HEALTH - The African Mirror

Feb

18

2021

‘I feel blessed’, says doctor

COVID-19

WENDELL ROELF and ALEXANDER WINNING SOUTH Africa launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive yesterday, battling to tame a more infectious variant of the coronavirus with a roll-out of the Johnson & Johnson shot for the first time outside a major clinical trial. "I actually feel blessed, you know, after all our hard work and effort in the first and second wave that we finally have another layer of protection, another tool...in the fight against COVID-19," said emergency physician Sa'ad Lahri, one of the first South Africans to be vaccinated. "I am still Zoliswa, no side-effects," said nurse Zoliswa Gidi-Dyosi, who was…

Jul

30

2021

By The African Mirror

Stretched Senegalese hospitals overwhelmed by third COVID wave

COVID-19

ALESSANDRA PRENTICE IDRISSA Lo rushed back to Senegal from the United States when family members started falling sick with COVID-19 and dying. On Wednesday, he mourned a fifth family member lost to the virus - one of nearly 150 Senegalese to die this month as a third wave sweeps through the capital Dakar, leaving its hospitals nearly overrun. "The one I lost two hours ago is my really close cousin. He was young, he was like 40 years old," said Lo, a U.S.-based transport worker, standing in the sun-baked yard of the hospital in Dakar's Yoff neighbourhood. "There is something…

Feb

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Tanzanian politician dies of COVID-19

COVID-19

A senior Tanzanian politician died of COVID-19 yesterday, his party said, adding to concern about a hidden epidemic running rampant in a country that insists it has no local transmission of the disease. The president of Tanzania's semi-autonomous Zanzibar archipelago, Hussein Ali Mwinyi, announced the death of Zanzibar's first vice president, Seif Sharif Hamad, on television, without saying the cause. But Janeth Rite, deputy secretary for ideology and publicity of Hamad's opposition ACT-Wazalendo party, told Reuters: "He has died of COVID-19." A day earlier, the party's leader, Zitto Kabwe, tweeted: "Denying the truth about the spread of the coronavirus in…

Feb

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Namibia to roll out AstraZeneca vaccine

COVID-19

NAMIBIA will push ahead with the roll-out of the AstraZeneca vaccine despite neighbouring South Africa halting distribution after concerns over its effectiveness against a new variant, the government said yesterday. The nation of 2.5 million people recorded more than 36,000 COVID-19 cases with 394 deaths, with its mining and tourism-depended economy severely hit by the pandemic. Health and Social Services Minister Kalumba Shanghula said investigations were still underway to establish whether the new COVID-19 variant is present in Namibia and the extent of its prevalence. "In the meantime, our preparations for COVID-19 vaccine roll-out are ongoing," he said. South Africa…

Feb

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal receives first delivery of vaccine

COVID-19

SENEGAL has taken delivery of its first COVID-19 vaccines, after paying for 200 000 doses from China's Sinopharm. Like other African countries that have struggled to procure vaccines, Senegal is still waiting for disbursements through African Union and World Health Organization-backed (WHO) programmes. In the meantime, some have turned to purchases or donations from China. Despite a relatively late start compared to Western producers, China is ramping up efforts to distribute its vaccines in Africa and elsewhere, some as direct aid. President Macky Sall will be at Dakar's airport for the arrival of the first doses from China in the…

Feb

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Unique Nigerian COVID-19 design

COVID-19

ABRAHAM ACHIRGA NIGERIAN students have built a machine they hope can one day help hospitals remotely treat COVID-19 patients, taking temperatures, transporting medicine and allowing medical workers to communicate with patients with a webcam and screen. The robot is a remote-controlled cabinet on wheels, decked out with a vibrant, floral pattern and dubbed "MAIROBOT". In a demonstration, a school nurse loaded MAIROBOT with medicine and a student, using a controller and goggles to see through a camera, trundled the machine through a corridor and into a mock isolation room to scan a student's forehead for her temperature. "I hope this…

Feb

18

2021

By The African Mirror

Collaboration on therapy for sickle cell disease

HEALTH

NOVARTIS has entered into a grant agreement with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund the development of accessible single-use gene therapies to cure sickle cell disease (SCD), the pharmaceuticals company said yesterday. The project aims to address disparity in access to treatments and prioritize populations and regions that bear the greatest burden of the hereditary blood disease, Novartis said. Around 300,000 people are born with the condition annually. Sub-Saharan Africa is particularly badly affected by SCD, which reduces the ability of red blood cells to transport oxygen and can be fatal.

Jul

30

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa to produce own vaccines

COVID-19

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AFRICA has taken the first step to wean herself from a dependence on the west for vaccines for COVID-19 and other pandemics. A South African group - The Rubic Consortium - has signed a historic technology transfer and licensing agreement with Dyadic International with the aim of developing and commercializing vaccines throughout the African continent. The Rubic consortium is made up of Rubic was founded by a consortium of public health, medical, academia, vaccine technology, technology transfer and economic sector experts interested in addressing the region’s specific challenges related to vaccine availability and affordability. The implementation of the…

Jul

29

2021

By The African Mirror

Tanzania launches vaccination drive

COVID-19

TANZANIA’S President Samia Suluhu Hassan received her COVID-19 vaccine in public, in the most decisive signal yet of a break from the policies of her late predecessor who repeatedly dismissed the threat of the pandemic. Hassan took office after the death in March of former President John Magufuli, who had warned citizens against COVID-19 vaccines and recommended at-home remedies such as steam inhalation. Since then, the government has changed tack: officials now call for social distancing and emphasise mask-wearing in public. In June, Tanzania also joined the global COVAX scheme for sharing vaccines with poorer nations, culminating in the delivery…

Jul

29

2021

By The African Mirror

Senior Gauteng official succumbs to COVID-19

COVID-19

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER FAITH Mazibuko, the Gauteng MEC for Community Safety, has paid tribute to Sipho Thanjekwayo, the acting head of her department, who has passed on due to COVID-19 related complications. “We are shattered by the passing away of Acting HOD Thanjekwayo. His passing away is a great loss for the Gauteng Provincial Government. His selfless contribution in bettering the lives of the people of Gauteng will never be forgotten. The safety and security fraternity in the province will certainly miss his inputs in ensuring a safer environment for our communities. He was very passionate about the department oversight…