HEALTH - The African Mirror

Jun

21

2021

Uganda team member tests positive for coronavirus on arrival in Japan

COVID-19

ONE of Uganda's Tokyo 2020 Olympic squad tested positive for the new coronavirus on arrival in Japan this weekend, the first time an infection has been confirmed in an overseas team, NHK reported. Nine athletes and coaches arrived at Narita airport, near Tokyo, at around 6 p.m., with one of them testing positive during a screening at the airport, the national broadcaster said. That individual is now staying at a government-designated facility, while the others travelled on to their host city in Osaka, where they will hold their training camp, NHK said. All of Uganda's team members had received two…

Jun

21

2021

By The African Mirror

UAE to suspend entry from three countries, Dubai updates travel protocols

COVID-19

THE 0 (UAE) will, from today, suspend travellers from Liberia, Sierra Leone and Namibia from entering the country on national and foreign flights, state news agency WAM has reported, citing a statement by the General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA). The GCAA said the restrictions would also include transit passengers, with the exception of transit flights travelling to the UAE and bound for those countries. Cargo flights between those countries and the UAE will continue, as usual, the statement added. It said the restrictions were being introduced to limit the spread of COVID-19. The GCAA added that exemptions to its decision…

May

08

2021

By The African Mirror

WTO vaccine waiver could take months to negotiate, faces opposition – experts

COVID-19

DAVID LAWDER WORLD Trade Organization (WTO) negotiations on a waiver of intellectual property rights for COVID-19 vaccines could take months - provided they can overcome significant opposition from some member countries, trade experts say. The talks also are likely to focus on a waiver that is significantly narrower in scope and shorter in duration than the one initially proposed by India and South Africa last October. Prior to U.S. President Joe Biden's decision on Wednesday to back talks for a vaccine waiver, the two countries confirmed their intention to draft a new proposal after seven months of opposition. WTO Director…

May

08

2021

By The African Mirror

Ghana to start second vaccine doses

COVID-19

GHANA received 350,000 doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine yesterday, which will enable it to start offering second doses of the shot after it nearly ran out, the health ministry said. The West African country was the first to receive vaccines from the World Health Organisation-backed COVAX global vaccine sharing scheme in February and kicked off its vaccination campaign in early March. Unlike other countries where vaccine hesitancy and funding problems slowed delivery, Ghana has administered more than 900,000 doses, according to the health ministry, including the 600,000 doses it received from the COVAX scheme, and others obtained through bilateral…

May

08

2021

By The African Mirror

Tunisia announces one-week lockdown

COVID-19

TUNISIA will impose a COVID-19 lockdown for one week from Sunday, Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi said on Friday, ahead of next week's Eid al-Fitr holiday when families and friends traditionally gather. Speaking at a news conference, Mechichi said measures were being taken in case "the health system will collapse, and this is a real danger". As cases have mounted and intensive care wards filled, Tunisia had already suspended school classes, imposed mandatory quarantine and extended a nightly curfew. Mechichi had previously rejected another lockdown after one that Tunisia imposed last year, saying the country could not afford it. Tunisia's economy…

May

08

2021

By The African Mirror

Hearing loss is a neglected hazard for miners in South Africa

HEALTH

SOUTH Africa’s mining industry has long been an important part of the country’s economy. NOMFUNDO MOROE, Lecturer at the Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, University of the Witwatersrand In 2020 alone, despite COVID-19, mining contributed R361.6 billion (almost 20 billion US dollars) towards South Africa’s gross domestic product, a share of over 8%. The industry employs 451,000 people. But despite its value and the regulations in place to protect workers, it has been criticised for a poor record of health and safety. The South African constitution guarantees workers’ right to an environment that is not harmful to their health…

May

07

2021

By The African Mirror

Funding boost for cities

COVID-19

KIM HARRISBERG FROM sky banners in Cape Town to information campaigns led by transgender people in Rio de Janeiro, new funding announced yesterday will help 18 cities around the world boost COVID-19 vaccine confidence and reach vulnerable groups. The 18 African, Asian and Latin American countries will each receive $50,000 from the charity Bloomberg Philanthropies to creatively tackle misinformation and logistical bottlenecks in a bid to get more people vaccinated and save lives. "We simply will not end the pandemic anywhere until we end it everywhere," said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO) which has partnered…

May

07

2021

By The African Mirror

Vaccine shows 51% efficacy against variant

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHUYSEN NOVAVAX Inc's COVID-19 vaccine had efficacy of 51% against infections caused by the South African variant among people who were HIV negative, and 43% in a group that included people who were HIV positive, according to a new analysis published on Wednesday. The variant, known as B.1.351, carries mutations that threaten the efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines, several studies have shown. Most vaccine makers, including Novavax, are testing versions of their vaccines to protect against emerging variants. The Novavax post-hoc analysis was published in the New England Journal of Medicine along with full data from the company's trial in…

Jun

19

2021

By The African Mirror

African universities ramp up COVID-19 vaccine development

COVID-19

COVIDHQ and bird AS a new wave of COVID-19 infections sweeps Africa, health authorities across the continent are hurrying to get populations vaccinated. The vaccines have all been imported from India, China, Europe or the United States. African academics and academic institutions are looking to ensure that this changes, now and in the future. An African Covid vaccine? Pillared and imposing, the neo-classical great hall of the University of the Witwatersrand, situated on a ridge overlooking what was, at the time of construction, the richest gold seam the world had ever seen, is nothing if not a bold statement on…

Jun

19

2021

By The African Mirror

Uganda imposes new measures

COVID-19

ELIAS BIRYABAREMA UGANDA'S president Yoweri Museveni has introduced sweeping new anti-coronavirus measures including a ban on all vehicular movement except for essential workers to help curb a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic gripping the nation. The east African country, like most other African peers, had been left relatively unscathed by the first wave. It suddenly started experiencing a steep surge in COVID-19 infections last month after authorities confirmed they had detected the presence of the Indian coronavirus variant. "The country has seen a more aggressive and sustained growth of the COVID-19 pandemic," Museveni said in a televised address He…