#CORONAVIRUS
South Africa Being Punished For Early COVID-19 Variant Detection – Ministry
Passengers queue to get a PCR test against the coronavirus disease before traveling
South Africa said on Saturday it was being punished for its advanced ability to detect new Coronavirus (COVID-19) variants early.
South Africa’s Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said this in a statement.
The allegation is coming as travel bans and restrictions imposed because of the new Omicron variant threaten to harm tourism and other sectors of the country’s economy.
South Africa has some of the world’s top epidemiologists and scientists, who have managed to detect emerging coronavirus variants and their mutations early on in their life cycle.
The Omicron variant was first discovered in South Africa and has since been detected in Belgium, Botswana, Israel, and Hong Kong.
“This latest round of travel bans is akin to punishing South Africa for its advanced genomic sequencing and the ability to detect new variants quicker,” the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation said.
“Excellent science should be applauded and not punished,” the ministry said.
Many nations rushed on Friday and Saturday to announce travel curbs to South Africa and other countries in the region.
The foreign ministry noted that while the new variant was also detected in other countries, the global reaction to those countries have been “starkly different” to cases in southern Africa.
The new variant was first announced on Wednesday by a team of scientists in South Africa who said they had detected a variant that could possibly evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible.
The foreign ministry noted that while the new variant was also detected in other countries, the global reaction to those countries have been “starkly different” to cases in southern Africa.
The new variant was first announced on Wednesday by a team of scientists in South Africa who said they had detected a variant that could possibly evade the body’s immune response and make it more transmissible.
On Friday the World Health Organisation named it Omicron and designated it as a “variant of concern” – its most serious level – saying preliminary evidence suggests an increased risk of re-infection. read more
“Our immediate concern is the damage that these restrictions are causing to families, the travel and tourism industries and business,” South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor said in the statement.
The government was engaging with countries that have imposed travel bans to persuade them to reconsider, it added.
On Friday, the World Health Organisation cautioned countries against hastily imposing travel restrictions linked to the variant, saying they should take a “risk-based and scientific approach”.
Elon Musk Loses $350bn After SpaceX AI Bond Plan Sparks Market Panic
THE SIEGE ON OGBEOZOMA: How a Delta Community’s Land Wealth Became a Curse of Bullets and Bulldozers
Ijaw Opinion Leader Eselemo Counters Denial of Ijaw Existence in Warri South
Oborevwori’s CPS Recounts Delta’s Successes, Dismisses Negative Article as Conjecture
Media Expert Obari Reviews ‘White Guava and War,’ Urges Renewed Investment in Nigeria’s Publishing Sector
We Lost a Great Statesman – Okowa Pays Glowing Tribute to ex-Delta Commissioner Late Otumara, Visit Family in Warri
IGP Bans Unauthorised Social Media Activities by Police Personnel
Oborevwori Launches Affordable Homes Plan for Delta Workers
DSS Closes Case Against El-Rufai as Court Rejects Bid to Ease Bail Conditions
DPO to Journalists: Verify First, Publish With Proof, Not Hype
Nigeria Deploys New Envoys to Four Countries as Tinubu’s Diplomatic Appointments Near Completion
Bini Riva Life Set to Showcase Historic Festival Along Delta’s Waterway
N15.6bn Fraud: Why EFCC Re-Arraigns Ex-Skye Bank Boss Tunde Ayeni on Fresh Charges
Nigeria Moving Backward Under Tinubu, Says Oritsejafor
