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WATCH: Dr Fauci’s ‘SA variant’ comment to Biden irks South Africans
Fauci's comment comes just a week after Professor Salim Abdool Karim's call to other countries to stop referring to 501Y.V2 as the 'South African variant'.
America’s leading pandemic expert Dr Anthony Fauci. Picture: AFP/File/Mandel Ngan
South Africans have voiced their anger on social media after US President Joe Biden’s chief medical advisor called the 501Y.V2 variant “the South African variant”.
A video clip of Dr Anthony Fauci telling Biden about the efficacy of the vaccines the country had acquired has been circulating on social media, causing an outrage.
In the video, Fauci tells Biden: “The vaccines we have right now look pretty good against being able to prevent infection and certain disease. The South African variant is a little bit more problematic, it diminishes the capability of the vaccines to induce the antibodies that were suppressing it but it doesn’t completely eliminate it.”
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Dr. Fauci tells President Biden the South African COVID variant “diminishes the capability of the vaccines.”
He adds: “But it doesn’t completely eliminate it.” pic.twitter.com/RN3yvI228f
— The Recount (@therecount) February 11, 2021
South Africans have called him out, including Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) deputy president Floyd Shivambu.
So even the Originators (Fauci) of this disease call it a “South African variant” now, which undermines vaccines? Who’s going to protect us because those in power don’t know what they’re doing. They’ve recklessly opened the country without vaccines and offer no hope. https://t.co/4rcDMNb2f4
— Floyd Shivambu (@FloydShivambu) February 12, 2021
Fauci’s comment comes a week after co-chairperson of SA’s ministerial advisory committee (MAC), Professor Salim Abdool Karim, told other countries, in an interview with CNN, to stop referring to the new Covid-19 variant as the “South African variant”.
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“If we look at the evidence that we have been able to accumulate now in the second wave where the 501Y.V2 variant is the second variant, what we have seen is that the virus is spreading faster. The earlier evidence does not show that it causes more severe disease,” he said.
“It’s inappropriate to call it ‘The South African variant’ ☺️☺️”
???????????????? https://t.co/AlTFCYkmPY pic.twitter.com/GpWrxrqEuZ
— Thato (@ThatoD01) February 3, 2021
“I should point out that even though the virus in this particular variant was first described in SA, it might not have emanated from SA. It’s inappropriate to call it a SA variant. It’s better to call it by its name.”
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