COVID-19 - The African Mirror

Jan

16

2021

How African vaccines will be allocated

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING MILLIONS of coronavirus vaccine doses secured by the African Union (AU) will be allocated according to countries' population size, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced. Ramaphosa, who is the current AU chairman, said on Wednesday that vaccines from Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca would be available this year, but he did not specify how much each African country would get. No African countries have begun large-scale coronavirus vaccination campaigns and the AU's 270 million shots, if administered two per person, would still only cover around 10% of the continent's 1.3 billion people. "The Africa CDC has…

Jan

16

2021

By The African Mirror

WHO advices on COVID-19 travel

COVID-19

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY and MICHAEL SHIELDS THE World Health Organization has refrained from advising proof of COVID-19 vaccination or immunity as a condition for international travel, citing "critical unknowns" regarding their efficacy in reducing transmission and limited availability. The WHO's Emergency Committee, composed of 19 independent experts, held its sixth meeting in a year as the global death toll from the pandemic reached two million among more than 90 million cases. The experts issued a series of recommendations, which WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus accepted and sent to the U.N. agency's 194 member states, a statement said. "At the present time,…

Jan

16

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenya Airways plans more pay cuts

COVID-19

KENYA Airways plans further pay cuts for employees of as much as 30% after the airline was hit by the coronavirus pandemic that has caused a slump in air travel, an internal memo has shown. The cuts follow those made in March last year following Kenya's first confirmed COVID-19 case, which prompted the government to suspend domestic and international commercial passenger air travel. The latest cuts, of 5% to 30% for workers with monthly earnings exceeding 45,000 shillings ($409), take effect this month and will run for six to 12 months, the company's CEO Allan Kilavuka said in an internal…

Jan

16

2021

By The African Mirror

SA mining industry supports rollout

COVID-19

TANISHA HEIDBERG and HELEN REID SOUTH Africa's mining companies will support the government in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines as the nation battles a surge in infections, the industry body said has announced. Mining companies say they are well placed to support the COVID-19 response thanks to decades of experience combating tuberculosis and HIV-AIDS among workers, including the creation of on-site treatment facilities. The Minerals Council, which represents mining firms, said its members are developing plans to use the sector's healthcare infrastructure and delivery capability to accelerate the vaccination programme, but did not provide further detail. A leading producer of…

Jan

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Vaccines due in weeks or months not yet Africa’s way out of pandemic, officials say

COVID-19

VACCINES are not yet Africa's way out of the pandemic as it may be weeks or even months before first doses start to arrive, health officials said, after the African Union (AU) secured 270 million doses for the continent where about 30,000 a day are becoming infected. Africa has not started vaccinations and there is concern that more prosperous regions are getting an unfair head start in the global fight against COVID-19. Africa's second coronavirus wave is infecting twice as many people per day as the height of the first wave last year, and has not peaked, John Nkengasong, director…

Jan

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Gambia’s first two cases of British variant

COVID-19

THE Gambia has recorded its first two cases of the highly infectious coronavirus variant first found in Britain, its health minister has said, in what appears to be the first confirmation of the variant's presence in Africa. Speaking before parliament, Health Minister Ahmadou Lamin Samateh did not give any further details about the cases, which could hamper efforts to contain a recent surge in infections. In a weekly report on Tuesday, the World Health Organization listed 50 countries where the variant had been detected around the world - none of them in Africa. Gambia, a former British colony, has so…

Jan

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Seychelles may fail to pay wages

COVID-19

SEYCHELLES is struggling to raise funds to pay public workers and the government plans to raise $212 million to plug its budget deficit, the finance minister has said. Seychelles' economy is heavily dependent on tourism and the sector was hit hard in 2020 by COVID-19 that led to travel restrictions worldwide to contain the virus's spread. Finance Minister Naadir Hassan was quoted as saying on the Seychelles News Agency that the government's financial situation was dire. "Since the start of the year the amount of money in the government's coffer, from which it makes all of its expenses, has been…

Jan

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Emirates to suspends flights to South Africa

COVID-19

DUBAI-based airline Emirates says is to temporarily suspend all flights to and from South Africa from tomorrow due to operational reasons, without elaborating. "Emirates flights to/from South Africa will temporarily be suspended from Saturday 16 January to 28 January 2021 due to operational reasons," the largest carrier in the United Arab Emirates said in a statement. Inbound travel to South Africa for leisure and business has dropped since mid December when the country identified a new, more contagious variant of the coronavirus, forcing countries such as England, Germany, Switzerland and several in Asia to cancel flights to and from the…

Jan

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Experts answer questions on vaccines

COVID-19

BEATRIX LOCKWOOD AN unprecedented COVID-19 vaccine campaign is underway with tens of millions now inoculated in the U.S. and around the world. Dozens of vaccine candidates are still in the pipeline, bringing hope for an end to a global pandemic. As part of our #AskReuters Twitter chat series, Reuters invited a group of healthcare experts to discuss what you should know before getting your shot. Below are edited highlights. How do the various vaccines reduce the risk of COVID-19 and its complications? How long will they provide immunity? "COVID-19 vaccines reduce complications by inducing the immune system to generate antibodies…

Jan

14

2021

By The African Mirror

AFRICA SECURES 270 MILLION COVID-19 VACCINE DOSES

COVID-19

THE African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team has secured a provisional 270 million COVID-19 vaccine doses for African countries, South African President and African Union (AU) chairperson Cyril Ramaphosa has revealed. Ramaphosa said the African Vaccine Acquisition Task Team (AVATT), which he established after the outbreak of COVID-19, has reported that 50-million of the 270-million doses would be made available for the crucial period of April to June 2021. The vaccines would be supplied by Pfizer, AstraZeneca (through an independent licensee, Serum Institute of India) and Johnson & Johnson. Ramaphosa said that the AU efforts complemented the COVAX facility, a World…