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BY PHYLLIS MBANJE POOR countries like Zimbabwe are likely to miss out on a newly-recommended COVID-19 drug, tocilizumab, which is used for
The post Poor countries miss out on COVID-19 drug appeared first on NewsDay Zimbabwe.
A November 26 letter from the presidency asked the head of Uganda's national drug authority to 'work out a mechanism' to clear the importation of the vaccines.
China has about five COVID-19 vaccine candidates at different levels of trials. It was not clear what vaccine was being imported into Uganda.
One of the frontrunners is the Sinopharm vaccine developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates said the vaccine has 86% efficacy, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.
China has used the drug to vaccinate up to a million people under its emergency use program.
On Tuesday, Morocco said it was ordering up to 10 million doses of the vaccine.
Record cases
Uganda on Monday registered 701 new COVID-19 cases, the highest-ever daily increase, bringing its national count to 23,200.
The new cases were out of the 5,578 samples tested for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said in a statement.
Tuesday's tally was 606, the second-highest ever number of new infections, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the east African country to 23,860.
Health authorities have blamed ongoing election campaigns which have drawn huge crowds for the rise in infections.
BY MOSES MATENGA PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa yesterday eased the country’s lockdown measures, paving way for the informal sector, industry and intercity travel to start operating as usual while adhering to COVID-19 protocols, but said beerhalls, bars and gymnasiums would remain closed. Food outlets will only be open for takeaways. In his national address to mark the end of level four national lockdown, Mnangagwa said travellers were no longer obliged to produce exemption letters, while curfew hours would start from 10pm to 5:30am. Mnangagwa said schools, colleges and universities “must prepare to reopen”, but did not give any indication of when they would be allowed to resume face-to-face learning. “Schools must prepare to open and put in place measures which observe the World Health Organisation (WHO) protocols and national COVID-19 guidelines. Virtual learning or long-distance learning is encouraged where possible,” he said. “Universities and colleges must also prepare to open and ensure compliance with the WHO protocols and national guidelines. Virtual learning or long-distance learning is equally encouraged where possible.” He, however, did not make any reference to land borders which have been closed to foreign visitors since January 5, although there are no restrictions to air travel. Zimbabwe has been under strict level 4 lockdown measures since January 5, 2021, as numbers of COVID-19 infections and deaths were soaring. However, the country has begun to record zero deaths after observing the strict lockdown regulations. To date, the country has lost 1 463 people to COVID-19, while over 36 000 others have been infected, but Mnangagwa warned against complacency. Mnangagwa said more vaccines would be coming into the country. “An overwhelming number of enquiries from those outside the first phase is encouraging as they show a desire to vaccinate. While the vaccination programme is voluntary, let us remain mindful of the need to protect ourselves, our loved ones and the entire nation,” he said. “The vaccination will be administered for free. Private entities and organisations, who want to procure the vaccines for their staff or members, must be prepared to distribute the vaccine for free. Government will not allow any form of profiteering from the vaccination programme.” Mnangagwa said Zimbabwe was expecting over 1,2 million doses from China, while more would be coming from Russia, the United Kingdom and India. “Over and above the donated total of 400 000 doses, another 600 000 doses of Chinese vaccines will be arriving in the country next week. A further 1,2 million will be availed by Chinese companies.” He said attendances at funerals and other public gatherings would remain restricted to 30, while churches will have a maximum of 50 congregants at any given time. Follow Moses on Twitter Moses @mmatenga
[Nation] The Chinese government says Beijing is stepping up support for Africa's post-pandemic recovery, with initial focus on vaccine access, as a \"public good\"
Press Release - Poor countries have lost out on $5.7 trillion in aid over the last 50 years - equivalent to $114 billion a year - because rich countries have reneged on their \"solemn promise\" to deliver 0.7 percent of their national income in international aid, a new Oxfam report revealed today.
[Nation] The Ministry of Health has revealed that Kenya expects to receive a second batch of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine doses despite the jab being suspended wholly or in part in at least seven European countries and in DRC Congo over safety concerns.
Ivory Coast launches Covax vaccination drive
Dr. Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of UNITAID, told Africanews how a new task force is trying to deliver affordable and sustainable access to oxygen.
By Angelique V. Nixon & Alissa Trotz
Angelique V. Nixon is a Bahamas-born, Trinidad-based writer, scholar and activist.
The article COVID-19 Crisis and Vaccine Inequity: Caribbean Perspectives appeared first on Stabroek News.
In more ways than one the advent of the COVID-19 global pandemic has caused the world to ‘stand still,’ awakening the human community to its collective frailties, not least, what now appears to be a dismantling of that ‘one world to share’ chimera which, over time, and influenced by the Charter of the UN, we may have deluded ourselves into thinking of as a reality.
The article Our ‘one world’ chimera appeared first on Stabroek News.
Malaria cases in northern Mali have spiked, according to medical workers, claiming 23 lives in the often lawless desert region last week alone.
Mali's ministry of health said this week that 59 people have died of malaria in the north since the start of the year, almost double the number of deaths over the same period last year.
Already struggling to curb coronavirus, the poor Sahel country is also fighting a brutal jihadist insurgency active in the north and centre of the country.
Medical workers in the north registered 13,000 malaria cases between September 21 and 27, marking an 88 percent increase on the previous week.
Twenty-three people also died over that period, the health ministry said.
\"At the moment, the health system is really overwhelmed,\" said Cheick Ag Oufene, a health centre administrator in the northern town of Kidal, who called the situation \"very alarming\".
Mahamadou Sangare, a doctor in the northern town of Aguelhok, said malaria has been wreaking havoc since the arrival of the rainy season.
WHO warning
Treating severe cases is difficult in the remote north, he added, raising the likelihood of fatalities.
Malaria claims hundreds of thousands of lives across the African continent each year.
But the World Health Organisation warned in April that the coronavirus pandemic could disrupt campaigns against the mosquito-borne disease, leading to a spike in cases.
Rudy Lukamba, a Red Cross doctor in Mali, told AFP that Covid-19 \"has absorbed a lot of attention and redirected some of the funds, which has caused delays in prevention activities\".
\"Cleaning up wetlands, clearing brushwood, drying up puddles, distributing mosquito nets and raising public awareness requires resources,\" he said.
Swathes of Mali lie outside government control after a jihadist insurgency emerged in 2012 and triggered a deadly conflict which has since spread to the centre of the country.
Failure to end the long-running conflict contributed to anger towards president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, whom young military officers toppled in a coup on August 18.
[SAnews.gov.za] The first team of experts from the World Health Organisation, who will assist South Africa in its fight against Coronavirus, is set to arrive in the country today.
[SAnews.gov.za] Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize, has expressed concerns about the climbing number of COVID-19 cases in the Eastern Cape and the Western Cape provinces.
[Africa In Fact] Strong medicine: the COVID-19 effect
Document - Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends,
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The coronavirus pandemic has brought hard times for many farmers and has imperiled food security for many millions both in cities and countryside around the world.
[Premium Times] Nigeria ranks below the United Arab Emirates and Mexico.
Head of the Anglican Church in Jamaica and The Cayman Islands, Archbishop Howard Gregory, is seeking allay fears of COVID-19 vaccination among Christians, urging them to get inoculated. \tThe archbishop made the plea as he made...
Zimbabwe will begin vaccinating against Covid-19 on Thursday, starting with health workers and other essential service personnel, the cabinet announced on Tuesday.
Second-hand clothes and shoe dealers have called on the government to lift the ban on imports of the products.
[Ghanaian Times] At least 42,789 children under the age of five in 117 communities in the Ho municipality will benefit from the national polio vaccination exercise which commenced yesterday.
Press Release - Nearly 70 poor countries will only be able to vaccinate one in ten people against COVID-19 next year unless urgent action is taken by governments and the pharmaceutical industry to make sure enough doses are produced, a group of campaigning organisations warned today.
BATSA have accused Fita's members of benefiting from the cigarette ban, as they lament their cataclysmic drop in market performance.
Navigating the topic of women’s health is a constant struggle. For whatever reason we have a hard time talking about our anatomy and the changes our bodies go through each decade.
The post Hey Ladies Do You Know How to Navigate Perimenopause and Menopause? appeared first on Los Angeles Sentinel.
Chairperson of the African Union (AU) President Cyril Ramaphosa said efforts to secure a COVID-19 vaccine for the continent were always collaborative
[Cameroon Tribune] The population has been called to be vigilant as daily social interaction increases amidst new cases of the Covid-19 pandemic.
[Vanguard] With the approval of the COVID-19 vaccines developed by Pfizer-BioNTech, and Mordena Inc., mass vaccinations have since commenced in the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Globally, tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths and illnesses.
