By Tasnim Metelerkamp.
South Africa is actively monitoring the emergence of a new Covid-19 variant known as Nimbus or NB.1.8.1, Health Minister Aaron Motsoaledi told the G20 Health Working Group, which he addressed on Tuesday
The variant is a descendant of the Omicron lineage, meaning that current recommendations for SARS-CoV-2 vaccines are still effective and no new public health actions are required.
“I wish to reassure this esteemed gathering that South Africa has robust surveillance systems in place. Our National Institute for Communicable Diseases manages a comprehensive sentinel surveillance programme that systematically tests for key respiratory viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, influenza and RSV [respiratory syncytial virus],” he said.
“Currently, our data shows very low SARS-CoV-2 activity. While we are observing a seasonal increase in influenza, we are well prepared to manage this.”
Motsoaledi said the Health Department would continue to monitor the situation and would report any significant changes.
Motsoaledi called for the assembled member states to support “critical” steps in reaching implementation of the recently adopted World Health Organization (WHO) Pandemic Agreement.
“As an active participant and representative member for the African region, I can say with certainty that we see this agreement as a crucial step towards rectifying the deep-seated imbalances in access to life-saving pandemic products that were so painfully exposed during the recent [Covid-19] crisis,” said Motsoaledi.
We now call upon the elevated political will of all G20 members and our global partners to overcome the entrenched commercial interests and diplomatic hurdles that stand in our way.”
The 78th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, formally adopted the Pandemic Agreement in May – a move Motsoaledi described as a “landmark achievement for global health governance”. However, he noted that the work required to transform the agreement from a document of principles to a “life-saving tool for justice and our shared global health security” was far from over.
Tuesday’s meeting was the fourth time the Health Working Group has convened since South Africa’s G20 presidency activities kicked off. The group’s mandate is to improve global health by addressing challenges, building resilient systems and promoting equitable access to services.
WHO Pandemic Agreement
The adoption of the Pandemic Agreement came after more than three years of intensive negotiations launched by governments in response to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic. Precious Matsoso, the former director-general of the South African Department of Health, co-chaired the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body that coordinated the process to draft and negotiate the agreement.
The agreement sets out principles, approaches and tools for better international coordination towards pandemic prevention and responsiveness across a range of areas, including through the “equitable and timely access to vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics”, according to the WHO.
Motsoaledi explained that the agreement was built on several key pillars aimed at fundamentally reshaping the approach to global health emergencies. These included:
- A firm commitment to equitable, timely and affordable access to pandemic-related health products, particularly for countries in need;
- The establishment of a global supply chain and logistics network to enhance the distribution of critical resources;
- The creation of a dedicated coordinating financial mechanism to support countries in building their pandemic prevention, preparedness and response capacities; and
- A “holistic ‘One Health’ approach” which recognises the interconnectedness of human, animal and environmental health.
“The centrepiece of this agreement, and the key to unlocking its full potential for equity, is the Pathogen Access and Benefit-Sharing (PABS) system. This innovative mechanism will require pharmaceutical manufacturers to contribute 20% of their production during pandemic emergencies in return for access to pathogen data, “said Motsoaledi.
“We are now entering a critical new phase. The detailed negotiations on the PABS system annexure will commence immediately through an intergovernmental working group. The first meeting to elect the bureau for this group must take place before 15 July, and it is rightly anticipated that the leadership will reflect a balance between the Global North and the Global South.”
Motsoaledi called the negotiations to finalise the PABS system a political test that would demonstrate member states’ collective will to move “beyond rhetoric” towards delivering tangible results.
“Let us seize this moment. Let us work together with renewed urgency and unwavering resolve to complete the remaining vital task,” he said.
The Pandemic Agreement has been adopted at a time when global health financing has been thrown into crisis by the decision of the US administration under President Donald Trump to withdraw foreign aid spending from a range of health programmes, including the President’s Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar). The US also announced its withdrawal from the WHO in January.
The US has been absent from many G20-related engagements, though President Cyril Ramaphosa announced in May that Trump had agreed that the US would participate in the forthcoming G20 summit.