WHO says C.1.2. COVID-19 variant does not seem to be spreading
By CGTN Africa A new coronavirus variant first detected in South Africa in May does not appear to be spreading, the World Health Organisation said on Tuesday, adding it was monitoring the variant as the virus evolves. “It does not appear to be increasing in circulation,” WHO spokesperson Margaret Harris told a U.N. briefing, adding the
Egypt ramps up local vaccine production with eye on exports
By CGTN Africa Egypt is ramping up production of the Sinovac coronavirus vaccine as it aims to become a hub for vaccine exports to Africa. The increased production should also help Egypt protect its own population of more than 100 million from a new wave of infections. The government is preparing new facilities that it says
Somalia launches child protection info system to protect vulnerable children
By XINHUA Somalia and the UN children’s fund (UNICEF) on Monday launched an online Child Protection Information Management System (CPIMS+) to enhance the protection of the most vulnerable children in Somalia. Hanifa M. Ibrahim, Somali Minister of Women and Human Rights Development said the CPIMS+ will strengthen their collective ability to identify these children, provide them
France sending 10 million vaccine doses to Africa
By AFP France is providing 10 million doses of AstraZeneca and Pfizer vaccines for Africa over the next three months, President Emmanuel Macron’s office announced on Monday. The jabs “will be allocated and distributed in the framework of the African Union’s African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT) and COVAX. “The (COVID-19) pandemic can only be overcome through intense cooperation,”
Sierra Leone safeguards children with new vaccine against polio
By CGTN Africa Sierra Leone kicked off its national polio immunization campaign in a bid to protect an estimated 520,000 children under five years of age using the novel Oral Polio vaccine. According to a statement from the World Health Organization (WHO), the campaign will run for four days and will be implemented by national and district teams
South African scientists detect new coronavirus variant
By CGTN Africa South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant with multiple mutations but are yet to establish whether it is more contagious or able to overcome the immunity provided by vaccines or prior infection, the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) has said. The variant, known as C.1.2, was flagged last week by