12-01-2021, 09:51 PM
Vaccine inequality is to blame for Covid omicron variant, Rockefeller Foundation president says
- The emergence of the new Covid variant is a result of the failure of the richest nations to share their vaccines with developing countries, said the foundation’s president, Rajiv J. Shah.
- South African scientists reported their discovery of the new highly mutated variant late last week, though cases have now been identified around the world.
- Omicron’s plethora of mutations led to the WHO designating it a “variant of concern” and “very high risk,” though much remains to be learned about it in the coming weeks.
![[Image: 106497377-1587412331433gettyimages-91019...=740&h=416]](https://image.cnbcfm.com/api/v1/image/106497377-1587412331433gettyimages-910193558.jpeg?v=1587412425&w=740&h=416)
The failure of the wealthiest nations to share Covid-19 vaccines quickly and widely with developing countries is a key reason for the emergence of the new omicron variant, according to Rajiv J. Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation.
South African scientists reported their discovery of the highly mutated variant late last week, though cases have now been identified around the world. Dutch authorities say the variant was already in the Netherlands when South Africa alerted the World Health Organization about it.
Omicron’s plethora of mutations led to the WHO designating it a “variant of concern” and “very high risk,” though much remains to be learned in the coming weeks about the severity of symptoms and the variant’s ability to evade vaccines and treatments.
Speaking to CNBC at the Conference de Paris on Tuesday, Shah said the pandemic has highlighted the “tremendous ingenuity and innovation” in the private sector that can be used in public policy. Operation Warp Speed in the U.S. is a “huge success story,” he added.
However, he suggested that the developed world had failed in its two objectives to ensure that such success could be emulated globally.
- More -
South African scientists reported their discovery of the highly mutated variant late last week, though cases have now been identified around the world. Dutch authorities say the variant was already in the Netherlands when South Africa alerted the World Health Organization about it.
Omicron’s plethora of mutations led to the WHO designating it a “variant of concern” and “very high risk,” though much remains to be learned in the coming weeks about the severity of symptoms and the variant’s ability to evade vaccines and treatments.
Speaking to CNBC at the Conference de Paris on Tuesday, Shah said the pandemic has highlighted the “tremendous ingenuity and innovation” in the private sector that can be used in public policy. Operation Warp Speed in the U.S. is a “huge success story,” he added.
However, he suggested that the developed world had failed in its two objectives to ensure that such success could be emulated globally.
- More -