February, 2021 - The African Mirror

Feb

2021

‘Oxygen, oxygen, oxygen’: Nigeria battles shortages amid COVID-19 surge

LIBBY GEORGE and ALEXIS AKWAGYIRAM THE Lagos businesswoman recalled the "horrendous" week she spent in the COVID-19 wing of a city public hospital, where the sense of crisis was lifted only briefly by whoops of joy when a patient secured one of the few available tanks of oxygen. "There was a shortage," the 47-year-old, who did not wish to be named in order to protect the staff who struggled to treat her, told Reuters. "It was discussed all around. It felt like that was the main issue – oxygen, oxygen, oxygen," she said, convalescing in a private hospital to which…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Cricket-Australia’s tour of South Africa postponed due to COVID

COVID-19

AUSTRALIA’S cricket tour of South Africa has been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Cricket Australia has announced in a statement. Australian players were scheduled to fly out this month for a three-test series in March, but the touring side's cricket board said it had no choice but to postpone the trip due to the South African epidemic. "It has become clear that travelling from Australia to South Africa at this current time poses an unacceptable level of health and safety risk to our players, support staff and the community," CA's interim Chief Executive Nick Hockley said in a statement.…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Zimbabwe to have access to Chinese vaccine

COVID-19

ZIMBABWE will have access to a Chinese COVID-19 vaccine soon, China's ambassador in Harare said yesterday, as Beijing ramps up its availability to developing nations. Last week, Zimbabwe health officials said Russia and China had approached it about supplying coronavirus vaccines. Guo Shaochun, Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe COVID infections have escalated in Zimbabwe this year, with about 60% of its 33,548 cases and more than two-thirds of its 1,234 deaths recorded since New Year's Day. Only a handful of African nations have begun giving doses as the continent scrambles to obtain supplies for its 1.3 billion people - at a…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Uganda orders 18 million doses of vaccine

COVID-19

UGANDA has ordered 18 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and up to 40% of the shipments are expected to arrive in the country by the end of March, the government has announced. Uganda has so far reported 39,651 COVID-19 cases and 325 deaths - a much lower toll than in most countries due to what experts attribute to years of experience battling other viral outbreaks such as HIV AIDS and Ebola. Its economy, however, is reeling from the impact of the measures put in place to curb the spread of the coronavirus. The vaccine shots will…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Bowing to the baobab

BUSINESS

LISA WITEPSKI AN accent on the phenomenal bounty of the baobab tree – in terms of both nutrition and medicinal uses – has helped Vida Pharmaceuticals carve a distinct niche in a highly competitive industry. The world of ancient healing may seem aeons away from modern medicinal advances, but Patricia Mathivha, founder of Vida Pharmaceuticals, has successfully merged both. Patricia explains that she always knew she would be involved in healing but, since the University of Limpopo, where she studied, did not offer degrees in medicine, pharmacy was her next choice. Having experienced several areas of the industry – from…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

How to live sensibly financially in 2021

BUSINESS

TO borrow from Britain's Queen Elizabeth II, 2020 is not a year many of us will look back upon with undiluted pleasure. A year which started promisingly, indeed, turned into an annus horribilis. The COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on the lives of individuals, businesses, economies and countries is well documented. The global roll-out of the vaccine provided a silver lining to the end of 2020 and offers a promise of hope and improved health in 2021, despite the winds of a second wave blowing across many nations. But what about the financial impact on individuals who faced tremendous personal…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Suu Kyi’s party demands her release as Myanmar generals tighten grip

WORLD

THE party of Myanmar's detained leader Aung San Suu Kyi has called for her immediate release and for the miitary junta that seized power a day earlier to recognise her victory in an election in November. The Nobel Peace laureate's whereabouts remained unknown more than 24 hours after her arrest in a military takeover that derailed Myanmar's tentative progress towards full democracy. A senior official from her National League for Democracy (NLD) said he had learned she was in good health and was not being moved from the location where she was being held after the coup against her government.…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

New Donald Trump party?

WORLD

KATIE PAUL FAR-RIGHT backers of Donald Trump are drumming up support on social media for the idea of a "Patriot Party," using references to militia groups and promoting a mix of conspiracy theories, according to a study published yesterday. The online campaign for a proposed alternative to the Republican Party has heavily promoted "Stop the Steal" events throughout the country, including the violent siege of Capitol Hill on January 6, pushing the false claim that the former U.S. President lost November's election due to widespread fraud. Amid a rift with several Republican leaders over the Capitol riot, Trump has talked…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

UK’s special centenarian Captain Tom Moore dies

WORLD

GUY FAULCONBRIDGE and MICHAEL HOLDEN CAPTAIN Tom Moore, the British World War Two veteran who raised millions of pounds for health service workers on the frontline of the battle against the coronavirus, has died aged 100 after contracting COVID-19, his family has announced. Moore struck a chord with locked-down Britain by walking around his garden with the help of a frame to raise 38.9 million pounds ($53 million) for the National Health Service. His endeavour and wit spread joy amid the grim news of the coronavirus outbreak: Moore's message to the world was that the sun would shine again and…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Beyoncé preps fans for #IcyPark

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MPHO RANTAO MONTHS after dropping the second collection with Adidas for Ivy Park, R&B singer Beyoncé is back with more, thrilling fans with shots of her upcoming third drop with Adidas. Beyoncé’s athleisure brand teased their third drop, titled #IcyPark, by taking fans to the snow slopes with a collection inspired by winter wear, featuring the faces of model Hailey Bieber, rapper Gucci Mane, and fellow R&B singer Kaash Paige. The brand posted a teaser video on Instagram showing a collection of sneakers, logo-adorned faux-fur coats, and reflective jackets all against a gorgeous backdrop of snow-capped, wintry mountaintops that resembled…