He added that the private sector is also pitching in, with telecom giant MTN this week donating $25 million to the African Union’s (AU) efforts to secure vaccines for the continent’s 3 million health care workers. One question that has also plagued African health officials, especially in South Africa, is whether the existing approved vaccines can work on the very contagious 501.V2 variant, which was reported in South Africa. FILE - Health workers attend to patients in tents at the parking lot of the Steve Biko Academic Hospital, amid a nationwide coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown, in Pretoria, South Africa, Jan. 11, 2021. “If I was to speculate and guess, I would estimate that it's quite likely that the vaccine will work, given that the other vaccines work against this variant,” he said. Earlier this week, U.S. President Joe Biden announced a ban on travelers from South Africa because of the 501.V2 variant.

Source: Ethiopian News January 28, 2021 18:11 UTC