South Africa’s been ‘canceled’ over new Covid variant, claims cricketer — RT Sport News

Outspoken Kevin Pietersen is clearly livid at what he perceives because the unbalanced media response to the brand new variant, which is inflicting international alarm and has led to international locations together with England implementing new restrictions.

The previous Nottinghamshire and Hampshire star described himself as “f*cking fuming” over a report which claimed that Covid vaccines could be made much less efficient by the variant and quoted Sajid Javid, the UK’s Secretary of State for Well being and Social Care, as saying that scientists are “deeply involved”.

Formidable batsman Pietersen used his Twitter account, which has greater than 3.8 million followers, to a spotlight an interview given by Dr Ayoade Olatunbosun-Alakija, a board member of Africa Union’s African Vaccine Supply Alliance.

Olatunbosun-Alakija endorsed African vaccination and mentioned that the west had hoarded vaccines, in addition to calling for larger unity amongst leaders in Africa.

The legendary batsman then echoed an uncredited publish taking intention at “fool journalists” and claiming that South Africa, which has been positioned below journey restrictions by some international locations over fears that the variant originated there, has “one of the crucial subtle and superior infectious ailments infrastructure on the planet.”

“We have needed to develop these capabilities to cope with TB and AIDS and different ailments ravaging our continent,” the publish mentioned.

“It’s no shock that our medical system is the primary on the earth to establish new Covid variants. It’s no shock that we led the world in scientific trials of vaccines.

“What’s a shock is how lazy journalists write headlines: ‘New Covid variant in South Africa’.

“No, this new Covid variant has been present in New Zealand, England, Brazil, France, India, Indonesia, the Philippines and different locations.

“South African scientists remoted, sequenced and understood it first. Report that truth, however do not begin over again with placing ‘South Africa is unsafe’ into folks’s heads.'”

Pietersen is clearly unimpressed with the journey bans positioned on South Africa. “You actually can not e-book anyplace now, figuring out the federal government can ban flights in 24 hours,” he mentioned.

“Tourism contributes 9.5 % to South Africa’s GDP. It’s the second largest financial sector after mining.

“I pray, for all my mates’ sakes and for all bio-diversity, that in a few weeks, in spite of everything the information has been checked out, South Africa opens totally.

“Canceling South Africa has precipitated many a drama. Be robust, South African tourism trade.”

The 41-year-old, who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for providers to cricket in 2006, responded to a press launch by the Everlasting Secretary of Botswana saying that the brand new variant was detected in 4 international nationals who entered the nation on November 7.

“The plot thickens,” retorted Pietersen, showing to recommend that Omicron didn’t originate in South Africa.

He took exception to “damaging journalists” who requested British prime minister Boris Johnson about new guidelines together with obligatory mask-wearing on Saturday, and informed a vaccine researcher who claimed that the variant ends in solely ‘delicate illness with out distinguished signs’: “Fantastic factual reporting.

“Thanks. One needs you have been breaking the information within the mainstream media.”

Johnson spoke to South African president Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday after it emerged that the virus has been detected in quite a few international locations.

“They mentioned the challenges posed globally by the brand new Covid variant and methods to work collectively to cope with it and reopen worldwide journey,” learn a British authorities press launch.

“The prime minister counseled South Africa’s fast genomic sequencing and management in transparently sharing scientific information.”

Pietersen informed Johnson and Javid: “Disgrace on you. There is not any furlough scheme in South Africa, so simply consider the tourism trade that gives for tens of millions of households there.

“Bookings have been superb and in a day they’re all gone. Consider their Christmas. Consider these youngsters.”

When a critic advised that Pietersen’s posts had been motivated by enterprise, he hit again that they need to “f proper off”.

“This doesn’t have an effect on me or something I do or my enterprise in South Africa,” he raged.

“My tweet is simply about all my mates within the trade and their households which can be reeling.”

He earlier urged the golf DP World Tour to “type out the ticking time bomb of participant loyalty” by organizing chartered jets to move UK-based gamers dwelling from South Africa instantly.