Day: January 12, 2022

GENEVA— WHO experts warned that repeating booster doses of the original Covid vaccines is not a viable strategy against emerging variants and called for new jabs that better protect against transmission.

An expert group created by the World Health Organization to assess the performance of Covid-19 vaccines said simply providing fresh jabs of existing Covid vaccines as new strains of the virus emerge was not the best way to fight the pandemic.

“A vaccination strategy based on repeated booster doses of the original vaccine composition is unlikely to be appropriate or sustainable,” the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-Co-VAC) said in a statement.

It said preliminary data indicated the existing vaccines were less effective at preventing symptomatic Covid disease in people who have contracted the new Omicron variant, currently spreading like wildfire around the world.

But protection against severe disease, which is what the jabs were especially intended to do, “is more likely to be preserved”.

It recommended developing vaccines that not only protect people against falling seriously ill but could also better prevent infection and transmission in the first place.

“Covid-19 vaccines that have high impact on prevention of infection and transmission, in addition to the prevention of severe disease and death, are needed and should be developed,” TAG-Co-VAC said.

“Until such vaccines are available, and as the SARS-CoV-2 virus evolves, the composition of current Covid-19 vaccines may need to be updated, to ensure that (they) continue to provide WHO-recommended levels of protection against infection and disease by VOCs (variants of concern), including Omicron and future variants.”

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

An upsurge in the number of flood-displaced population is putting a strain on the health facilities in Rumamer County of the disputed Abyei Administrative Area, officials warn.

Chol Pur, Rumamer County Commissioner told Radio Tamazuj on Tuesday that the county is now in dire need of medical supplies as the population expands to absorb thousands displaced by floods.

Pur called on the government and humanitarian agencies to accelerate efforts to avail medical supplies before the current supplies are depleted.

“Although the government tries its best to provide the medicines, it is not enough for the increasing number of population. Yes, we need human and animal medicines because many displaced persons arrived from Unity State, Warrap, and Abiemnhom,’’ he added.

Abyei Administrative Area’s health minister, Dr. Ayom Korchek, confirmed that there is pressure on the available medical resources.

“Abyei is the only place which is not affected by the floods and for this reason, many people migrated from Abiemnhom, Mayom and Twic County of Warrap. Now the high number of patients at all our health centers is very high,” he explained.”

For his part, the Ngok Dinka Paramount Chief, Bulabek Deng Kuol called for peaceful coexistence with the displaced communities.

“For us, we don’t have any problem because everybody has to respect and consider why they have migrated here,” he said. “As long as you have a goal for coming here, it is not good to cause any violence and this commitment must be upheld by every newcomer. And our only hope is for people to stay peacefully in this area.”

Source: Radio Tamazuj

WASHINGTON— Global growth will “decelerate markedly” this year as Covid-19 outbreaks and supply chain snarls persist while government aid programs expire, the World Bank said.

The Washington-based development lender forecast growth would slow to 4.1 percent this year from an estimated 5.5 percent in 2021, but warned “Omicron-related economic disruptions could substantially reduce growth” to as low as 3.4 percent.

“The global recovery is set to decelerate markedly amid continued COVID-19 flare-ups, diminished policy support, and lingering supply bottlenecks,” the semiannual report noted.

The global outlook is “clouded by various downside risks,” including renewed COVID-19 outbreaks due to new virus variants, the possibility of unanchored inflation expectations, and financial stress in a context of record-high debt levels, according to the report.

After rebounding to an estimated 5.5 percent in 2021, global growth is expected to decelerate markedly to 4.1 percent in 2022, the report noted. The latest projection for 2021 and 2022 is 0.2 percentage point lower than the June forecast, respectively.

The report also noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has raised global income inequality, partly reversing the decline that was achieved over the previous two decades.

By 2023, annual output is expected to remain below the pre-pandemic trend in all emerging market and developing economy (EMDE) regions, in contrast to advanced economies, where the gap is projected to close.

Preliminary evidence suggests that the pandemic has also caused within-country income inequality to rise somewhat in EMDEs because of particularly severe job and income losses among lower-income population groups, according to the report.

“The world economy is simultaneously facing COVID-19, inflation, and policy uncertainty, with government spending and monetary policies in uncharted territory,” said World Bank Group President David Malpass.

Noting that rising inequality and security challenges are “particularly harmful” for developing countries, Malpass said putting more countries on a favorable growth path requires concerted international action and a comprehensive set of national policy responses.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK