Omicron: Ramaphosa Calls for Calm as Covid Cases Continue to Skyrocket
- President Cyril Ramaphosa told South Africans not to panic as Covid 19 cases continue to climb
- He told the nation that although the new Omicron variant was more infectious, hospitalisations have not increased
- Ramaphosa blasted rich countries that hoarded vaccines and imposed travel bans despite G20 promises
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ACCRA - President Cyril Ramaphosa told South Africans that they do not need to panic in the face of rising Covid 19 infections.
He told citizens that although the Omicron variant was more contagious there was not an increase in hospitalisations.
Source: UGC
Ramaphosa said that there was no need to panic and scientists were working hard to study the new variant.
The president made the announcement after he and President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo reached bilateral agreements and signed a memorandum of understanding according to TimesLIVE.
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Calls for more people to get vaccinated
President Ramaphosa urged people to use the best weapon available to fight the virus - vaccinations.
He said that when more people get vaccinated if they want life to get back to something resembling normal.
He also blasted richer countries for hoarding vaccines and reneging on their G20 promises to keep travel and tourism open according to News24.
Travel and tourism
The president said that there are also non-pharmaceutical measures in place that can make travel safer.
He urged countries to adopt a testing and quarantine model to identify positive cases but allow world travel to continue.
Omicron: Zero deaths reported after new variant detected in 38 countries
Earlier, Briefly News reported that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has reported that no deaths have been reported from those infected with the new Omicron variant of Covid 19.
The new variant has been detected in 38 countries as nations rush to try and slow the spread of the highly infectious new version of the virus.
Omicron: SA scientists hit back with scathing report after UK travel ban
In similar news, a group of South Africa's most eminent scientists have slammed the UK's hasty implementation of a travel ban following the discovery of the new Omicron variant of Covid 19.
They released a scathing editorial that stated that the travel ban was dangerous and ill-conceived. They called it a threat to global solidarity and might have serious consequences for how governments share information in the future according to The Daily Maverick.
Source: Briefly News
