COVID-19 - The African Mirror

Jul

16

2021

COVID-19 incidents at the Tokyo Olympics

COVID-19

The Tokyo 2020 Olympics, postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, will be held under unprecedented conditions and tight quarantine rules to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections. Yet a number of cases have emerged involving athletes and other people involved with the Games. The following is a list to date, in chronological order. JUNE 20 - A coach with Uganda's squad tests positive on arrival at Narita airport and is quarantined at a government-designated facility. The rest of the team heads by bus for their host city, Izumisano near Osaka in western Japan. JUNE 23 - A…

Jul

16

2021

By The African Mirror

Effects of COVID-19 on millions of Nigerians

COVID-19

LIBBY GEORGE and ESTELLE SHIRBON SHEHU Ismaila Gbadebo has worked as a barber for two decades. The money he made at his rented stall in a bustling suburb of Nigeria's megacity, Lagos, used to be plenty for him to pay bills and set aside some savings. Now, he relies on donated food and sometimes skips meals to feed his family. Since COVID-19 hit Africa's most populous nation and biggest economy, prices for some staples such as eggs, onions and palm oil, have risen by 30% or more. Fewer people can afford a haircut, and those who can are demanding discounts…

Apr

06

2021

By The African Mirror

FACTBOX-Worldwide coronavirus cases cross 131.13 million, death toll at 2,989,554

COVID-19

MORE than 131.13 million people have been reported to be infected by the novel coronavirus globally and 2,989,554 have died, according to a Reuters tally. Infections have been reported in more than 210 countries and territories since the first cases were identified in China in December 2019. Interactive graphic tracking global spread of coronavirus: open in an external browser. Eikon users can click for a case tracker. The following table lists the top 50 countries by the number of reported cases. A complete list is available with the above links. COUNTRIES AND TOTAL DEATHS CONFIRMED DEATHS PER TERRITORIES CASES 10,000…

Jul

15

2021

By The African Mirror

A COVID-19 Africa snapshot

COVID-19

A “third wave” of COVID-19 cases is filling hospital beds, exhausting oxygen stocks, and testing already overloaded health staff in the hardest-hit African countries. Continent-wide, recorded infections are at over six million, with more than 153,000 official deaths. The highly transmissible Delta variant is now prevalent in 16 countries and is surging through unvaccinated populations. “The worst is yet to come,” Matshidiso Moeti, the World Health Organization’s regional director for Africa, has warned. “The end to this precipitous rise is still weeks away.” The continent’s vaccine rollout is crawling, slowed in part by a critical shortage of doses. Countries are reliant on bilateral deals and…

Jul

15

2021

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 claims the life of Africa’s music legend

COVID-19

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER TSHEPO Tshola, the legendary songwriter and musician, has passed away in hospital from COVID-19 related complications. The death of Tshola (68), who was born in Lesotho but made his name in South Africa and throughout the African continent, has sent shockwaves throughout the music industry. In SA, fans of Tshola, popularly known as the “Village Pope” or “Black Moses”, have started to celebrate the life and times of man who started his career with Sankomota, a Lesotho-based music group. The SA government has paid tribute to Tshola. “We extend our deepest condolences to the family, friends and…

Jul

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Risk of ‘catastrophic’ surge in Middle East

COVID-19

A surge of coronavirus cases in several Middle Eastern countries could have dire consequences, aggravated by the spread of the Delta variant and low vaccine availability, the World Health Organisation has warned. After a decline in cases and deaths in the WHO's Eastern Mediterranean region for eight weeks, the agency said there had been significant increases in cases in Libya, Iran, Iraq and Tunisia, with sharp rises expected in Lebanon and Morocco. (Graphic on global cases and deaths) Next week countries across the region will mark the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday, which traditionally includes religious and social gatherings where infections…

Jul

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal sees ‘unprecedented’ surge in coronavirus cases

COVID-19

SENEGAL is experiencing an "unprecedented" surge in COVID-19 infections, the health ministry has revealed, after reporting a new daily record of 733 cases. The previous record was 529 cases recorded on Sunday. Senegal has seen relatively few coronavirus-related cases and deaths so far. But like many African countries, it does not have enough doses to vaccinate widely, leaving it vulnerable to fresh surges. "The situation is unprecedented. We have never seen such an increase in cases," said health ministry spokesman Mamadou Ndiaye. "Measures must be taken urgently to reverse the trend... We hope that more energetic measures will be taken…

Apr

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Libya PM hails “first drop of rain”

COVID-19

MORE than 100,000 doses of Russia's Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine arrived at Tripoli's Mitiga airport yesterday, Libya's ministry of health said, the first shipment to reach the country. Around 1,000 new infections are announced daily by the National Centre for Disease Control, posing a challenge to a health sector ravaged by years of conflict. "It is the first drop of rain. Thank God, we are able to supply the first batch of corona vaccine," interim Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibeh said in a tweet. "The rest of the shipment will arrive in succession," he added, without giving details of how many…

Jul

15

2021

By The African Mirror

Morocco to send aid to Tunisia

COVID-19

MOROCCO plans to send 100 intensive care beds and a similar number of ventilators to help Tunisia tackle a surge in COVID-19 cases, Rabat's foreign ministry has announced. Morocco joins other Arab states which promised to help the North African country as it struggles to contain its worst coronavirus outbreak since the pandemic began, putting its health care system under severe stress and depleting oxygen supplies. Intensive care units are full and there is a severe shortage of oxygen, officials said. The total number of coronavirus cases so far in Tunisia has climbed to 497,613, including 16,388 deaths.

Apr

05

2021

By The African Mirror

14-day quarantine for South Africans travelling to Portugal

COVID-19

PORTUGAL has extended restrictions on travel via land and sea to Spain that had been due to end this weekend until April 15 as it works to contain the spread of COVID-19. The two countries imposed the restrictions on January 28. The interior ministry said the restrictions would remain in place for a further 11 days, adding that the measures did not prevent citizens or residents of Portugal from entering the country. Vehicles transporting goods, emergency vehicles and seasonal border workers are also exempt. Nationals from Britain, Brazil and South Africa - where more contagious coronavirus variants were first detected…