Premium: Oslo outbreak of Omicron holds answer to SA’s mandatory vaccine debate

Pressure for mandatory vaccinations in SA is rising. The piece below from the FT lays out the state of play, with organisations representing business and labour divided on the issue..Big Business is fearful that unless jabs become compulsory, SA's government will be forced to re-impose economically destructive lockdowns as the Fourth Wave takes hold. Other representative bodies like Sakeliga and NEASA, are camped against both lockdowns and mandated vaccinations. There's a similar divide between COSATU and other trade unions..Clues on which path to follow may well be drawn from the largest Omicron hotspot outside SA – the outbreak in Oslo following a company's 120-person Christmas party (which included several recent visitors to SA). Organisers took all the major safety precautions: only vaccinated employees were invited and all had to take a rapid Covid test the day before. Even so, more than half the partygoers have since tested positive..___STEADY_PAYWALL___.Critically, however, none of the 64 got seriously ill or needed hospitalisation. Their symptoms were mild and a number of those infected, quickly recovered. So, vaccines cannot stop Omicron infections. But they significantly dampen the virus's impact, reduce hospitalisations and deaths. Hopefully helps encourage those engaging in the debate to reach a rational conclusion..More for you to read today:.RW Johnson: The end of the apartheid alibi. He says the ANC now has no one to blame but itself, and everyone knows it.Bitcoin price tumbles after Friday's Wall Street selloff. Cryptocurrency was down by as much as 20%, hitting its lowest point in months.Nassim Taleb: No, Covid-19 is not an old person's problem. Economic activist and best-selling author of The Black Swan offers his perspectives on the virus..NB FOR YOUR WALL STREET JOURNAL ACCESS….As a Premium subscriber you are entitled to full membership of wsj.com (normal price $29 a month). Be sure to action your access through the Premium link on the BizNews website. Because of The Wall Street Journal's credential requirements, be sure to create a password which has at least 8 characters and includes at least one letter and one number – NB it MAY NOT contain any special characters (ie #, !, @ etc). To maintain access to WSJ.com, you MUST enter our partner's website via BizNews Premium at least once a month. A final PS, if you had previously signed up for WSJ you'll need to clear the cookies from your device. Our help desk can assist – support@biznews.com..If you'd like to help sustain our independent voice, why not share the love by making a gift that keeps giving? Click here to access the BizNews Premium subscription signup form, and be sure tick the relevant box. At R100 a month and inclusive of full membership of The Wall Street Journal, it's a mind-expanding gift at an incredibly modest price.

Premium: Oslo outbreak of Omicron holds answer to SA’s mandatory vaccine debate

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