We use cookies on this website. By continuing to use this site without changing your cookie settings, you agree that you are happy to accept our privacy policy and for us to access our cookies on your device.
Transcript/ScriptUSAGM SHARE
((PLAYBOOK SLUG: COVID-SAFRICA OMICRON STUDY
HEADLINE: South African Scientists Find Omicron Less Virulent, Boosts Population Immunity
TEASER: The variant was found to be 25% less virulent than delta, but similar to the first wave, the study says
PUBLISHED AT: Wednesday, 01/19/2022 at 9am
BYLINE: Linda Givetash, Zaheer Cassim
DATELINE: JOHANNESBURG
VIDEOGRAPHER: Zaheer Cassim
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: Salem Solomon, DLJ
VIDEO SOURCE (S): VOA Original, Zoom
PLATFORMS (mark with X): WEB __ TV X RADIO X
TRT: 2:42
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: There is an accompanying radio piece. Zoom interviews cleared.))
((INTRO)) [[ A South African study has found the omicron variant of COVID-19 is less severe than previous ones, even for the unvaccinated. The country’s top scientists say this could be good news for bringing an end to the pandemic as the highly contagious variant also spreads resistance. Linda Givetash reports from Johannesburg.]]
((NARRATOR))
South Africans no longer have to race to get home before midnight. A curfew imposed at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic was finally scrapped ahead of New Year’s Eve.
Now, nearing the end of the fourth wave, the country’s scientists have more good news about the latest variant, omicron.
((Dr. Mary-Ann Davies, University of Cape Town Epidemiology Professor)) (((English, 22 sec)) ((Mandatory cg: ZOOM))
(7:11) “We see about a 25% lowering of the risk of death, so about 1.3 times lower risk of death. And so that makes us think that the residual effect — that 25% reduction— could be the true effect due to lower virulence of the Omicron compared to previous variants.”
((NARRATOR))
That reduction is compared to the previous delta variant, which was more severe than the original virus. The study, which has yet to be peer-reviewed, found omicron to be similar in severity to the first wave.
Davies says a major difference now is prior infections and vaccinations helped reduce hospitalizations and deaths.
While omicron evaded vaccines and re-infected people, scientists say that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
((Dr. Shabir Madhi, University of the Witwatersrand Vaccinology Professor)) (((English, 25 sec)) ((Mandatory cg: ZOOM))
“It’s going to boost immune responses in people that were previously infected, it’s going to boost immune responses in people that have been vaccinated. And it will also do further, result in further immunity in people that haven’t been previously infected or vaccinated up until now. …. The data is quite compelling that people that have this hybrid immunity, vaccine together with infection, in fact, they probably got a better immune response.”
((NARRATOR))
Scientists emphasize getting the virus is no substitute for a vaccine. Death rates remain highest among people who aren’t inoculated. Official government figures say over 93,000 lives have been lost.
And getting sick has other consequences.
((Dr. Mary-Ann Davies, professor of epidemiology, University of Cape Town (English, 25 sec)) ((Mandatory cg: ZOOM))
“But even a mild variant can cause a lot of chaos for our health service. For a number of reasons. The one is with these very high transmission rates. You get a lot of people infected with it at any one time and that includes health care workers. And so that means that you’ve got a lot of people who are off work, and often their contacts needing to be quarantined, and that can have huge impacts.”
((NARRATOR))
Still, the promise of less stringent protocols is welcome to businesses hurting from nearly two years of curfews and lockdowns.
((Alex Szabo, owner, The Anti-Social Club)) ((English, 10 secs))
“There was a big conversational point on the 28th of December, where do we stay closed or do, we reopen? And the reason we reopened was these extra three hours, we do believe that there has to be a brighter day coming.”
((NARRATOR))
Whether increased immunity amid fewer restrictions will be enough to ward off the worst effects of the coronavirus will be tested by future variants.
((Linda Givetash, for VOA News, Johannesburg))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Embargo DateJanuary 19, 2022 09:19 EST
Brand / Language ServiceUS Agency for Global Media