Health Justice Advocates Say Vaccine Equity, Not 'Racist' Travel Bans, Will Stop the Omicron Variant

This clip is from the Nov. 29, 2021 broadcast.

"Democracy Now!" goes to Cape Town, South Africa, to speak with a leading health justice advocate about how scientists in the country have identified a new Omicron coronavirus variant, and the World Health Organization warns it could be more transmissible than previous variants. Against the advice of the W.H.O., several countries have closed their borders to foreign travelers. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa criticized the travel bans and called on wealthy nations to help poorer nations gain greater access to COVID vaccines. The bans are "actually quite racist," says Fatima Hassan, founder and director of Health Justice Initiative. "We need to urgently … vaccinate as many people in Africa as possible."