An ominous reminder of the perils of vaccine inequality evokes different reactions across the continent
As Omicron, the newest variant of Covid-19, made landfall in Europe over the weekend, governments across the continent faced a quandary: how to put their citizens on alert without causing panic? The conundrum was made even more complicated by the fact that nobody — not even the World Health Organization — was quite sure how lethal the new strain might be.
The first response has been around travel. Some countries are implementing blanket travel bans on all foreigners, others are focusing on Africa, specifically SA. We have to acknowledge that the real problem is vaccine inequality. It would be one thing if we had spent the past year being serious about vaccine distribution to the developing world. Instead, we still have this incredible division. In SA, something like 24% of people are vaccinated, whereas in countries like France or the UK, it’s about 70%.
The most coercion you have, in countries such as France or Denmark, is in the form of health passes and vaccine passports. But in countries like Austria, where there’s more vaccine hesitancy and more distrust, there’s pressure to respond to the resurgence with even tougher measures.Is the hesitation of policymakers linked to the mood of their people, who are just beginning to enjoy some aspects of pre-Covid life?Of course, and this is understandable. Again, this is where communication is key.
The general view is that Covid is going to become endemic, that we’ll be living with Covid. Co-existence is going to have to be the end of the road, or the ultimate aim.
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