HEALTH - The African Mirror

Dec

14

2020

Algeria’s first appearance since COVID-19 hospitalisation

COVID-19

ALGERIAN President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has made his first appearance since he was flown to a hospital in Germany 47 days ago after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, saying he is recovering and will be back home soon. Tebboune, 75, who appeared in a video on Twitter and a broadcast on state television, said he is expected to make a complete recovery within three weeks at the latest. "I'm recovering...I will recover my physical capacities in a week, two weeks or three weeks," he said. "We will soon be in the country to continue building a new Algeria". - Thomson…

Dec

14

2020

By The African Mirror

Labor group seeks help for hundreds of thousands of seafarers stranded by COVID

COVID-19

MATTHEW LAVIETES HUNDREDS of thousands of seafarers around the world are stranded at sea due to coronavirus travel restrictions, unable to go home or get medical care, the International Labour Organization (ILO) said on Tuesday, calling on nations to address their plight. Many shipping and transport workers have been at sea as long as 17 months or longer, as COVID-19-related restrictions make it almost impossible to rotate crews, the United Nations' labor agency said. The ILO adopted a resolution asking nations to take action by providing medical care to seafarers in need, waiving visa or documentation requirements and designating seafarers…

Sep

30

2021

By The African Mirror

Could COVID-19 result in a “Brain Gain” for Africa?

COVID-19

CONRAD ONYANGO THE continent's brightest science students are engaging far more with their African alma-maters, bolstering the quality of academic literature as the COVID-19 pandemic creates new demand for high-end medical research and raising the possibility of a "brain gain" as top students return to the continent. The Africa Risk-Reward Index 2021, shows the continent is experiencing increased public-private sector funding towards research and development, a trend that could significantly boost African universities’ capacity to retain their best students and increase their competitiveness against global peers. “The ‘brain drain’ has historically not only weighed on academic output but has also…

Sep

30

2021

By The African Mirror

Poland sends over 100,000 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to Egypt

COVID-19

POLAND sent over 100,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to Egypt, the Polish foreign ministry said on Wednesday. "More than 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines are on their way from Warsaw to Cairo. The donation of vaccines to Egypt is an expression of solidarity with an important partner of Poland in North Africa," the ministry said on Twitter. Poland has earlier sent surplus vaccine doses to countries such as Australia, Spain, Norway, Ukraine or Taiwan. Around 60% of Poles are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to figures from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Vaccine Tracker. Demand for the…

Dec

13

2020

By The African Mirror

EXPLAINER-I just got a COVID-19 vaccine. Now what?

COVID-19

DEENA BEASLEY BRITAIN has become the first country in the world to roll out the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE, initially making the shot available at 50 hospitals. The country's National Health Service is giving priority to vaccinating people over the age of 80, frontline healthcare workers and nursing home staff and residents. The following is what people getting the vaccine should expect. WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE GETS THE VACCINE? The vaccine, developed with new messenger RNA technology using a manufactured fragment of the coronavirus' genetic code, is injected into the arm. The inoculation is given…

Sep

29

2021

By The African Mirror

Algeria to start Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine production

COVID-19

ALGERIA will start production of COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac in partnership with China with the aim of meeting domestic demand and exporting the surplus, the prime minister's office has announced. The government has said production capacity will stand at one million, two million and three million doses in October, November and December respectively, before reaching five million doses per month from January. The North African country has been importing vaccines, mainly Sinovac, since the coronavirus pandemic began in March 2020. The government aims to vaccinate 70% of Algeria's 45 million people. The Sinovac vaccine will be produced in the eastern city…

Dec

13

2020

By The African Mirror

Where are we in the COVID-19 vaccine race?

COVID-19

PFIZER Inc and BioNTech SE has received U.S. regulatory authorization for their COVID-19 vaccine, making it the first inoculation against the new coronavirus to get a regulatory green light in the United States. The following is what we know about the race to deliver vaccines to help end the coronavirus pandemic that has killed 1.59 million people worldwide: WHO IS FURTHEST ALONG? U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and German partner BioNTech are the coronavirus vaccine trailblazers. On Nov. 18, they became the first in the world to release full late-stage trial data. Britain was the first to approve the shot for emergency…

Sep

29

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa, Oxfam call for fairer trade rules in response to pandemic

COVID-19

SOUTH Africa's president and the head of Oxfam heaped pressure on World Trade Organization members and manufacturers to allow fairer access to COVID-19 vaccines on Tuesday, including through a waiver on intellectual property rights. At a WTO public event on trade and COVID-19 also attended by German vaccine maker BioNTech, Cyril Ramaphosa said a waiver on patents was needed to save millions of lives during the pandemic. "This is not the time just to be uni-dimensionally focused on profit. This is the time to save lives," Ramaphosa said. The WTO began discussions on a waiver to intellectual property rules for…

Dec

13

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID-19 exposes weaknesses in Kenya’s healthcare system. And what can be done

COVID-19

THERE are reports that Kenya’s hospital beds are filling up because of a surge in COVID-19 patients. This highlights concerns since the start of the pandemic, that the health systems of many African countries would quickly become overwhelmed. Moina Spooner from The Conversation Africa asked Professors Abdu Mohiddin and Marleen Temmerman to explain what must be done. ABDU MOHIDDIN, Assistant Professor, Aga Khan University MARLEEN TEMMERMAN, Director of the Centre of Excellence in Women and Child Health and Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (OB/GYN), Aga Khan University What are the major deficiencies in Kenya’s healthcare system? Kenya’s…

Sep

29

2021

By The African Mirror

WHO plans to eliminate bacterial meningitis epidemics by 2030

HEALTH

THE World Health Organization (WHO) is aiming to eliminate the most deadly form of meningitis by 2030 through increased awareness and access to treatments, global plans launched by the UN-agency to combat the inflammatory disease showed. Meningitis is a dangerous inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. While it is typically caused by bacterial and viral infections, bacterial meningitis kills more people than any other form of the disease. The "Global Roadmap to Defeat Meningitis by 2030" was launched by a coalition of partners at a virtual event in Geneva to focus on preventing infections and improving…