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Sifelani Tsiko Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor
Renowned Zimbabwe-born virologist and Aids researcher Dr Sikhulile Moyo and another South African bio-informatics scientist have won the 2022 German Africa Award for their work identifying the COVID-19 variant omicron, one of the earliest version of variants of the coronavirus which together with others has killed more than 6,5 million people across the world since the pandemic began.
Virologist Dr Moyo who is based in Botswana and South Africa-based bioinformatics scientist Prof Tulio de Oliveira won this year’s German Africa prize for their work identifying the COVID-19 variant omicron.
The independent adjudicators of the 2022 German African Award said the duo, through their research and by reporting the variant to the World Health Organization (WHO) had: “contributed significantly to a better understanding of the dynamics of the pandemic and the world’s swift response to it.”
Dr Moyo is a virologist at the Botswana Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership and around 2021 when he was doing genomic sequencing of COVID-19 samples at his lab in Botswana, he noticed three cases that seemed dramatically different, with an unusual pattern showing multiple mutations.
The renowned Zimbabwean scientist continued studying the results and later released the data on the internet, sparking further research by South African scientists who later made similar findings of the omicron variant.
This led to the discovery of this new coronavirus variant, which the World Health Organization (WHO) named omicron.
This groundbreaking discovery was very crucial in worldwide efforts to fight against the pandemic.
The German Africa Foundation (DAS)’s award has honoured several African personalities since 1993 for promoting peace, reconciliation and social progress.
Previous winners included Botswana’s former President Ketumile Masire, Somali women’s rights activist Waris Dirie and Kenyan IT pioneer Juliana Rotich.
“Professor Tulio de Oliveira and Dr Sikhulile Moyo are thus a shining example of expertise, integrity and courage,” DAS said in a statement.
“They prove … that top medical research is also at home in Africa and that the continent has successful crisis management in the global pandemic from which Europe can and should learn.”
Dr Moyo said he felt highly honoured on behalf of other African scientists saying the award: “The award represents many people who are behind us. Without collaboration, we would not be where we are in this short time.”
He was quoted saying that he hopes the award will strengthen the collective resolve among African scientists with “very little resources” to continue their work.
“The kind of resources we have, compared to what most of Europe had, is just a tiny drop in the ocean,” he said.
Prof Tulio de Oliveira and Dr Moyo will be presented the German Africa Award in Berlin on November 25.
The United States has reported the highest number of deaths, followed by Russia, Brazil and India from Covid-19.
Online Reporter