By XINHUA African countries have received over 29.1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses both from the COVAX facility and through bilateral agreements outside COVAX, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said recently. Africa CDC, the specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU), said as of Thursday, a total of over 29.1…
By Grace Kuria A new World Record has been set after Kenyan athlete Ruth Chepngetich smashed the World Half Marathon Record in 1.04.02 in Istanbul, Turkey. Chepngetich took almost half a minute off previous record holder Ethiopia’s Ababel Yeshaneh Birhane mark of 1.04.31. The win added to Chepng’etich’s previous victories at the race she won in…
By Jerry Omondi The International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) has urged African governments to reopen borders in a bid to revive and sustain air travel that has been hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The aviation body said on Wednesday that some 20 countries on the continent still have restrictions imposed on air travel in…
By Reuters Pfizer Inc and BioNTech said on Thursday their COVID-19 vaccine is around 91% effective at preventing the disease, citing updated trial data that included participants inoculated for up to six months. The shot was also 100% effective in preventing illness among trial participants in South Africa, where a new variant called B1351 is…
By AP Malawi has launched its vaccine drive with 360,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine that it received through the global COVAX initiative, which aims to ensure that low- and middle-income countries have fair access to vaccines. Health care workers, the elderly and those with health conditions that put them at higher risk of severe COVID-19…
By Jerry Omondi The World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday discouraged the use of anti-parasitic drug Ivermectin to treat COVID-19, noting that the drug’s efficacy in treating the respiratory disease is of “very low certainty.” Ivermectin is an antiparasitic drug approved for the treatment of parasitic infections, including strongyloidiasis and onchocerciasis in humans. There are…
By XINHUA Namibia will host the first-ever international home series for Over 50’s cricketers in Windhoek, from April 1 to 5. Cricket Namibia marketing manager, Natalia Nauyoma told Xinhua on Tuesday, that all players must be at least 50 years of age for the Castle Lite Over 50’s Easter Festival, which is set to bring…
Egypt’s Suez Canal has played an important role in world trade for more than 160 years, President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi said on Tuesday. Al-Sisi’s remarks came during his visit to the Suez Canal Authority’s (SCA) Maritime Training and Simulation Centre in Ismailia. It came as part of celebrations of the Egyptian success in re-floating the…
By David Ochieng Mbewa Four more teams booked their places at next year’s Africa Cup of Nations following the conclusion off the final round of qualifying on Tuesday. Mauritania emerged victors in a three-way battle for qualification in Group E after defeating Central African Republic 1-0 in Bangui courtesy of Abubakar Kamara’s goal in added…
By Reuters Apple Inc. introduced its contactless payment service in South Africa on Tuesday, as the global tech giant looks to cash in on the mobile payments boom in the country. The use of digital finance and payments systems has surged in South Africa and elsewhere as the coronavirus crisis has prompted a shift towards…
