Vaccine inequality to blame for omicron, says Rockefeller Foundation

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Rajiv Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation

Jason Alden | Bloomberg | Getty Images

The failure of richer countries to quickly and widely share Covid-19 vaccines with developing countries is one of the main reasons 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, although 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.

The plethora of mutations in Omicron has led the WHO to designate it as a “variant of concern” and “at very high risk”, although much remains to be learned in the coming weeks about the severity of symptoms and the ability to do so. of the variant to escape vaccines and treatments.

Speaking to CNBC at the Paris Conference on Tuesday, Shah said the pandemic had highlighted the “tremendous ingenuity and innovation” of the private sector that can be used in public policy. Operation Warp Speed ​​in the United States is a “huge achievement,” he added.

However, he suggested that the developed world had failed to meet its two goals to ensure that such success could be emulated on a global scale.

“One was to reach 40% immunization coverage by the end of this year, and the other was to reach 70% and therefore herd immunity by September of next year. None of those goals will be achieved through current efforts, ”Shah said.

“And that’s exactly why we have this dangerous new variant, disrupting global markets and global economies and lives around the world.”

“In the national interest of all”

He added that experts from the Rockefeller Foundation have estimated that the new variants are six to eight times more likely to come from less developed countries because slow vaccination means viral replication continues to occur at a high rate.

Several African leaders, including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, have accused wealthy Western nations of hoarding vaccines. Ramaphosa said in a speech this weekend that the emergence of the omicron variant should be a “wake-up call for the world that vaccine inequality cannot be allowed to continue.”

“Instead of banning travel, the rich countries of the world must support the efforts of developing economies to access and manufacture enough doses of the vaccine for their people without delay,” Ramaphosa said.

A number of countries, including the United States and the United Kingdom, have decided to restrict travel from South Africa and neighboring countries following the initial report to the WHO – a move characterized on Sunday by Malawian President Lazarus Chakwera as being fueled by “afrophobia” rather than science.

“I frankly wish that the companies involved here – Pfizer, Moderna and others – would do more to make their products available either through partnerships with local manufacturers or through true tiered pricing agreements that could allow developing countries to access these products on the right terms much faster, ”Shah told CNBC’s Charlotte Reed on Tuesday.

“It is in everyone’s national interest to serve other countries now.”

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