By David Ochieng Mbewa The Nigerian government hopes to have vaccinated 40 percent of its population by the end of the year, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has said. The task force also said it is targeting to have vaccinated 70 percent of the population by 2022. According to Dr. Mukhtar Muhammad, National Incident Manager,…
By CGTN Africa The Rwandan government on Tuesday extended nationwide measures against COVID-19 until Sunday, including a lockdown in the capital city Kigali, while a curfew with other restrictions was announced to replace the lockdown for the next two weeks starting Feb. 8. “To further contain the spread of the pandemic, the cabinet extended existing measures…
By AP Malawi faces a resurgence of COVID-19 that is overwhelming the southern African country where a presidential residence and a national stadium have been turned into field hospitals in efforts to save lives. President Lazarus Chakwera, just six months in office, lost two Cabinet ministers to COVID-19 in January amid a surge that led him…
By Jerry Omondi South Africa on Monday received its first batch of the AstraZeneca-Oxford vaccine that are expected to bolster the country’s fight against COVID-19. Soon after touching down at the OR Tambo International Airport, the vaccine shipment was ferried to a lab where they are expected to be tested and approved by South Africa’s drug…
By XINHUA Namibia’s health sector remains intact and the cabinet has begun working in earnest to ensure that the most vulnerable citizens will soon get access to much-needed COVID-19 vaccines, the country’s President Hage Geingob said Tuesday. “All avenues will be exhausted when it comes to safeguarding the health of Namibians,” he said at an official…
By Grace Kuria The number of rhinos killed in South Africa’s national parks dropped by 33% last year. The country’s environmental ministry said COVID-19 restrictions helped contribute to the decline by reducing movements of would-be poachers and horn smugglers around the country. In 2020, a record 394 rhinos were killed for their horns, a fall of…
By XINHUA The European Union’s (EU) top health officials held discussions on Sunday with drug giants about rapid development and production of vaccines specially against the new variants of the coronavirus. The emergence of variants of concern “raises the imminent threat of reduced efficacy of recently approved vaccines,” and it is crucial to prepare for the…
By Halligan Agade Captain Sir Tom Moore has been admitted to hospital with coronavirus, his daughter has said. The 100-year-old, who raised almost £33m for the NHS, was taken to Bedford Hospital after requiring help with his breathing, Hannah Ingram-Moore said on Twitter. She said he had been treated for pneumonia over the past few weeks…
By Halligan Agade Egypt received the first shipment of the AstraZeneca vaccine against the coronavirus pandemic on Sunday, a week after the country embarked on a nationwide vaccination campaign. Frontline health workers will be some of the first to receive the vaccine, alongside the elderly and those with chronic health issues. The Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA)…
By XINHUA The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Saturday said the ongoing second wave COVID-19 infections could be associated with the emergence of variants that are more transmissible. “Africa is currently experiencing an increase in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases,” the African Union (AU) Commission’s specialized healthcare agency said in…
