shots, at Union Station on January 7, 2022 in Los Angeles, California. Mario Tama | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



A booster dose of the Covid-19 vaccine significantly reduces a person’s odds of hospitalization from the omicron variant, new research released Friday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds.



The three new studies from the agency are among the first to look at the vaccines’ impact against omicron in the United States, which now accounts for more than 99 percent of new cases in the country.



The research underscores the importance of booster shots to protect against severe illness from the rapidly spreading variant, which has overwhelmed hospitals.



“You don’t want to be that one person that has a bad outcome, that requires hospitalization, when there’s no hospital bed for you,” said Syra Madad, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs.



The new studies find that a booster shot can provide significant protection against needing emergency medical care or hospitalization because of Covid-19.



In one analysis of 259 hospitals and 383 emergency departments from late August through early January, a third dose of either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccine was found to reduce the odds of a hospital or emergency room visit by 94 percent during the delta wave, and by 82 percent once omicron started spreading.



The data included adults who’d received either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. The study authors were able to tease out the effects of the boosters during both the delta and omicron waves of Covid.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta/">Fauci says multiple preliminary studies find omicron is less severe than delta</a></h3>



When delta was surging, the two doses of the vaccine were 86 percent effective against visits to emergency departments and urgent care centers for Covid illnesses. That effectiveness fell to 76 percent after 6 months, but a booster raised the effectiveness to 94 percent.



Less than half of the U.S. population eligible for a booster dose has received one, according to CDC data.



The new research suggests that a booster dose is even more important now that omicron accounts for virtually all Covid cases in the U.S.: Against omicron, the vaccines’ effectiveness for keeping people out of ERs and urgent care centers fell dramatically, to 38 percent 6 months after the second dose. A booster shot raised that level of effectiveness to 82 percent.



When researchers looked specifically at patients who needed to be admitted to the hospital during the omicron surge, two shots were 81 percent effective. That effectiveness fell to 57 percent in people who were 6 months out from their second dose, but then rose to 90 percent after a third dose.



Two additional studies, also published Friday by the CDC, suggest that boosters offered “significant protection” against both infection and symptomatic Covid, though that protection was higher during the delta surge compared with omicron.



One of the studies, published in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, found that people who received three doses of an mRNA vaccine were more protected against infection, compared to people with only two doses. This was particularly true for people over age 50, the study found.



Another study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that three doses of an mRNA vaccine were more protective against symptomatic Covid, compared with people who were either unvaccinated or who had only received two shots.

106998590-1641592579402-gettyimages-1363336039-cg6a9604_7ed667ff-2f53-400b-a06c-365ae2fb60ce

Booster shots effective against severe illness from omicron

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414728" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-768x513.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-1536x1025.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/DFO5GU46FNKQ5CR5SOIAP4B3AA-scaled.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>FILE PHOTO: An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir and being developed by Merck &amp; Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck &amp; Co Inc and obtained by Reuters on October 26, 2021. Merck &amp; Co Inc/Handout via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



BRUSSELS, Jan 20 (Reuters) &#8211; Nearly 30 generic drugmakers in Asia, Africa and the Middle East will make cheap versions of Merck &amp; Co&#8217;s COVID-19 pill, under a landmark U.N.-backed deal to give poorer nations wider access to a drug seen as a weapon in fighting the pandemic.



Merck&#8217;s early greenlight to production of its anti-viral pill molnupiravir by other companies during the pandemic is a rare example in the pharmaceutical sector, which usually protects its patented treatments for longer periods.



However, there are questions about molnupiravir which has shown low efficacy in trials and has raised concerns for side-effects, and lengthy procedures for appovals may delay supplies in many poorer nations for months.



Under the deal, negotiated by the U.N.-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) with Merck, the U.S. company will not receive royalties for the sale of the low-cost version of the pill while the pandemic continues.



The MPP said the deal stipulated the pill would be distributed to 105 less-developed nations.



A molnupiravir course of 40 pills for five days is expected to cost about $20 in poorer nations, an MPP official involved in the talks with drugmakers told Reuters, citing initial estimates from drugmakers, which are subject to change.



That is far below the $700 per course the United States agreed to pay for an initial delivery of 1.7 million courses, but twice as high as first estimated by the World Health Organization (WHO)-backed programme to procure COVID-19 drugs and vaccines for the world.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024/">Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024</a></h3>



The new agreement allows 27 generic drugmakers from India, China and other countries in Africa, Asia and the Middle East to produce ingredients and the finished drug.



An MPP spokesperson said deliveries from some firms covered by the deal could start as early as February. However, that will be subject to regulatory approval.



While molnupiravir is in use in the United States after approval in December, some other Western countries have cancelled or are reconsidering orders after the drug showed low efficacy in trials.



Molnupiravir has also not been approved by the World Health Organization, which makes its sale at the moment not possible in most developing countries with limited regulatory resources for national authorisations.



The drug can already be sold in India, after it received emergency approval by the national regulator, but it is not currently recommended for use because of <a href="https://www.reuters.com/world/india/india-health-official-says-merck-covid-pill-has-major-safety-concerns-2022-01-05">safety risks</a>. 



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">NO ROYALTIES, FOR NOW</h3>



The developers of molnupiravir, which alongside Merck are U.S. firm Ridgeback Biotherapeutics and Emory University, will not receive royalties for the sale of the low-cost versions made by generic drugmakers while COVID-19 remains classified as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern by the WHO.



Bangladesh&#8217;s Beximco Pharmaceuticals, India&#8217;s Natco Pharma, South Africa&#8217;s Aspen Pharmacare Holdings and China&#8217;s Fosun Pharma are among generics firms that will produce the finished product.



Other companies, including India&#8217;s Dr Reddy&#8217;s Laboratories , had struck earlier deals with Merck for the production of molnupiravir. Dr Reddy&#8217;s will sell molnupiravir at 1,400 rupees ($18.8) per course.



The MPP spokesperson said there was no firm estimate yet of the likely output from generics makers covered by the deal, but that poorer nations&#8217; demand was expected to be largely covered.



The MPP works to increase access to life-saving medicines for poorer countries. It also has an agreement with Pfizer for the sub-licensing of its COVID-19 pill paxlovid to generics drugmakers. 



(Reporting by Francesco Guarascio @fraguarascio Editing by David Goodman, Mark Potter and Susan Fenton)

FILE PHOTO: An experimental COVID-19 treatment pill, called molnupiravir and being developed by Merck & Co Inc and Ridgeback Biotherapeutics LP, is seen in this undated handout photo released by Merck & Co Inc

Dozens of firms to make cheap version of Merck COVID pill for poorer nations

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414685" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106913615-16267935312020-03-16t211434z_756541773_rc29lf9z4m0l_rtrmadp_0_health-coronavirus-who-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Maria Van Kerkhove, Technical Lead of the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Emergencies Programme attends a news conference on the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Geneva, Switzerland, March 16, 2020. Christopher Black | WHO | Reuters</figcaption></figure>



The World Health Organization on Tuesday said the pandemic will not end as the omicron variant subsides in some countries, warning the high levels of infection around the world will likely lead to new variants as the virus mutates.



“We’re hearing a lot of people suggest that omicron is the last variant, that it’s over after this. And that is not the case because this virus is circulating at a very intense level around the world,” Maria Van Kerkhove, the WHO’s Covid-19 technical lead, said during a coronavirus update in Geneva.



New infections have increased by 20% globally over the past week with nearly 19 million total reported cases, according to the WHO. But Van Kerkhove noted that new infections that go unreported would make the real number much higher.



Dr. Bruce Aylward, a senior WHO official, warned high levels of transmission give the virus more opportunity to replicate and mutate, raising the risk that a new variant will emerge.



“We don’t fully understand the consequences of letting this thing run,” Aylward said. “Most of what we’ve seen so far in areas of uncontrolled transmission has been we paid a price for the variants that emerge and new uncertainties we have to manage as we go forward.”



Van Kerkhove said now is not the time to relax public health measures, such as curtailing mask wearing and physical distancing. She called on governments to strengthen those measures to bring the virus under better control and head off future waves of infection as new variants emerge.



“If we don’t do this now, we will move on to the next crisis,” Van Kerkhove said. “And we need to end the crisis that we are currently in and we can do that at the present time. So don’t abandon the science. Don’t abandon the strategies that are working, that are keeping us and our loved ones safe,” she said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-fauci-says-it-s-still-an-open-question-whether-omicron-spells-covid-endgame">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-its-still-an-open-question-whether-omicron-spells-covid-endgame/">Fauci says it’s still an ‘open question’ whether omicron spells Covid endgame</a></h3>



Van Kerkhove called on governments to invest more in surveillance systems to track the virus as it mutates. “This won’t be the last variant of concern,” she stressed.



In December, a team of South African scientists published a small study that found people infected with omicron may have increased immune protection against the delta variant. A growing body of research has also found that people infected with omicron generally don’t get as sick as people infected with delta. Increased immune protection and less severe illness, taken together, could result in the virus becoming less disruptive to society, the South African scientists wrote.



However, White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci on Monday said it is too early to predict whether omicron will mark the final wave of the pandemic.



“I would hope that that’s the case, but that would only be the case if we don’t get another variant that eludes the immune response of the prior variant,” Fauci told the World Economic Forum’s Davos Agenda via video conference.



WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreysus said new infections are peaking in some countries, providing hope that the worst of the omicron wave is over. However, Tedros said no country is out of the woods yet, warning that health-care systems are still under pressure from the unprecedented wave of infections.



“I urge everyone to do their best to reduce risk of infection so that you can help take pressure off the system,” Tedros said. “Now is not the time to give up and wave the white flag.”



The WHO has repeatedly warned that unequal distribution of vaccines worldwide has led to low immunization rates in developing countries, leaving vast populations vulnerable to the emergence of new variants. The WHO had set a target for every country to vaccinate 40% of its population by the end of 2021. However, 92 countries have not achieved that goal, according to the WHO.



“This pandemic is nowhere near over and with the incredible growth of omicron globally, new variants are likely to emerge, which is why tracking and assessment remain critical,” Tedros said.

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WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414665" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107002215-1642428835886-gettyimages-1237661568-senate_help_committee_011122gn31-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Dr. Anthony Fauci, White House Chief Medical Advisor and Director of the NIAID, responds to questions from Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) at a Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee hearing on Capitol Hill on January 11, 2022 in Washington, D.C. Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



White House chief medical advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci said Monday it is still too soon to predict whether the omicron Covid-19 variant will mark the final wave of the coronavirus pandemic.



“It is an open question whether it will be the live virus vaccination that everyone is hoping for,” Fauci said via videoconference at The Davos Agenda virtual event.



The omicron variant, while highly transmissible, has been found to be less severe than previous variants, sparking hope that it could hasten the end of the pandemic. Yet, Fauci said there is still no guarantee.



“I would hope that that’s the case. But that would only be the case if we don’t get another variant that eludes the immune response of the prior variant,” he said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta/">Fauci says multiple preliminary studies find omicron is less severe than delta</a></h3>



Still, even if omicron does emerge as the final variant of Covid-19, it is unlikely that it would mean endgame for the virus entirely, Fauci said. Rather, it will remain present in society at an endemic level.



“Control means you have it present but it is present at a level that does not disrupt society,” Fauci said. “That’s my definition of what endemicity would mean.”



At that stage, public health measures such as mask-wearing would no longer be required, and society could return to some level of pre-Covid normality, he said.



“It’s not going to be that you’ll eliminate this disease completely. But hopefully, it will be at such a low level that it doesn’t disrupt our normal social, economic and other interactions with each other. To me, that’s what the new normal is.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-too-early-to-call-covid-endemic"><a></a>‘Too early’ to call Covid endemic</h2>



Fauci was speaking alongside a panel of public health experts who agreed that omicron will likely become the dominant strain of Covid-19 globally in 2022. However, they were divided on whether it would be the final strain.



“It is indeed too early really to call it endemic. There is a high probability that we will have a new variant,” said Annelies Wilder-Smith, professor of emerging infectious diseases at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.



A new variant is likely to be less severe, looking at previous versions, but it remains important to prepare for the worst, she said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024/">Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024</a></h3>



Richard Hatchett, chief executive officer of the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness and Innovations, was more optimistic, however.



“Omicron will sweep the world. It may hopefully sweep out other variants,” he said, adding that the virus will likely reach a point of equilibrium, where it becomes an annual epidemic, much like the seasonal flu.”



— Don’t miss Geoff Cutmore’s discussion with ECB President Christine Lagarde, Brazilian Economy Minister Paulo Guedes, IMF MD Kristalina Georgieva and India’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati at 7.30 a.m. ET Friday. They’ll be discussing the “Global Economic Outlook” at the Davos Agenda. You can watch live here.

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Fauci says it’s still an ‘open question’ whether omicron spells Covid endgame

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414648" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/107001325-1642139479062-gettyimages-1355606329-vcg111359315857-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Volunteers wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) arrange food deliveries on Nov. 26, 2021, for a Shanghai residential area that’s under restrictions to halt the spread of Covid-19. Yin Liqin | China News Service | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



BEIJING — China’s economy grew by 8.1% in 2021 as industrial production rose steadily through the end of the year and offset a drop off in retail sales, according to official data from China’s National Bureau of Statistics released Monday.



Fourth-quarter GDP rose by 4% from a year ago, according to the statistics bureau. That’s faster than the 3.6% increase forecast by a Reuters poll. For the full year, China economists expected an average of 8.4% growth in 2021, according to financial data provider Wind Information.



Industrial production rose by 4.3% in December from a year ago, the bureau said, also beating Reuters’ forecast of 3.6% growth. Notably, auto production grew for the first time since April, up by 3.4% year-on-year in December.



Fixed asset investment for 2021 grew by 4.9%, topping expectations for 4.8% growth. Investment in real estate rose by 4.4%, while that in infrastructure rose by 0.4%.



Investment in manufacturing grew by 13.5% in 2021 from a year ago, with that in special purpose machinery rising the most, up by 24.3% year-on-year, according to data accessed through Wind.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/three-new-studies-suggest-omicron-has-lower-hospitalization-risk-and-is-milder-than-other-variants/">Three new studies suggest omicron has lower hospitalization risk and is milder than other variants</a></h3>



However, retail sales missed expectations and grew by 1.7% in December from a year ago. Analysts polled by Reuters had predicted a 3.7% increase.



“We must be aware that the external environment is more complicated and uncertain, and the domestic economy is under the triple pressure of demand contraction, supply shock and weakening expectations,” the bureau said in a statement.



The urban unemployment rate in December matched the average for the year of 5.1%. The unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 remained far higher at 14.3%.



“The better-than-expected GDP data doesn’t change the big picture: China’s economy is under multiple headwinds for now and a policy easing cycle is underway,” Larry Hu, chief China economist at Macquarie, said in a note.



Hu pointed to how the People’s Bank of China on Monday cut the borrowing cost of medium-term loans for the first time since April 2020. He expects the central bank to lower the benchmark loan prime rate on Jan. 20.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-china-s-zero-covid-policy-hits-spending"><a></a>China’s zero-Covid policy hits spending</h2>



China’s zero-Covid policy aimed at controlling the pandemic prompted renewed travel restrictions within the country — including the lockdown of Xi’an city in central China in late December.



In January, other cities were also locked down in full or partially, to control pockets of outbreaks tied to the highly transmissible omicron variant. Analysts have started to question whether the benefits of China’s zero-Covid strategy outweigh the costs, given how contagious and potentially less fatal the omicron variant is.



Goldman Sachs cut its forecast for China’s 2022 GDP growth based on expectations the zero-Covid policy will cause increased restrictions on business activity. However, the analysts said the greatest impact would be on consumer spending.



Retail sales dropped 3.9% in 2020 even though China’s overall economy grew amid the pandemic. Consumer spending has since remained sluggish, partly as travel restrictions have kept a damper on tourism.



In 2021, overall retail sales grew by 12.5% from the prior year’s contraction, and also topped 2019 levels.



However, only urban areas saw an increase in retail sales last year versus 2019 levels. Consumer spending in rural areas last year remained 1.8% below 2019 levels, according to CNBC analysis of Wind data.



Business employees’ incomes generally went up between 2020 and 2021, especially in labor-intensive industries like catering and manufacturing, Christine Peng, head of the Greater China consumer sector at UBS, said during a media call last week.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2022/fauci-says-multiple-preliminary-studies-find-omicron-is-less-severe-than-delta/">Fauci says multiple preliminary studies find omicron is less severe than delta</a></h3>



But she noted that rising uncertainty has resulted in consumers delaying purchases of discretionary goods, such as new air conditioners. Peng said consumers were also thinking longer term, and that within households, female consumers were more willing to buy insurance or other financial management products.



Within December’s retail sales data, autos saw the greatest decline — down by 7.4% year-on-year —followed by a 6% drop in home appliances and a 3.1% decline in furniture. Sales of daily necessities saw the greatest increase last month, up 18.8% from a year ago.



“The pandemic could continue to be a drag on the revival of consumer spending – although the situation in China remains relatively under control &#8230; compared with other large economies,” Bruce Pang, head of macro and strategy research at China Renaissance, said in a statement. He expects consumption will remain under pressure in the first quarter.



“We think China has the option to ease COVID restrictions, which could boost consumption and market confidence; but it would be highly unlikely for it to abandon the no-tolerance approach before the Beijing Winter Olympics and the Two Sessions [annual parliamentary meeting in March], in our view.”



China’s gross domestic product grew by 2.2% in 2020 from the prior year. That’s according to the latest figures from the National Bureau of Statistics, which in December released an annual data revision that reduced 2020 GDP growth by 0.1 percentage point.



Compared with the initial release earlier in 2021, real estate, transport industries and accommodation and restaurants saw the greatest downward revision. Renting, leasing activities and business services saw the greatest increase, followed by manufacturing.



Correction: This story was corrected to reflect that Goldman Sachs revised its 2022 forecast for China’s GDP. A previous version misstated the year.

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China’s economy grew 8.1% in 2021 compared to a year ago

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Y6RMUMRRBNM3JHYVFHRW723ZNY-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414590" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Y6RMUMRRBNM3JHYVFHRW723ZNY-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Y6RMUMRRBNM3JHYVFHRW723ZNY-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Y6RMUMRRBNM3JHYVFHRW723ZNY-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Y6RMUMRRBNM3JHYVFHRW723ZNY-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Y6RMUMRRBNM3JHYVFHRW723ZNY.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Paxlovid, a Pfizer&#8217;s coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pill, is seen manufactured in Ascoli, Italy, in this undated handout photo obtained by Reuters on November 16, 2021. Pfizer/Handout via REUTERS</figcaption></figure>



Jan 13 (Reuters) &#8211; Africa&#8217;s top public health body said it was in talks with Pfizer about securing supplies of its antiviral COVID-19 pills for the continent, the latest to join the race for a drug seen as a potential game changer in fighting the virus.



The Paxlovid medication was nearly 90% effective in preventing hospitalisations and deaths, and data suggested it retains its effectiveness against the Omicron variant, Pfizer has said.



&#8220;We are in really close discussions with Pfizer to see what can be done to make the drugs available on the continent and accessible on the continent, that is, the Paxlovid drugs,&#8221; said John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.



Governments around the world are scrambling to buy Paxlovid, while Merck&#8217;s Molnupiravir has faced setbacks after disappointing trial data.



While vaccines have been governments&#8217; main weapon against COVID-19, there are hopes Merck and Pfizer&#8217;s experimental pills &#8211; taken at home rather than in hospital or medical centres &#8211; could be key in reducing the chances of dying or hospitalisation for those most at risk of severe illness.



Nkengasong said obtaining supplies of COVID-19 drugs was one of three key strategies for combating the pandemic in Africa in 2022, along with scaling up vaccinations and testing.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024/" rel="sponsored nofollow">Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024</a></h3>



Such drugs would be crucial if another highly transmissible variant were to emerge and public health systems become overwhelmed, he said.



&#8220;The only way to relieve that will be if we have drugs like Paxlovid where people can take that drug and stay home and get relief, and that way the burden and the constraints on the health system will be limited,&#8221; Nkengasong told an online news briefing.



While wealthy countries, including the United States and Britain, have secured deals to buy the pills, concerns have grown that low-income countries would lag in this effort due to tight supplies, as was the case in the scramble for vaccines.



The U.S. government&#8217;s contract for 10 million courses of the drug is priced at $530 per course, a price that would put it out of reach for many poorer countries.



To mitigate that issue, Pfizer has agreed to allow generic manufacturers to supply versions of the treatment to 95 low- and middle-income countries through a licensing agreement with international public health group Medicines Patent Pool (MPP).



Africa has officially recorded just over 10 million cases of COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, although the real number is likely much higher due to patchy testing.



Nkengasong said 10% of Africans were fully vaccinated.



Addressing a separate briefing, a senior official from the World Health Organization&#8217;s Africa office said it appeared that a fourth infection wave on the continent driven by Omicron was flattening, marking the shortest surge in cases to date.



&#8220;It is (a) plateau &#8230; but we are careful and we are observing for the upcoming couple of weeks to make sure,&#8221; said the WHO regional emergency director Abdou Salam Gueye. 



(Writing by Estelle Shirbon; Editing by Angus MacSwan and Bernadette Baum)

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Africa joins race to acquire Pfizer’s COVID-19 Paxlovid pills

Robust and reliable vaccine capacity in Africa is a global public good, deserving of global support.



The start of a new year is often a time to reflect and reassess. As the pandemic stretches into its third year, apprehension over the health crisis and the associated economic uncertainties is proving hard to shake.



So, for anyone hoping to restore their sense of optimism, I have a simple recommendation:



Consider Africa



In early December, I travelled to the region—my first time since the COVID‑19 outbreak—and had the opportunity to visit Senegal and the Democratic Republic of Congo. I witnessed first-hand the creativity, energy, and entrepreneurial spirit that the region is bringing to bear in overcoming this crisis.



My visit to the Institut Pasteur in Dakar, in particular, was one of these inspirations. The Institut is already a world-class leader in the fight against infectious diseases, having attracted and trained international and regional specialists. Now, the staff there are leading the way to address Africa’s immediate COVID‑19 challenge. They are also building the region’s capacity to fight future pandemics and meet Africa’s more routine immunization needs.



It is critical the region has the tools and the necessary funds to build capacity to produce and manufacture vaccines. This need is especially acute given that the overall COVID vaccination rate on the continent is still below 10 percent. As Africa faces a fourth wave of infections, the emergence of the Omicron variant is yet another reminder that the region’s ability to equip itself to fight this pandemic and address future healthcare needs has global implications.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="800" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FINAL-AFR-Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-1-800x800.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414585" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FINAL-AFR-Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-1-800x800.jpg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FINAL-AFR-Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FINAL-AFR-Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-1-90x90.jpg 90w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FINAL-AFR-Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FINAL-AFR-Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/FINAL-AFR-Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-1.jpg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-meeting-today-s-needs">Meeting today’s needs</h2>



Notwithstanding the impressive efforts of the Institut Pasteur, for now, Africa remains reliant on COVID‑19 vaccine imports and donations. The most immediate priority must be to guarantee predictability in vaccine deliveries—including through COVAX and the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT). Funding will also be needed to ensure that Africa’s health systems can vaccinate the local population swiftly as new supplies arrive, including through outreach efforts to reiterate the importance of vaccines and reduce misinformation and vaccine hesitancy. Beyond vaccines, the region requires access to tests, treatments, and protective equipment.



Last year, IMF staff proposed a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/Staff-Discussion-Notes/Issues/2021/05/19/A-Proposal-to-End-the-COVID-19-Pandemic-460263">plan to end the pandemic</a>, by vaccinating 40 percent of the population of all countries by end-2021 and 70 percent** by mid-2022. Progress has been impressive, but the world must do better. The distribution of vaccines and other tools continues at two alarmingly different speeds. In Africa, for instance, only seven countries reached the 40 percent target in 2021 and, for many, the 70 percent target seems increasingly ambitious.



All of this will require further cooperation and support from the international community. Closing the $23 billion financing gap of the Access to COVID‑19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, for example, would be a welcome first step, as a sizable portion of this effort is directed toward Africa. And progress toward vaccine equity is not just a matter of addressing vaccine supply; countries also need more support to strengthen ‘last mile’ delivery.



To be clear, this international support is not charity. This is a global public good! As we all know by now, no one is safe until everyone is safe.



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="800" height="800" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-2-800x800.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414586" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-2-800x800.jpeg 800w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-2-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-2-90x90.jpeg 90w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-2-768x768.jpeg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-2-1536x1536.jpeg 1536w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Vaccine-Production-Blog-Chart-2.jpeg 1638w" sizes="(max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px" /></figure>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Building resilience for the future</h2>



But we must not let efforts to meet urgent needs come at the expense of future needs. Boosting&nbsp;resilience&nbsp;for the future is also a priority—including the region’s capacity to provide for itself, against COVID‑19 or any other disease that may arise in the future. Without predictable and reliable vaccine supplies, for example, health authorities are often forced to react at short notice to accept doses, often with limited shelf lives, greatly complicating delivery logistics for already-stretched health systems. In short, true resilience in Africa cannot depend on the repeated generosity of the international community. It requires scaled-up&nbsp;local&nbsp;manufacturing capacity and strengthened regional supply chains.



Africa vaccinating Africa is necessary—and it is achievable.



Vaccine manufacturing is a sophisticated enterprise that requires specialized equipment, inputs, storage facilities, and skilled labor.&nbsp;But anyone who tells you that this cannot be done in Africa has not been paying attention.



The work of the Institut Pasteur in Dakar offers a glimpse of the region’s ambitions in the global effort against disease. With financial assistance from the United States, European Union, and international foundations—along with the savvy use of some of Senegal’s recent SDR allocation—construction of a new manufacturing facility is already underway. When complete, this will be one of the first start-to-finish factories on the continent, and a potentially critical component in Africa’s COVID‑19 and other vaccine supply.



And the Institut is far from the only center of excellence in the region—it is part of an impressive Africa-wide health and science community that is making an invaluable contribution to global health—including, most recently, discovering and sequencing the Omicron variant. Currently, there are 12 production facilities, either in operation or in the pipeline, across six African countries—Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Rwanda, Senegal, and South Africa—that are expected to produce a wide range of COVID‑19 vaccines.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Global public good</h2>



As we contemplate the new year, it is increasingly clear that a robust and reliable vaccine capacity in Africa is a global public good that deserves global support. For the current crisis or for future pandemics, we all have a stake in Africa’s success.



I have no doubt that Africa is up to the task. But the international community can—and must—help by stepping up cross-border collaboration in science; incentivizing technological transfers to better diversify the production of vaccines and other life-saving medical tools.



Louis Pasteur once said, “Science knows no country, because knowledge belongs to humanity, and is the torch which will illuminate the world.” The wisdom of Pasteur’s vision is more striking than ever. We must now all do our part to ensure that the fruits of our knowledge are shared swiftly and fairly, for the sake of all humanity.

IYRFFIUYYVJ5PJY7FOWT2TKKLQ

Support for Africa’s Vaccine Production is Good for the World

<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="820" height="547" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4TZQJMYTS5JFDKU6PKDJCTJYTU-820x547.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-414573" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4TZQJMYTS5JFDKU6PKDJCTJYTU-820x547.jpg 820w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4TZQJMYTS5JFDKU6PKDJCTJYTU-300x200.jpg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4TZQJMYTS5JFDKU6PKDJCTJYTU-135x90.jpg 135w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4TZQJMYTS5JFDKU6PKDJCTJYTU-768x512.jpg 768w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/4TZQJMYTS5JFDKU6PKDJCTJYTU.jpg 960w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /><figcaption>Medical staff treat a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patient in their isolation room on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Western Reserve Hospital in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, U.S., January 4, 2022. REUTERS/Shannon Stapleton/File Photo</figcaption></figure>



LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) &#8211; A coronavirus pandemic which lasts five years, another pandemic in a decade, and ever more transmissible variants are among the scenarios life insurers are predicting after COVID-19 claims jumped more than expected in 2021.



The global life insurance industry was hit with reported claims due to COVID-19 of $5.5 billion in the first nine months of 2021 versus $3.5 billion for the whole of 2020, according to insurance broker Howden in a report on Jan 4, while the industry had expected lower payouts due to the rollout of vaccines.



&#8220;We definitely paid out more than I had anticipated at the beginning of last year,&#8221; said Hannover Re board member Klaus Miller.



The increase in claims was largely down to the emergence of the Delta variant, twice as transmissible, and more likely to cause hospitalisation than the original coronavirus strain.



<a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/finance/aegon-q3-operating-result-down-16-us-covid-linked-claims-2021-11-11">Claims rose most in the United States, India and South Africa</a> due to the more lethal variants and a rise in fatalities or illness among younger and unvaccinated groups.



Dutch insurer Aegon, which does two-thirds of its business in the United States, said its claims in the Americas in the third quarter were $111 million, up from $31 million a year earlier.



U.S. insurers MetLife and Prudential Financial also said life insurance claims rose. South Africa&#8217;s Old Mutual used up more of its pandemic provisions to pay claims and reinsurer Munich Re raised its 2021 estimate of COVID-19 life and health claims to 600 million euros from 400 million.



The long-term nature of life insurance products – often lasting 20 years or more – means premiums are not yet capturing the risk that deaths or long-term illness from COVID-19 will likely remain higher than previously estimated. Competition in the industry is also keeping a lid on premiums.



Actuaries say rising claims will be eating into the capital which insurers set aside to ensure solvency.



In the initial &#8220;shock&#8221; period of the pandemic in 2020, the insured U.S. population suffered 12% more deaths than average, according to research from life insurance trade association LIMRA shared with Reuters.



&#8220;For the insurance industry, that&#8217;s not huge because we have reserves,&#8221; said Marianne Purushotham, LIMRA&#8217;s chief actuary.



&#8220;We&#8217;re always trying to compare the new variant to the initial shock,&#8221; she said.



The impact for insurers in 2020 was more muted because deaths were mainly among older people who typically do not take out life insurance.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-crystal-ball-gazing">CRYSTAL BALL-GAZING</h2>



As the pandemic continues to surprise with the Omicron variant now becoming dominant, insurers, reinsurers and specialist risk modelling firms are looking to the future.



&#8220;We take into account the possibilities of more transmissible and less transmissible (variants),&#8221; Narges Dorratoltaj, scientist at modelling firm AIR said. &#8220;We cannot say specifically which path we are going to follow but we are trying to come up with the possible ranges to at least narrow down the possible outcomes.&#8221;



AIR is factoring in periodic lockdowns around the world and is also considering factoring in more uncertainty over whether governments will continue to impose restrictions to keep transmission rates low, and over individuals&#8217; willingness to obey them, Narges said.



<h3 class="wp-block-heading">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/south-africa-says-vaccines-prior-infection-help-mildness-of-covid-cases/">South Africa says vaccines, prior infection help mildness of COVID cases</a></h3>



Risk modelling firm RMS said its updated COVID-19 projection model allowed for variants, such as Omicron, which show elements of vaccine escape, as well as for variants which might evade vaccines.



Reinsurer Swiss Re said its pandemic model takes more than 20,000 different scenarios into account. It has been updating its risk model regularly with the latest data on testing, vaccination, infection, hospitalisation and fatality rates.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">HOW LONG, WHAT&#8217;S NEXT?</h2>



With the emergence of the even more transmissible Omicron, COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer Pfizer has said it does not expect the pandemic to subside to an endemic state globally until 2024.



AIR&#8217;s model anticipates that the pandemic, caused by a virus first identified in China in December 2019, could last five years.



Excess deaths could continue as the virus becomes endemic, similar to influenza which causes many deaths each year despite vaccines.



&#8220;We would expect to see some medium-term (impact on claims) of five to 10 years,&#8221; LIMRA’s Purushotham said.



More deaths or long-term illnesses will require insurers to set aside more reserves to pay claims, and may force them to raise premiums.



Insurance risk experts also say the opportunities for transmission between humans and animals, high levels of global travel, increased urbanisation and climate change impacts such as deforestation and disease-carrying mosquitoes mean pandemics could become more frequent.



&#8220;A new coronavirus outbreak is indeed likely in the near future &#8212; within the next 10 years,&#8221; said Brice Jabo, principal modeller, life risks, at RMS, referring to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) outbreaks in the last two decades as early warnings.



The potential for any future corovanirus outbreak to again become a pandemic would depend on its transmissibility and the strength of measures to fight it, Jabo said.



Bruno Latourrette, chief knowledge officer of reinsurer SCOR Global Life, said he did not expect the next pandemic to be as devastating as COVID-19.



&#8220;COVID is&#8230;the perfect storm with pre-symptomatic contagiousness, a lethality that is not too high to lead to super-strong zero tolerance measures, a waning of immunity and high transmissibility&#8221;. 



(Editing by Elaine Hardcastle)

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Life insurers adapt pandemic risk models after claims jump

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106999933-1641975243790-gettyimages-1237017992-PR041221_LDN_7.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414557" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106999933-1641975243790-gettyimages-1237017992-PR041221_LDN_7.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106999933-1641975243790-gettyimages-1237017992-PR041221_LDN_7-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106999933-1641975243790-gettyimages-1237017992-PR041221_LDN_7-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>People walk in Regent Street, in London. SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



LONDON — There are growing calls in Europe for Covid-19 to be treated as an endemic illness like the flu despite strong warnings from global health officials that the pandemic is far from over.



Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is the latest European leader to stick his head above the parapet by suggesting that it’s time to re-evaluate Covid. He called on the EU to debate the possibility of&nbsp;treating the virus as an endemic illness.



“The situation is not what we faced a year ago,” Sánchez said in a radio interview with Spain’s Cadena SER on Monday as Spanish school children returned to their classrooms after the holidays.



“I think we have to evaluate the evolution of Covid to an endemic illness, from the pandemic we have faced up until now,” he added. Sanchez said it was time to open the debate around a gradual re-appraisal of the pandemic “at the technical level and at the level of health professionals, but also at the European level.”



<h3 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-read-more-pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024">Read more: <a href="https://www.cnbcafrica.com/2021/pfizer-executives-say-covid-could-become-endemic-by-2024/">Pfizer executives say Covid could become endemic by 2024</a></h3>



Sanchez’s comments mark something of a departure from fellow leaders on the continent, however, with most of them focused on the immediate challenge of tackling alarming numbers of Covid cases caused by the omicron variant, which is highly infectious but widely appearing to cause less severe illness more akin to a cold than the flu symptoms seen with earlier variants.



France, for example, has been reporting over 300,000 new daily cases in recent days and Germany reported 80,430 new infections on Wednesday, the highest recorded in a single day since the pandemic began, according to Reuters.



Sanchez’s comments echo those made in the U.K. by politicians last year with Prime Minister Boris Johnson telling the British public that they would have to “learn to live with the virus.”

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Should we treat Covid like the flu? Europe is slowly starting to think so

<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" width="740" height="416" src="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998819-1641814100487-gettyimages-1237626940-Protest_Over_Compulsory_Vaccination_In_Brussels.jpeg" alt="" class="wp-image-414539" srcset="https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998819-1641814100487-gettyimages-1237626940-Protest_Over_Compulsory_Vaccination_In_Brussels.jpeg 740w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998819-1641814100487-gettyimages-1237626940-Protest_Over_Compulsory_Vaccination_In_Brussels-300x169.jpeg 300w, https://cms.cnbcafrica.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/106998819-1641814100487-gettyimages-1237626940-Protest_Over_Compulsory_Vaccination_In_Brussels-160x90.jpeg 160w" sizes="(max-width: 740px) 100vw, 740px" /><figcaption>Demonstrators holds a banner with ‘Covid slave ticket’ written while they protest against the compulsory vaccination campaign against SARSCoV2, Belgium. Thierry Monasse | Getty Images News | Getty Images</figcaption></figure>



New research from the organizers of the annual Davos gatherings in the Swiss Alps warns of inequalities stemming from the coronavirus pandemic that could flare domestic and cross-border tensions around the world.



This year’s Global Risks Report by the World Economic Forum describes a “global divergence” — where poorer nations have much lower Covid-19 vaccination rates and , therefore, face more prolonged economic troubles.



“Covid-19 and its economic and societal consequences continue to pose a critical threat to the world. Vaccine inequality and a resultant uneven economic recovery risk compounding social fractures and geopolitical tensions,” WEF said in the report published Tuesday.



“The resulting global divergence will create tensions — within and across borders — that risk worsening the pandemic’s cascading impacts and complicating the coordination needed to tackle common challenges.”



Aside from the catastrophic death toll, one of the most immediate impacts of the coronavirus pandemic has been the ensuing rise in inequality, many economists have said. They’ve noted that many people have faced job insecurity or haven’t had the means to attend online education due to lockdowns.



Richer countries have had earlier access to Covid-19 vaccines and many are already administering their third, or even forth, doses of the vaccine to their citizens. Meanwhile, poorer countries are struggling to see their populations receive even a first dose.



In Ethiopia, only 1.3% of people are fully vaccinated against Covid. In Nigeria, this number is 2.1%, according to Our World in Data. By comparison, in the U.S., 62% of Americans are fully vaccinated. In the United Arab Emirates and Portugal, this number is at around 90%.



<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>



“There is a major concern about livelihood crises — that’s actually number two on this list, so big concern around jobs and what’s happening in the labor market,” Saadia Zahidi, managing director at the World Economic Forum, said about the outcome of the Global Risks Report.



Speaking to CNBC’s Julianna Tatelbaum, she added: “There is that concern around mental health crises and that adds to the erosion of social cohesion, for example there are 53 million new cases of depression especially due to Covid.”



<h2 class="wp-block-heading" id="h-gloomy-prospects"><a></a>Gloomy prospects</h2>



In the report, nearly 1,000 global experts and leaders from academia, business, civil society, government and other organizations, said that societal risks “have worsened the most since the pandemic began.”



These specific risks included social cohesion and mental health deterioration.



In addition, only 16% of respondents said they feel positive and optimistic about the outlook for the world. Furthermore, only 11% said they believed the global recovery will accelerate.



The International Monetary Fund estimated back in October a global growth rate of 5.9% for 2021 and 4.9% for 2022. These forecasts were done before concerns emerged over a new Covid-19 variant, known as omicron.



Since then, the IMF has admitted that these numbers might be revised down because of new restrictions. However, the institution has said that vaccination will remain critical to boost economic performance all over the world.



“We have been screaming from the top of a mountain that [the] pandemic is the greatest risk to the global economy. And we have been advocating very strongly to vaccinate the world. Progress is made, not enough,” IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva told CNBC in December.

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Health

Africa’s COVID response improving, vaccinations lag, says WHO

EU pushes for COVID vaccinations in Africa as supply ‘no longer’ a problem

WHO says new omicron BA.2 subvariant will rise globally, but scientists don’t know if it can reinfect people

WHO says the new omicron subvariant doesn’t appear to be more severe than the original

Pfizer vaccine for children under 5 may be available in U.S. by end-Feb – report

Pfizer and BioNTech launch clinical trial of Covid vaccine targeting omicron

Covid pandemic at a ‘critical juncture’ and we still have a long road ahead, WHO’s Tedros says

Booster shots effective against severe illness from omicron

Dozens of firms to make cheap version of Merck COVID pill for poorer nations

WHO says omicron won’t be last Covid variant as global cases surge by 20% in a week

Fauci says it’s still an ‘open question’ whether omicron spells Covid endgame

China’s economy grew 8.1% in 2021 compared to a year ago

Africa joins race to acquire Pfizer’s COVID-19 Paxlovid pills

Support for Africa’s Vaccine Production is Good for the World

Life insurers adapt pandemic risk models after claims jump

Should we treat Covid like the flu? Europe is slowly starting to think so

WEF report warns of Covid inequalities fueling social tensions across the globe

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