The end of the year is approaching and, as in 2020, there is an atmosphere of uncertainty. On this occasion, the new variants of Covid-19 are responsible for the worrying panorama. But although one of the characteristics is their tendency to mutate, there are other reasons why they are usually modified and make their care more complicated.
The fact that two strains of SARS-CoV-2 emerged in South Africa, considered of importance to the world, indicates that there are poor health systems, resistance to vaccination, as well as economic, environmental and structural problems that must be solved, they agreed. UNAM specialists.
By offering the remote media conference “Ómicron: a look at international security”, experts in international relations, security and the economy recalled that each nation has a public budget that allows it to decide how much to invest in vaccines, education or roads, which is why they have been exceeded in their expenses and objectives, especially those that do not they don’t even have access to water, like in South Africa.
The coordinator of the University Program for Studies on Asia and Africa, Alicia Girón, considered: what is required is to rethink the 2030 Agenda and promote public policies for the benefit of the population.
The economist stressed that despite the global recession, pharmaceutical companies increased their profitability considerably. Some of them, such as Moderna and BioNTech, increased their assets by 1,701.8 and 938.2 percent, respectively.
That is, its shares on the stock exchanges went from trading in 2019 from $ 19.56 to $ 352 in 2021. Something similar happens in the case of Moderna, Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca.
New variants emerged in South Africa
María Cristina Rosas González, from the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, agreed with her: although it is known that South Africa has sought to acquire vaccines from different providers, that is not the only priority it has at this time, because it faces a fatal combination related to political and economic development. “Two strains of COVID that emerged from South Africa is a wake-up call to how important it is to have a comprehensive vision of development.”
The internationalist with a specialty in Analytical Epidemiology and Diplomacy recalled that last November 30, the monitoring group determined that Ómicron is of concern due to how quickly it has displaced Delta in South Africa. From three to four days contagions double, while in the previous variants they could go from 12 to 14.
Differences in vaccination campaigns
According to data from the New York Times Vaccination Tracker, he pointed out, 57.6 percent of the world’s population has received at least one dose of the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine and in South Africa only 26 percent have the complete scheme; that is, one in four people.
In that country, hospitalizations of minors increased, who along with those over 60, have been affected by COVID-19. In addition, it faces the challenge of offering care to a population of 60 million inhabitants, of which an estimated 7.7 million suffer from HIV / AIDS, one in eight.
In turn, the director of the UNAM’s Center for Mexican Studies (CEM) in South Africa, Arturo Mendoza Ramos, added that in countries with high levels of inequality such as South Africa and Mexico, education plays a key role.
If these strains are being produced in those nations or are mutating, it is because there are health problems; however, people are not taking the necessary measures either. In upper middle social strata they are more cautious, but in rural communities they do not believe that there is an epidemic, he commented.
The expert pointed out that in rural areas people go to markets without face masks, they do not have antibacterial gel and they often lack water. Seven years ago, he recalled, Cape Town ran out of the vital liquid and had to be rationed to a 25-50 liter bucket per family. There are environmental, economic, water and health problems that must also be solved.