By AFP The total number of COVID-19 cases registered worldwide passed 300 million on Friday, with the Omicron variant’s rapid spread, setting new infection records in dozens of countries over the last week. In the past seven days, 34 countries have recorded their highest number of weekly cases since the start of the pandemic, including 18…
By Jerry Omondi South Africa recorded 119 new COVID-19 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s total number of fatalities to 92,371. The country is the hardest-hit by the pandemic in Africa, accounting for more than a third of its confirmed cases. Figures published on Saturday by the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD),…
By Jerry Omondi Kenya’s health ministry on Saturday reported 1,667 new COVID-19 cases from 8,703 tests conducted over the past 24 hours, taking the total number of infections to 310,797. In the same period, the ministry registered 12 new deaths, taking the total number of virus-related fatalities to 5,437. The East African country is seeing a…
By XINHUA The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 9,977,291 cases as of Friday evening, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said. The specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) said the death toll across the continent stands at 230,743 and some 8,878,569 patients have recovered from the…
By David Ochieng Mbewa The opening match of the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations between hosts Cameroon and Burkina Faso is in doubt after Burkina Faso threatened to pull out of the match due to alleged tampering of the results of COVID-19 tests of its players and staff. The game is set to be played at…
Researchers in South Africa have discovered that people who have been infected with the omicron variant of the coronavirus develop enhanced immunity to the older delta variant. The conclusion is the result of a new study conducted at Durban-based Africa Health Research Institute involving 33 vaccinated and unvaccinated people. The scientists found that immunity against…
Low vaccination rates are of mounting concern amid a new wave of COVID-19 infections in Africa, where nearly 227,000 deaths have been reported, according to the Africa CDC’s COVID-19 dashboard. Only 20 African countries had vaccinated at least 10% of their populations as of mid-December, according to the United Nations. Vaccine access is a major stumbling block….
By XINHUA Republic of Congo President Denis Sassou Nguesso on Tuesday called for the international community to support Africa for local manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines. “For the well-being of all humanity, the international community should accompany Africa, not only in the acquisition of vaccines but also for the production (of the vaccines) on the continent,” said…
By XINHUA The Omicron variant of COVID-19 is already circulating in Cabo Verde, said Maria da Luz Lima, the president of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), urging people to get vaccinated and comply with preventive measures. More than 300 samples sent a week ago to the Institut Pasteur in Dakar showed that 87 percent…
By XINHUA Zambia has rescheduled the reopening of schools due to a surge in COVID-19 cases, its education ministry said on Monday. Schools were scheduled for reopening on January 10, but this has since been moved to January 24. “The reason is that although we were prepared as a ministry for the reopening of schools, the…
