South African leader voices concern over Omicron

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20211129_10/

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday called on the public to step up anti-coronavirus measures following a surge in COVID-19 cases driven by the Omicron variant.

Omicron has been classified by the World Health Organization as a variant of concern.

Ramaphosa addressed the nation on television after attending a meeting on anti-coronavirus measures.

He noted that information on the Omicron variant remains limited, but said scientists know it has far more mutations than previous variants.

Ramaphosa expressed concern that the number of daily cases in the last seven days is more than three times that of the previous week.

Ramaphosa urged South Africans not to panic. He encouraged people to get vaccinated, noting that only 41 percent of adults have received at least one shot.

He also called on people to continue to wear masks in public spaces and to avoid mass gatherings.

Ramaphosa criticized some countries' imposition of travel restrictions on South Africa, saying they "unfairly discriminate" against his country.

He said the rich countries of the world must work to rectify the "vaccine inequality" that is spreading mainly among developing economies.