THANKS FOR SPEAKING OUT. WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK AFTER THIS. >> HE IS A PASTOR AT SENATOR
NEWS UNIVERSITY PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH. BUT HE GREW UP IN SOUTH
AFRICA. HE IS ACTUALLY THERE ON
A VISIT AT A VERY INTERESTING
TIME TO BE IN THAT COUNTRY.
PASTOR AND REESE CALLED SAYAH
JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM SOUTH
AFRICA. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
STAYING UP LATE FOR TAKE PART
IN THIS CONVERSATION. SOUTH
AFRICA. OBVIOUSLY, I KNOW THAT
YOU’VE BEEN THERE A FEW DAYS
NOW, BUT IT IS KIND OF BECOME
THE FOCUS OF THIS
OMICRON VARIANT 2 COVID-19.
WHAT IS IT LIKE BEING KIND OF
IN THE MIDST OF ALL THIS
ATTENTION THAT’S FOCUSED DOG
THE COUNTRY WHERE YOU GREW UP.
WELL, THANK YOU, STEVE AND
STEPHANIE, A IT’S A GREAT TO
JOIN YOU. NICE TO ON A
VACATION. I THING ACTUALLY A
COUPLE OF WEEKS NOW
>> IT’S SO NICE TO JOIN WITH
MY IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, AND
ITS. THEY’RE GOING TO GIVE
A GLIMPSE OF WHAT IT IS IS THAT
IT’S GREAT TO TALK FROM SOUTH
AFRICA TO SAN MY PLACE OF BIRTH
AND NOT MY HOME CITY, SAN
ANTONIO. SO IT SHOWS YOU AND US
THAT WE ALL GLOBAL FOR THE SUNS
AND REALLY THAT IS WHAT IT
FEELS LIKE TO BE IN SOUTH
AFRICA RIGHT NOW. WE FOUND A
GREAT TIME AND ACTUALLY WE
TRAVELED THROUGH THE AREA WAY
THEY THIS WITH DISCOVERED
VARIANT. I THINK PEOPLE ARE
MOSTLY MEETING THIS TRAVEL BAN
AGAINST SOUTH AFRICANS. WHAT
SHOCK AND THE DISAPPOINTMENT
AND ALSO VERY MUCH OF THE HEART
OF IT. I THINK MANY SOUTH
AFRICANS FEEL THAT THIS IS A
DISTRACTION FROM THE REAL ISSUE
AT HAND. AND THE REAL ISSUE AT
HAND IS
THE GLOBAL IN EQUITY OF ACCESS
AND DISTRIBUTION OF THE
COVID-19 VACCINE. SO I THINK
FOR PEOPLE IN THE DEVELOPED
DEVELOPING COUNTRY LIKE SOUTH
AFRICA, IT’S IMPORTANT ITS STAY
FOCUSED ON ON WHAT IS AT HAND
SOUTH AFRICANS ACTUALLY ARE
DOING A GREAT JOB DOING THE
BASICS RIGHT WHEN IT COMES TO
COVID-19. MY WIFE BETH AND I
HAVE, AS I SAID, TRAVEL IN THE
COUNTRY. WEEKS. YOU KIND OF
GO INTO A STORE OR A RESTAURANT
WHERE YOU ARE MET WITH A PLUS
AND SANITIZING YOUR HANDS.
IT’S A NATIONAL MASK MANDATE IN
PLACE AND YOU KIND OF GO
ANYWHERE. WELL THOUGHT A MASK
AND ALSO CONTACT TRACING IS
BIG. I REACH RESTAURANT WITH
GONE INTO. YOU’VE GOT TO GIVE
YOUR CONTACT INFORMATION SO
THAT PEOPLE CAN DO CONTACT IN
CASE THIS OUTBREAK OF COVID.
PEOPLE ARE DOING WHAT THEY CAN
AND THE BEST THEY CAN TO ADD
HERE TO COVID BASIC
BUT THE ISSUE AT HAND IS, AS I
INEQUITY IN ACCESS AND
DISTRIBUTION OF THE COVID-19
VACCINE. AND SO I THINK IT WAS
LIKE TO GET BIG GETTING PEOPLE
TO BE VACCINATED MANY OFTEN
NEIGHBORING COUNTRY. SO BECAUSE
THEY’RE REALLY THE BAN IS
AGAINST SADDAM AFRICAN
COUNTRIES. I THINK THE PLEAS
FOR US TO STAY FOCUSED ON ON
THE GLOBAL INEQUITY OFF ACCESS
AND DISTRIBUTION. I’M GLAD THAT
YOU THAT YOU BROUGHT UP THAT
POINT BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE
IN SOUTH AFRICA HAVEN’T BEEN
ABLE TO GET THE VACCINE JUST
YET. AND THAT MAY BE WHY THERE.
YOU ALSO SEE SOME OVER
COMPENSATION WHEN IT COMES TO
SOME OF THESE OTHER MEASURES,
RIGHT? LIKE JUST THE
STERILIZATION AND ALL THESE
THINGS BECAUSE NOT AS MANY
PEOPLE DO HAVE THE VACCINE.
>> BUT I DO WANT TO ASK YOU
SOMETHING. SO AS FAR AS THIS
VARIANT IS CONCERNED, WHAT
PEOPLE HAVE SAID IS THAT THEY
SEE VERY MILD SYMPTOMS. HAVE
YOU HEARD ANYTHING OR HAVE YOU
HEARD OF ANYBODY WHO’S BEEN
AFFECTED BY THIS PARTICULAR
VARIANT. AND HOW AND WHAT
HAPPENED TO THEM.
I KNOW I’M FORTUNATE THAT
SISTER US ACTUALLY IN THE
>> SHE WAS INFECTIOUS DISEASE
SPECIALIST FOR A HOSPITAL AND
NOW SHE’S WORKING ON A GLOBAL
PROJECT IN AFRICA. AND FROM
WHAT HER COLLEAGUES CAN TELL
AND ALSO CAN FOLLOW THE EXPERT
HERE ON TWITTER. STEPHANIE, A
THEY VERY PHONE EXACTLY WHAT
YOU ARE SAYING. AND THEREFORE,
I THINK IT IS IMPORTANT THAT
WE STAY CALM AND THAT WE FOLLOW
AND DO THE BASIC THINGS THAT I
ASK US TO DO TO VACCINATED,
TO WEAR A MASK AND TO DISINFECT
ALL HANDS. THE SOUTH AFRICAN
PRESIDENT APPLAUSE ALSO MADE A
TO DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, AS HE
RIGHTLY POINTED OUT THAT
ACTUALLY THE TRAVEL BAN AGAINST
SOUTH AFRICA’S A BREACH OF A G
20 AGREEMENT THAT THEY MADE IN
ROME LAST MONTH. THAT AS GLOBAL
CITIZENS, WE WILL WORK TOGETHER
FIGHTING THE COVID-19 AND
REALLY THAT’S THAT IS A VERY
IMPORTANT POINT AS WELL IS THAT
WE ARE GLOBAL CITIZENS. AND
THAT SHOWS THAT WE ALL NEED
TO COUNTRIES NEED TO WORK
TOGETHER TO MANAGE HIS SPECK OF
THE COVID-19 YET STARTED TO TO
INTERRUPT YOU THERE, GREECE.
BUT HE DID. YOU THINK THAT
SOUTH AFRICA IS GETTING A BOMB
WRAPPED IN ALL OF THIS? BECAUSE
THEY WERE THOUGHT TO BE THE
FIRST COUNTRY TO DETECTED.
IT DOESN’T MEAN THAT IT
NECESSARILY STARTED IN SOUTH
AFRICA AS WE HAD AN
EPIDEMIOLOGIST POINT OUT TO US
YESTERDAY ON THIS VERY PROGRAM.
>> THEY REALLY KIND OF BE ARE
ALMOST BEING PUNISHED FOR BEING
THE FIRST TO DISCOVER. THIS
NEW VARIANT IS KIND OF HOW SOME
PEOPLE ARE SAYING.
>> YEAH, ACTUALLY THE RIGHT.
SO THAT POINTING THAT OUT IN
SOUTH AFRICA AND SCIENTISTS
TAKING GREAT PRIDE IN THEIR
SCIENTISTS AND THE SCIENTISTS
TO WHO DETECTED THIS A STRAINED
AND I FEEL THAT GETTING
PUNISHED. AND THIS IS IS
ACTUALLY VERY DANGEROUS IN THE
IN IT HAS AS A GLOBAL CITIZEN.
SCIENTISTS AS
>> A FOOT FOR A COUNTRY TO THAT
ACT, THIS NEW VARIANT AND THEN
BEING PUNISHED FULL DETECTING
IT. SO THE QUESTION IS, IF IF
COUNTRIES, DO THE TECH NEW
VARIANTS, THE DO WE WANT THEM
TO REPORT THAT SO THAT WE ALL
CAN WORK TOGETHER OR WILL THEY
BE AFRAID TO REPORT IT BECAUSE
THEY FIND IT WILL BE PUNISHED
LIKE SO THAT’S WHAT’S
HAPPENING. SOUTH AFRICANS RIGHT
NOW.
>> YEAH, AND I JUST WANT TO
MENTION THAT THE IN THE
NETHERLANDS FOUND THAT ACTUALLY
THE VARIANT WAS DETECTED THERE
BEFORE IT WAS DETECTED IN SOUTH
AFRICA. JUST THAT THE
RESEARCHERS, THE SCIENTISTS IN
SOUTH AFRICA SEEM TO HAVE
REALLY BEEN ON IT. AND I ALSO
WANT TO TALK ABOUT THAT.
YOU TALKED ABOUT THE
VACCINATION RATE. I BELIEVE
60 1% OF ADULTS ARE FULLY
VACCINATED AND SOUTH AFRICA,
SOMETHING LIKE 25% OR SOMETHING
LIKE THAT. YOU JUST DON’T HAVE
THE VACCINES. THEY’RE CORRECT.
ARIS REALLY QUICKLY ABOUT 20
SECONDS. YOU KNOW, THE VACCINE
IS GOING TO BE VERY LIGHT.
BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THEY’VE BEEN
CATCHING UP. AND THAT’S THAT’S
WHY IT’S VERY I THINK WHY INDIA
AND SOUTH AFRICA’S REALLY CLEAN
TO THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY.
>> THE DROP SOME OF THESE SPOTS
AND ROLLS ON THE VACCINE SO
THAT THEY CAN BECOME
MORE AND READILY AVAILABLE IN
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES JUST LIKE
IT HAPPENED. 12 40 YEARS AGO
WHEN IT WAS DISCOVERED. AND 20
YEARS AGO, ACTUALLY, THIS YEAR,
BIG PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES
DROPPED THE DONE LAWSUIT
AGAINST AND ALL
GOVERNMENT BECAUSE THEY WANTED
TO MAKE UP THE YOU I DO REALLY
LOVE OUR DOGS ARE MORE READILY
AVAILABLE. DROPPING TO PATTON
WILSON AND TOMORROW’S WORLD
AIDS DAY. SO IT’S IMPORTANT
THAT WE PUT COVID-19 AND A
PERSPECTIVE, 2 OF THE OTHER
GLOBAL PANDEMIC THAT WE STILL
FIGHTING. ALL RIGHT, PASTOR
COULD WE’RE GOING TO HAVE TO
LEAVE IT RIGHT THERE. BUT WE’RE
SO HAPPY THAT WE HAD A CHANCE
TO SPEAK WITH YOU. WE WANT YOU
TO STAY SAFE AND HEALTHY AND WE
WANT TO SEE YOU BACK BACK HERE
IN SAN ANTONIO. THANK YOU SO
MUCH.
>> THANK YOU, THANK YOU.
STEVE WAS HONORED TO BE WITH