COVID-19 - The African Mirror

May

06

2022

COVID led to 15 million deaths globally, not the 5 million reported – WHO

COVID-19

JENNIFER RIGBY ALMOST three times as many people have died as a result of COVID-19 as official data show, according to a new World Health Organization (WHO) report, the most comprehensive look at the true global toll of the pandemic so far. There were 14.9 million excess deaths associated with COVID-19 by the end of 2021, the U.N. body said on Thursday. The official count of deaths directly attributable to COVID-19 and reported to WHO in that period, from January 2020 to the end of December 2021, is slightly more than 5.4 million. The WHO's excess mortality figures reflect people…

May

04

2022

By The African Mirror

South Africa is proposing plans to manage diseases like COVID. Why they’re flawed

COVID-19

At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African government published “special regulations” to contain the spread of the disease. These actions were taken under special powers granted by the Disaster Management Act. In April 2022, South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa announced an end to the crisis management mode the country had been in for two years. Now processes are underway to embed some of the special regulations into the country’s general health regulations related to notifiable medical conditions. Authors IGNATIUS MICHAEL VILJOEN, PhD Candidate Cell and Gene Therapy Regulation. Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Pretoria…

May

03

2022

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s Aspen COVID-19 vaccine plant risks closure after no orders, executive says

COVID-19

TIM COCKS AFRICA'S first COVID-19 vaccination plant, touted last year as a trailblazer for an under-vaccinated continent frustrated by sluggish Western handouts, risks shutting down after receiving not a single order, a company executive said. South Africa's Aspen Pharmacare negotiated a licensing deal in November to package and sell Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine and distribute it across Africa. The World Health Organization (WHO) called the deal a "transformative moment" in the drive towards levelling stark inequalities in access to COVID vaccines. With only a sixth of adults in Africa fully vaccinated, according to the latest WHO figures from the end of…

Apr

30

2022

By The African Mirror

South Africa says it may be entering fifth COVID wave

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING and WENDELL ROELF SOUTH AFRICA may be entering a fifth COVID wave earlier than expected after a sustained rise in infections over the past 14 days that seems to be driven by the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron sub-variants, health officials and scientists said on Friday. The country that has recorded the most coronavirus cases and deaths on the African continent only exited a fourth wave around January and had predicted a fifth wave could start in May or June, early in the southern hemisphere winter. Health Minister Joe Phaahla told a briefing that although hospitalisations were picking up…

Apr

30

2022

By The African Mirror

Africa seeing uptick of Covd-19 cases – WHO

COVID-19

AFRICA is seeing an uptick in COVID-19 infections, largely driven by a doubling in cases reported in South Africa, the World Health Organization said, urging people across the continent to continue to get vaccinated. Africa had been experiencing a lull in COVID cases, with the WHO earlier this month pointing to the longest-running decline in weekly infections on the continent since the start of the pandemic. But last week cases started to pick up in South Africa -- the country that has recorded the most infections and deaths in Africa to date -- and health authorities there are monitoring for…

Apr

29

2022

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s COVID relief measures mostly excluded refugees: a neglect of duty

COVID-19

THE early days of the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa saw the government impose a lockdown in a bid to save lives. It introduced several interventions to cushion the impact of the crisis caused by the shutdown of economic activities on citizens. Among the measures were food aid as well as unemployment and debt relief. Refugees and asylum seekers expected similar protection. Their expectations flowed from the fact that the South African government has a responsibility to protect them according to the Refugees Act 130 of 1998. Author CALLIXTE KAVURO, Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Public Law, Stellenbosch University The act…

Apr

22

2022

By The African Mirror

As COVID hit Kenya and South Africa, race and class fears were amplified on Twitter

COVID-19

IT'S common in both Kenya and South Africa for there to be everyday conversations about inequalities in power relations and between “races”, classes and ethnic groups. Kenya, in East Africa, and South Africa, in southern Africa, share a history of British colonial divisions. In both countries, social movements and protests have sought to address these social injustices – like #FeesMustFall, #MenAreTrash, #SabaSabaMarchForOurLives, #OccupyParliamentKE. Authors JOB MWAURA, Postdoctoral Research Fellow, University of Cape TownUFUOMA AKPOJIVI, Associate Professor in Media Studies, University of the Witwatersrand Socio-economic and political divides were further exacerbated by the global COVID-19 pandemic and the responses of the…

Apr

18

2022

By The African Mirror

How COVID added to the stresses of the most vulnerable young women in South Africa

COVID-19

BY 2021, South Africa’s unemployment rate was at 44%. Around 55.5% of South Africans were living in poverty. Figures show that in 2021, 10 million people, including 3 million children, lived in a household affected by hunger. Poverty is a key driver of poor mental health. People who also experience insecure income, housing and food supply are particularly vulnerable. The burden of mental illness in South Africa is high. Nearly half of the population (47.5%) is at risk of developing a psychiatric disorder in their lifetime. Despite this high burden, access to mental healthcare in South Africa is severely limited.…

Apr

15

2022

By The African Mirror

Africa COVID cases on longest run of declines since pandemic’s start

COVID-19

AFRICA is experiencing its longest-running decline in weekly COVID-19 infections since the start of the pandemic, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. Recorded weekly cases have fallen for the past 16 weeks and deaths for the last eight, the latter dropping to 239 in the past week, it said in a statement. The upcoming cold season in the southern hemisphere could prompt a new spike in cases, it said. "With the virus still circulating, the risk of new and potentially more deadly variants emerging remains, and the pandemic control measures are pivotal to an effective response to a surge…

Apr

12

2022

By The African Mirror

South Africa has lifted most COVID-19 restrictions. But risks remain

COVID-19

IN early April South Africa ended most of the mandatory measures it put in place to curb the spread of SARS-CoV-2. The country terminated its “state of disaster” and moved to a transitional phase. For 30 days certain measures will remain in place. These include wearing face masks in indoor public spaces, restrictions on gatherings as well as proof of vaccination or a negative PCR test for people travelling to the country. To find out more about the implication of this decision and the reasoning behind it, The Conversation Africa’s Ina Skosana spoke to Harsha Somaroo, who has been supporting…