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A leading US Intelligence advisor has taken a firm stance on the origins of COVID-19, insisting that the virus came from a biological weapons lab in Wuhan.
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.
[East African] Uganda is still struggling with public messaging as it battles Covid-19 community infections, nearly one month after announcing that the country had entered Phase Three of the pandemic, with rising cases throughout the month of June.
[East African] Two of the widely used drugs in the fight against Covid-19 do not prevent death or reduce the time spent in hospital.
Major African stats: May 16 at 7:30 GMT:
\t
\t\tConfirmed cases = 78,280
\t\tNumber of deaths = 2,624
\t\tRecoveries = 29,245
\t\tActive cases = 46,411
\t\tInfected countries = 54
SUGGESTED READING: rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Africa II
\t\tZimbabwe extends lockdown level 2 indefinitely
\t\tCongo evacuates citizens from Europe
\t\tLesotho confirms index case
\t\tComoros records first case
\t\tUS support for Kenya, South Africa; Africa’s equipment crunch
\t\tAfrica case increase worries experts
\t\tMauritania virus-free
\t\tTanzania MP infected
\t\tZimbabwe quarantines UK returnees
\t\tMadagascar announces COVID-19 treatment
\t\tAfrica will suffer Trump’s WHO move
\t\tBurundi voters locked out
\t\tTanzania’s three-days of prayer
\t\tMalawi imposes lockdown as president’s court hearing starts
\t\tUganda speaker unveils COVID-19 combating spray
\t\tUS joins Africa in fight against Chinese racism
\t\tAU appoints four-member international liaison team
\t\tTwo prominent deaths
\t\tAU protests Chinese mistreatment of Africans
SUGGESTED READING: rolling coverage of the coronavirus outbreak in Africa I
May 16: Over 100 Congolese return from Europe
\tOver 100 Congolese nationals stranded in Europe returned to the country on Friday, local UN-run media outlet Radio Okapi reports.
The South African president is also current chairperson of the African Union, AU; he is leading Africa’s most impacted country and the continent’s effort to get international support to fight the pandemic.
Africa dangerously behind in global race for virus gear
\tAs Africa braces for a surge in coronavirus cases, its countries are dangerously behind in the global race for scarce medical equipment.
AP
April 23: Africa’s 43% jump in virus cases in 1 week worries experts
\tAfrica registered a 43% jump in reported COVID-19 cases in the last week, highlighting a warning from the World Health Organization that the continent of 1.3 billion could become the next epicenter of the global outbreak.
African governments reported a total of nearly 26,000 cases as of Thursday, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, up from just over 16,000 a week ago.
Before the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country, Ms Atieno, who lives in Nyalenda slums in Kisumu County, could easily access her antiretroviral therapy drugs (ARVs).
She is among hundreds of people living with HIV who are avoiding visiting local health facilities to collect their drugs for fear of contracting Covid-19.
Ms Jane Oriedo, a resident of Nyalenda, confirms that there are HIV patients in the slum who fear visiting health facilities.
At the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, however, 33,000 HIV patients in 61 facilities in Kisumu were supplied with ARVs to last them months.
To mitigate the decline in patients visiting facilities, the National Network of People Living with HIV has started an initiative to distribute the ARVs to those who cannot access them in public facilities.
Zimbabweans have urged African leaders to up their game in terms of improving political and economic problems which have hallmarked their rule since the continent was freed from colonial oppression.
\"Right now, we have very few African countries that are doing well because political parties which fought the liberation struggle are the ones which are still ruling in most countries and there is nowhere we are going.
\"African youths should play a central role in reforming the continent.
Other citizens chose to look at the silver lining on the continent, zeroing in on the coronavirus menace which seems to have been more lenient on the continent as opposed to the first world.
\"We have heard and read in newspapers that so many people have died in other continents but as of Africa, we pray our ancestors protect us.\"
[allAfrica] Analyses by researchers at the African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (Accord) warn that Covid-19 has provoked responses that violate human rights, slow effective responses to the pandemic and, ultimately, threaten peace.
OVER FIFTY women have accused charity workers of sex abuse in Congo during the ebola...
The post Charities accused of sexual abuse in DR Congo during Ebola crisis appeared first on Voice Online.
HEALTH experts and civil society organisations have warned of a possible spike in COVID-19 cases due to reckless behaviour by citizens who are moving around without masks and ignoring social distancing regulations.
Since Monday, Bulawayo experienced an influx of people in the city centre as police removed roadblocks which helped restrict movement and enforce wearing of face masks.
While it has been easier for the urban populace to adhere to lockdown regulations, rural communities are going out in their large numbers to give a send-off to their departed and in most instances failing to exercise social distancing and wearing masks,” the trust said in a report on Tuesday.
Community advocacy action team members who also attended the funeral expressed concern over the limited understanding of the need to adhere to the COVID-19 precautionary regulations.
They observed that few people were wearing face masks and social distancing was not being practised at the funeral.”
HUMAN rights doctors have lashed out at government for extending the national lockdown in the absence of evidence for such cause.
In their fifth COVID-19 Monitoring and Advocacy Report yesterday, the Zimbabwe Association of Doctors for Human Rights (ZADHR) said in the absence of key epidemiological evidence on the true distribution of COVID-19 in the country, it would be difficult to ascertain the basis for extending the lockdown period.
“Government must conduct focused testing using PCR kits on entry and on exit of the quarantine facilities to curb the spread of COVID-19 within and after the quarantine period.
On the issue of lack of enough personal protective equipment (PPE), ZADHR said most government-run health facilities in the country lacked such equipment, adding “unavailability of PPE is a violation of the High Court ruling which directed government to provide adequate PPE to all health workers”.
Last month, the doctors sued government for failing to provide PPE for its workers in health facilities.
Countries in northern Africa have the highest death tolls, led by Egypt (696 deaths from 15 003 cases) and Algeria (575 deaths from 7 728 cases).
South of the Sahara, the highest tolls have been in South Africa (397 deaths out of 20 125 cases) and Nigeria (211 deaths, 7 016 cases).
\"For now, Covid-19 has made a soft landfall in Africa, and the continent has been spared the high numbers of deaths which have devastated other regions of the world,\" said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's Africa regional director.
WHO emergencies chief Michael Ryan told a virtual news conference in Geneva that the low number of deaths was \"really welcome, and it is a credit to the systems and countries that they are picking up cases and are able to treat\".
The Irish epidemiologist said that the picture was varied across Africa, with some countries recording a big rise in cases, and others relatively stable.
With the European Union unveiling a massive recovery plan to step up its emergence from the crisis, the US figure was a sobering reminder of the devastation being wreaked around the globe by a virus that only emerged late last year.
Nevertheless, most US states moved toward reopening restaurants and businesses, cheered on by President Donald Trump, who is eager to see the economic pain of the crisis mitigated as he seeks re-election.
The United States remains the hardest-hit nation, with President Donald Trump weathering heavy criticism for his handling of the crisis -- and for not wearing a mask in public despite his administration's recommendations.
Trump's principal preoccupation has been for a quick turnaround of the badly battered US economy, and he has pressured local and state leaders to ease lockdowns.
Even as many economies emerge from the drastic lockdowns, a joint study by Save the Children and UNICEF warned Wednesday that the pandemic could push as many as 86 million more children into poverty by the end of 2020.
South African’s favourite Afrikaans soapie has been trending on social media for including gender-based violence (GBV) in its storyline.
The World Health Organization earlier this week (June 17) reiterated concerns over the rate at which covid-19 exposes women in Africa “to a higher risk of abuse and gender-based violence.”
This comes after hundreds of cases on rape and other forms of violence against women have been recorded in parts of the continent.
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti is WHO regional Director for Africa: “The physical distances associated with home stay orders have affected women’s businesses, their ability to earn a living on a daily basis and, in some cases, have unfortunately exposed women involved in abusive relationships to a higher risk of violence, gender-based violence.”
“So, definitively, I can say that the impact of COVID-19 has the face of women in particular on our continent.
According to the World Health Organisation, 35% of women around the world have already experienced some form of sexual and gender-based violence in their lifetime.
While the world has been altered or almost come to a standstill due to the COVID- 19 pandemic which was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation on the 11th of March, one thing has remained constant within the local capital market. Investors across the width and breadth of the country or abroad can still observe the lockdown and social distancing while still benefitting from buying or selling shares remotely using C-TRADE. C-TRADE is an innovation developed to harness and promote participation of retail investors and institutions in capital markets through mobile and internet based platforms. It automates the interface of the retail and institutional investors giving them direct access to the market with enhanced efficiency and convenience. Investors can easily access, trade and get relevant information on the companies they wish to invest in as well as access timely, accurate information regarding the performance of their investments and the various opportunities that exist. It wasn’t that long ago that the ability to trade shares online and through mobile phones seemed like a scary prospect to individual investors. But thanks to a raft of technological improvements and the rise of online share trading platforms worldwide, it’s now easier than ever for ordinary Zimbabweans from all walks of life to buy and sell shares online through the C-TRADE platform. C-TRADE is convenient in that one simply needs to open an account for free and they are good to go. Investors are not bound by time and physical place as long as they are accessible on a mobile phone or have internet access. This technology significantly reduces the need for manual processes and paper work and is consistent with international trends as, the communication of orders and executions are being conducted electronically and in real time worldwide. The platform also provides investors with a convenient 24/7 mechanism to exit their investments. It offers an advanced interface and the ability for investors to see how their money is performing throughout the day. Further, it almost eliminates the middle men as there is virtually no direct communication with broker. Apart from reducing the overall trading cost, using C-TRADE is hassle free making it lucrative as it gives investors greater control of their portfolios as they can trade whenever they wish to. This is different from traditional trading where an investor may be stuck until he or she is able to contact their broker or when the broker is available to place their order. C-TRADE allows for almost instant transactions. An investor has the ability to review his/her options instead of depending on middle men to tell them the best bets for their money. Overtime, investors become more experienced and understand the market and can distinguish good investments from bad ones. C-TRADE provides wide distribution channels through the incorporation of the SMS and Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD). Investors simply dial a short code which gives them direct access to the market with en
It has issued an impassioned appeal to malaria-endemic countries not to compromise on the delivery of malaria control activities and healthcare services as they battle COVID-19.
African governments - with the support of the relevant stakeholders - must therefore take a leading role in ensuring that there are minimal disruptions to the delivery of appropriately tailored essential malaria control activities and services.
South Africa has adopted an innovative strategy to ensure the continuation of its malaria test and treat campaign.
And African governments and international organisations like the WHO must lobby hard to ensure that there's no downscaling in the production of tests and treatments for non-COVID-19 infections like malaria.
In the interim, countries should consider stockpiling supplies of malaria rapid diagnostic tests, malaria treatment and essential malaria control commodities.
African leaders have lauded the launch of the continent's first medical supplies platform as the \"jewel in the crown of Pan-African cooperation\".
On Thursday, African Union (AU) chairperson President Cyril Ramaphosa, AU Commission chairperson Moussa Faki and the director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Dr John Nkengasong held a media briefing, giving an update on the platform.
Zimbabwean businessman Strive Masiyiwa, who was appointed as the AU special envoy leading global mobilisation of medical test kits and protective equipment for the continent this month, gave a brief presentation of how the Africa medical supplies platform would operate.
Vera Songwe, the executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, said the platform was initially developed to assist with maternal and childcare in a bid to connect mothers to women pharmaceutical producers on the continent as big pharmaceutical companies refuse to deliver to small islands with ports that are seen as too small.
The Africa CDC director said the organisation regularly engaged with African countries seeking data on the spread of the pandemic, and the approach was to emphasise cooperation and the sharing of information in a timely fashion.
The devastating impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Africa's economy has shown that the continent can ill-afford a further delay in the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA), panelists in a web conference on Africa's economic recovery, post-COVID-19, said on Monday.
\"With the COVID-19 crisis, Africa must see the positive message that there comes a time when every groups of people should begin to fend for themselves and be independent and integrate the continent better in terms of trade and investment among ourselves as well as promote growth and development as a people, without always looking out for bailouts from outsiders,\" he said.
'ACFTA as the way'
Mr Oramah said the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed so many weaknesses across Africa, ranging from lack of basic infrastructure to appropriate economic policies to help drive growth and manage the crisis of current magnitude.
He said \"massive hunger is looming if nothing is done before the end of the pandemic,\" adding that \"if governments in Africa allow hunger to take over from COVID-19, the continent would likely see political problems, since hungry people would start agitating.\"
On developing opportunities for more global support against COVID-19, Mr Maurer said the current crisis has provided an excellent opportunity to address the high incidence of extreme poverty in Africa, which has constrained investment.
[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.
Speaking at a briefing on Wednesday, WHO emergencies director Dr Mike Ryan warned against trying to predict when the virus would disappear.
The United Nations health agency has been releasing a raft of guidelines as to how operations should resume as lockdown measures continue to be eased across different countries globally.
Some of these guidelines include public health and social measures in schools and the workplace.
Since Covid-19, an infectious disease that primarily affects the lungs, was declared a pandemic on March 11, countries have implemented a raft of measures like restriction on movement, partial closure or closure of schools and businesses, quarantine in specific geographic areas, and international travel restrictions.
The international health agency advises that protective measures, including physical distancing, handwashing, respiratory etiquette, and, potentially, thermal monitoring, have to be established.
Following the outbreak of the COVID-19 disease in Nigeria, late February, the various governments took various measures to combat the plague.
Since Nigeria recorded her first case of COVID-19 late February, 7016 persons, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, have tested positive for the disease.
·February 5: The Nigerian Air Force killed \"some\" (estimated at five) ISWA (Boko Haram) militants in Ngala, Borno.
·February 8: The Nigerian Air Force killed \"several\" (estimated at 10 Boko Haram militants in Gwoza, Borno.
·February 27: The Nigerian Air Force killed \"some\" (estimated at 10) Boko Haram militants in Gwoza, Borno.
Second-hand clothes and shoe dealers have called on the government to lift the ban on imports of the products.
\"Most countries in the African region are still experiencing an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases, with some reporting cases in new geographic areas,\" he said.
South Africa is the worst hit country on the continent with 50,879 reported cases.
South Africa's cases are \"rising fast,\" according to President Cyril Ramaphosa.
More than half of all confirmed cases have been recorded in the last two weeks, prompting concerns that the country could see a steep rise in infections shortly after restrictions are relaxed.
\"Politicians may be desperate to get their economies going again, but that could be at the expense of having huge numbers of people die,\" said Dr. Bharat Pankhania, an infectious diseases expert at the University of Exeter in Britain.
[This Day] The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Borno State Government have taken malaria prevention drugs to 42 internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the troubled North-east state.
THE MTV Staying Alive Foundation (SAF) in partnership with the World Health Organisation, United Nations...
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