Emergence of omicron underscores case for global COVID-19 action plan: Experts 

People wait in line to get tested for COVID-19 at a testing facility in Times Square on December 9, 2021 in New York City. (AFP)
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Updated 19 December 2021
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Emergence of omicron underscores case for global COVID-19 action plan: Experts 

  • Social distancing and travel bans have returned in many countries since variant detected in November  
  • 8.4 billion vaccines administered, just 7.1 percent of people in low-income countries have had at least one dose 

DUBAI: Just as the world thought it had turned a corner in the fight against COVID-19, hopes of a return to normality were dashed when doctors in South Africa reported that around 3,000 of their patients had contracted a new, possibly more infectious and potentially more vaccine-resistant variant of the coronavirus.

The emergence last month of B.1.1.529 — named omicron by the World Health Organization in line with its system of designating notable variants after letters of the Greek alphabet — sent governments into a frenzy just weeks before the busy Christmas and new year travel season was due to begin. 

Mask-wearing, social distancing, mass testing and work-from-home rules were quickly reimposed in many countries to help contain the anticipated spread of the new variant, while governments closed their borders to travelers from nations where omicron was present.

Despite the rapid response, the variant has already gained a foothold on almost every continent and is expected to become the dominant strain, replacing the previous variant of concern known as delta. 

Emmanuel Kouvousis, senior scientific adviser at Vesta Care, believes the coronavirus will continue to enjoy the upper hand as long as countries lack a united plan of action to achieve a higher global rate of vaccination. 

“If I can make a prediction, I would say the virus will stay around for at least five years from the day it started,” Kouvousis told Arab News, adding that omicron is unlikely to be the last COVID-19 mutation, with at least two more dominant strains expected before the pandemic is truly over. 

By Dec. 1, the number of people infected by omicron in South Africa had more than doubled to 8,561. At least 11 EU countries have since reported cases of omicron, while health officials in the UK expect to see as many as 1 million cases by the end of the year.

Among the Gulf Cooperation Countries, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait and Oman have all reported their first cases of omicron. Israel, Japan and Morocco have closed their borders entirely to foreign travelers. 




A medical worker prepares a BioNtech-Pfizer COVID-19 coronavirus vaccine in Makati City, suburban Manila on November 29, 2021. (AFP/File Photo)

Part of the problem, according to Konstantinos Dimitrakopoulos, director and head of the medical division at Intelligent Care Group, is that many people are misinformed about the effect of vaccines and are under the false impression they are completely immune once jabbed. 

“The vaccine does not stop you from getting the virus. It doesn’t stop you from contracting it. It doesn’t stop you from spreading it. It simply diminishes your chance of dying or having severe symptoms,” he told Arab News.

“For the vaccine to be the ultimate tool, we would have to press a button and instantly vaccinate billions of people at once” — which is, of course, impossible.

Another issue is the “massive time lags” between populations receiving the first and second doses of the vaccine, which naturally weakens the fight against a rapidly mutating virus.   

“The global community went from understanding the virus, to screening the virus, to developing the vaccines, then vaccinating the people with a time lag, which is a natural lag due to production restrictions,” said Dimitrakopoulos.




Travelers queue at a check-in counter at OR Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg on November 27, 2021, after several countries banned flights from South Africa following the discovery of the Omicron variant. (AFP)

The large disparity in resources and financial capabilities between countries across the globe is one of several factors that have hindered efforts to beat the virus before it could mutate yet again.

After all, despite the administration of more than 8.4 billion vaccine doses worldwide as of early December, an average of just 7.1 percent of people in low-income countries have received at least one jab.  

“We do not have factories globally that can produce the vaccines on such a scale, or distribute and administer them simultaneously in a very short window of time,” said Dimitrakopoulos.

However, simply sending more vaccines to poorer countries in Africa and Asia in the hope of increasing the rate of vaccination is unlikely to solve the problem.

“There’s always that question of who will run the last mile and take the vaccines to every single village or area and administer them,” said Dimitrakopoulos.




A lab technician works inside a pathological lab equipped to screen COVID-19 patients and those infected with the Omicron variant arriving from high-risk destinations at a government hospital in Chennai. (AFP)

Another factor is the interconnectedness of the world and lack of a uniform global policy for screening the virus. “As long as airports are open, the virus has unlimited ways to spread,” Dimitrakopoulos added. 

Indeed, most of the world’s population is not sufficiently covered by a healthcare system that follows strict screening procedures, responds rapidly to cases by enforcing self-isolation, and provides treatments and vaccinations against the virus.

Distribution is not only being hampered by logistical challenges in the developing world. The monopolization of vaccines as intellectual property by a handful of big pharmaceutical firms has also limited production, according to Kouvousis.

Smaller “generic companies” do not have access to the vaccine’s recipe and, as a result, are unable to boost production or expand its reach in poorer countries, he said. 




With the newly discovered Omicron strain of COVID-19, health officials globally are urging people to get a vaccination or a booster and get tested for the virus. (AFP)

One of the most concerning factors is the widespread public skepticism surrounding vaccinations. Misinformation or a lack of education has meant that large segments of the population neglect social distancing and hygiene measures or outright object to receiving a vaccine. 

These factors combined have allowed the virus to slip through the cracks once more. “There was a delay in putting the message out there on a global scale,” said Kouvousis. 

“We lost momentum because of that arrogance as a medical community who didn’t fear anything and thought they could handle everything,” said Kouvousis. “The numbers are now saying something else.”

According to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center, the COVID-19 death toll has now surpassed 5.3 million worldwide.

Dimitrakopoulos agrees the world has become complacent, and that more could have been done before and during the pandemic to better prepare for the initial outbreak and the rise of new variants. 




Children accompanied by their parents wait in line as they arrive to receive a dose of COVID-19 vaccine, outside of the vaccination centre of Parque das Nacoes in Lisbon on December 18, 2021. (AFP)

“Our emergency plans have never been tested,” he said. “The first time that they were supposed to be tested, they proved inefficient; everything was made ad hoc and on the spot as the pandemic was developing.”

Some countries were better prepared when the pandemic hit, while others have adapted well to contain new variants as they have emerged. 

One example of a success story is the UAE, where 100 percent of the population has received its first dose of the vaccine, and over 90 percent are now fully vaccinated. 

“When the virus hit (in February 2020), the daily capacity of the UAE market to perform PCR tests was about 5,000 samples,” said Dimitrakopoulos. Today, the UAE has the capacity to run more than half a million tests per day, process samples and track the source of the virus.

The omicron variant has nevertheless left scientists scrambling to determine its transmissibility and lethality. 

“The data takes time to gather and analyze, but we should have a better idea by the end of December whether omicron is as transmissible or more highly transmissible than the delta variant,” Dr. Matthew Binnicker, director of clinical virology at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, told Arab News. 




Shoppers, some wearing face coverings to combat the spread of the virus, walks past stores on Oxford Street in London on December 18, 2021. (AFP)

According to the WHO, “a new variant doesn’t mean that things will necessarily be worse, but it does mean that they will be more uncertain.”

Binnicker added: “The best way to prevent mutations from arising is to reduce the number of people being infected. If the virus can’t infect someone, it doesn’t have the opportunity to replicate its genome and this prevents mutations from occurring.” 

Preliminary studies show that a third dose of a vaccine, known as a booster, increases neutralizing antibody levels 25-fold compared with two doses, which alone provide at least 70 percent protection against the omicron variant. 

“In order to significantly reduce the number of infections, we’ll likely need a global immunity rate (from vaccination and/or natural immunity) of at least 80 percent,” said Binnicker. “The faster we can vaccinate the global population, the faster we can drive down the rate of infections and prevent new variants from emerging.” 

To make this a reality, many in the medical community are coming around to the idea of mandatory vaccinations — an idea that could well prove politically unpopular. For this reason, Dimitrakopoulos would like the decision taken out of the hands of politicians.

“In order to tackle the global political issue around mandatory vaccinations, a directive should come from the health authorities such as the WHO and the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention),” he said. “Not the governments, not the politicians.”


Tesla sales fall again in Germany amid Musk backlash

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Tesla sales fall again in Germany amid Musk backlash

Tesla’s sales have been slowing worldwide as Musk faces anger over his role overseeing cuts to the federal workforce
Musk has faced particular hostility in Germany after he vocally backed the far-right Alternative for Germany

FRANKFURT: Tesla sales plunged again in Germany last month even as the broader electric car market rebounded, data showed Thursday, the latest sign of a growing backlash against billionaire owner Elon Musk.
Just 2,229 of Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) were registered in March, about 43 percent fewer compared with the same period last year, the KBA federal transport authority said.
Overall electric vehicle registrations rose 35.5 percent in Germany year-on-year as sales continue to rebound from very low levels seen in early 2024.
Like elsewhere in Europe, EV sales slowed in Germany last year against a weak economic backdrop, with the situation worsened in the region’s biggest auto market by the withdrawal of government subsidies.
Tesla’s sales have been slowing worldwide as Musk faces anger over his role overseeing cuts to the federal workforce in US President Donald Trump’s administration, and due to factory upgrades.
But he has faced particular hostility in Germany after he vocally backed the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) — which is shunned by mainstream parties — ahead of February elections.
Some German Tesla drivers have put “I bought this before Elon Went crazy” stickers on their vehicles, Teslas have been targeted in suspected arson attacks in Berlin and Dresden, and protesters have staged demonstrations against the carmaker.
Over the first three months of the year Tesla registrations fell a whopping 62.2 percent compared to the same period in 2024, the KBA said.
Overall in March, the number of new vehicle registrations in Germany fell to 253,497, down 3.9 percent from a year earlier, the latest sign of weakness in the market.
German auto manufacturers are now facing another headache after Trump slapped 25-percent tariffs on car imports into the United States.

Eid break brings Indonesian capital respite from notoriously polluted air

Updated 7 min 11 sec ago
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Eid break brings Indonesian capital respite from notoriously polluted air

  • Millions of people traveled to their hometowns for Eid, leaving streets of the capital empty
  • Jakarta regularly records above 100 air quality index and ‘unhealthy’ levels of PM 2.5

JAKARTA: The long Eid Al-Fitr break in commercial activities has cleared the skies over Indonesia’s notoriously polluted capital, offering a respite for residents who throughout the year are regularly exposed to some of the world’s most toxic air.

The Jakarta metropolitan area — home to about 31 million people — recorded “good” and “moderate” air on Thursday afternoon, with an air quality index reading between 22 and 76, according to data released by the Ministry of Environment.

The numbers showed a marked improvement for a city that regularly records above 100 AQI and “unhealthy” levels of PM 2.5, a measurement of particulate matter — solid and liquid particles suspended in the air that can be inhaled and cause respiratory diseases.

“These ‘good’ and ‘moderate’ levels of air quality are possibly due to a drop in public activities during Eid holidays, as there has been a marked decrease in transportation and industrial activities in the city,” Edward Nixon Pakpahan, air quality protection and management director at the ministry, told Arab News.

“We are working to keep the air quality index for Jakarta metropolitan area below 100.”

Jakarta residents have long complained about the health risks posed by persistent air pollution from heavy traffic, industrial emissions and coal-fired power plants, which have consistently placed Jakarta among the 10 most polluted cities globally.

The streets of Jakarta and its satellite cities have been mostly empty since last weekend, after millions of people traveled back to their hometowns for Eid holidays.

Across the city, those who did not travel for Eid have been making the most of the rare good weather and clear skies.

“I love it. The sky is blue and the weather isn’t miserable or scorching hot,” Jodi Baskoro, a 40-year-old office worker based in Jakarta, told Arab News.

“It’s such great weather for those who are making their way around Jakarta to visit their families for Eid.”


Amnesty International urges Belgium to end violations of asylum-seekers’ rights

Updated 58 min 39 sec ago
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Amnesty International urges Belgium to end violations of asylum-seekers’ rights

  • ‘Belgium is actively manufacturing a homelessness crisis. Without urgent intervention, this crisis will deepen’
  • Organization interviewed people, including Palestinians, navigating country’s asylum system

LONDON: Amnesty International on Thursday condemned Belgium for denying asylum applications from thousands of people, “forcing them into homelessness.”

Amnesty accused the EU member of “discrimination against racialized single men,” which has “impacted the lives, dignity and human rights of people seeking asylum.”

It added: “To date, national and international courts have ordered the authorities in Belgium to provide reception more than 12,000 times.

“Belgium has consistently refused to fully comply with the judgments, despite these being final and legally binding.”

Amnesty interviewed people who have experienced homelessness while navigating Belgium’s asylum system since 2021. Many said as well as being denied accommodation, access to healthcare is a major problem.

Sayed, who traveled from Afghanistan, spent time in a squat in Brussels with other homeless migrants from October 2022 to 2023.

“In the beginning it was good enough, there were toilets and showers, and some people brought food in the afternoon,” he told Amnesty.

“But slowly it was turned completely into a graveyard. Showers and toilets were broken, with the passage of time … Pee was coming up to the place where you were sleeping.”

He said ordinary Belgians and local charities had been welcoming, but the state had not been. “People were feeling our pain, but not the authorities,” he added.

Palestinian refugees Ahmet and Baraa, who fled the war Gaza last year, were also forced to live in a squat.

“It was cold … You can be starving, and no one will know about it. No one will help you,” Ahmet said. “I lost a lot of relatives and friends (in Gaza). My mother is severely wounded, my brothers and sister as well. I was thinking in their shoes: I just need to survive.”

Baraa said he just wants a “simple life, basic rights, a job, food in (my) stomach and just to live like a normal person. We had a life back in Gaza, but we just lacked the security and the safety there and that is why we left. That is why we came here: to find a safe place.”

Amnesty said it fears that Belgium will continue to exacerbate the problem after its new government pledged to adopt “the strictest migration policy possible.”

Amnesty urged the government “to immediately provide sufficient reception places and ensure that all people seeking asylum are given adequate housing.

“They must ensure people have access to adequate healthcare services, including specialized psychological support, regardless of their housing situation.”

It also called on the EU to “ensure that Belgium restores compliance” with its legal obligations to asylum-seekers, “including by launching infringement procedures if necessary.”

Eva Davidova, spokeswoman for Amnesty International Belgium, said the country’s “failure to provide reception is not due to a lack of resources but a lack of political will.”

She added: “The previous government had ample time to resolve the homelessness situation and failed to do so.

“The current government is more concerned with reducing the number of people who receive asylum rather than addressing the very real harm inflicted on people seeking asylum currently in the country. 

“The scale and duration of Belgium’s persistent disregard for court orders raises questions as to how rights holders can have any hope of holding the Belgian government accountable, especially marginalized and racialized persons like those affected by this situation.”

Davidova continued: “Belgium is actively manufacturing a homelessness crisis which is bound to have a lasting adverse impact on people’s lives and dignity, while civil society is left to pick up the pieces.

“Without urgent intervention, this crisis will deepen, further violating asylum-seekers’ rights and eroding both the country’s and the EU’s commitment to human rights.”


Family of British aid worker killed by Israel slam UK govt ‘silence’

Updated 03 April 2025
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Family of British aid worker killed by Israel slam UK govt ‘silence’

  • James Kirby, 47, was killed last year alongside 6 other aid staff in Gaza
  • ‘The government’s response has been nothing but empty apologies, which are, and will never be, sufficient’

London: The UK government has given “nothing but empty apologies” over Israel’s killing of a British aid worker in Gaza, the BBC reported his family as saying.

James Kirby, 47, was killed last April along with six other World Central Kitchen aid workers in an Israeli drone attack.

They were traveling in a convoy of marked vehicles, with the Israeli military having prior knowledge of their planned route. Three Britons, including Kirby, were killed in the attack.

The matter was raised in Parliament on Tuesday as MP Hamish Falconer told colleagues that he had met the victims’ families in November last year together with the foreign secretary.

Israel must “quickly and thoroughly conclude” its investigation into the attack, Falconer said, describing it as an “appalling tragedy,” and adding that the victims’ families “are determined to see justice.”

Yet the “lack of justice and accountability” has been as “equally devastating” as Kirby’s death, his cousin Louise Kirby said.

His family have been “met with silence” from the government “despite repeated calls for answers” over the killings, she added.

“It is disheartening to note that after all this time, we still have no concrete proof of accountability from any responsible party,” she said.

“The government’s response has been nothing but empty apologies, which are, and will never be, sufficient.”

The family thanked the Muslim community in Bristol for their “ongoing solidarity” and supporting them in “our quest for justice.” They also received letters of condolence from the king and queen, who they thanked.

A lack of British investigation into the drone attack has left the family “deeply concerned that breach of policy or laws” might have taken place, Louise Kirby said.

“We want justice for James and the truth to be known, no matter how difficult or uncomfortable that may be.”

Israel’s attack also killed Britons John Chapman, 57, and James Henderson, 33. Four others were killed: Australian Lalzawmi Frankcom, 43, American-Canadian Jacob Flickinger, 33, Polish national Damian Sobol, 35, and Palestinian Saifeddin Issam Ayad Abutaha, 25.

The Israeli Embassy in the UK last year attributed the attack to a “serious failure” that was “made due to mistaken identification.”

The Israel Defense Forces dismissed two officers and reprimanded three others over the attack.


US tariffs take aim everywhere, including uninhabited islands

Updated 03 April 2025
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US tariffs take aim everywhere, including uninhabited islands

  • The Australian territory in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean was slapped with 10% tariffs on all its exports

WASHINGTON: The world’s remotest corners couldn’t hide from US President Donald Trump’s global tariffs onslaught Wednesday — even the uninhabited Heard and McDonald Islands.
The Australian territory in the sub-Antarctic Indian Ocean was slapped with 10 percent tariffs on all its exports, despite the icy archipelago having zero residents — other than many seals, penguins and other birds.
Strings of ocean specks around the globe, including Australia’s Cocos (Keeling) Islands and the Comoros off the coast of Africa, were likewise subjected to 10 percent new tariffs.
Another eye-catching inclusion in the tariffs list was Myanmar, which is digging out from an earthquake that left nearly 3,000 people dead, and whose exports to the United States will now face 44 percent in new levies.
Britain’s Falkland Islands — population 3,200 people and around one million penguins — got particular punishment.
The South Atlantic territory — mostly famous for a 1982 war fought by Britain to expel an Argentinian invasion — was walloped with tariffs of 41 percent on exports to the United States.
The Falklands’ would-be ruler Argentina only faces 10 percent new tariffs.
According to the Falklands Chamber of Commerce, the territory is ranked 173 in the world in terms of global exports, with only $306 million of products exported in 2019. This included $255 million in exports of mollusks and $30 million of frozen fish.