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Jun
18
2021
By The African Mirror
“Africa is in the midst of a full-blown third-wave”

“Africa is in the midst of a full-blown third-wave”

COVID-19
COVID-19 cases rose by over 20% week-on-week in nearly two dozen African countries and progress on vaccinating Africans is proceeding slowly, with just 0.79% of people on the continent fully vaccinated, senior health officials have disclosed. "Africa is in the midst of a full-blown third-wave...We've seen in India and elsewhere how quickly COVID-19 can rebound and overwhelm health systems," Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, told a news conference. New cases are up nearly 30% in the past week and deaths are up by 15%, she said, with five countries -- South Africa, Tunisia, Zambia, Uganda and Namibia --…
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May
06
2021
By The African Mirror
U.N. chief pushes voluntary sharing of COVID-19 vaccine licenses

U.N. chief pushes voluntary sharing of COVID-19 vaccine licenses

COVID-19
MICHELLE NICHOLS  U.N. chief Antonio Guterres believes vaccine makers should allow other companies to produce versions of their COVID-19 shots, a U.N. spokesman said yesterday, as the World Trade Organisation discussed waiving patent rights to boost supply to developing countries. "The Secretary-General has often called for technology transfers and sharing of know-how and voluntary licensing or sharing of licensing," spokesman Stephane Dujarric said. WTO members are assessing signs of progress after seven months of talks on a proposal by South Africa and India to waive patent rights on COVID-19 vaccines. WTO decisions are based on consensus, so all 164 members…
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May
06
2021
By The African Mirror
Egypt 4.9 million doses in May

Egypt 4.9 million doses in May

COVID-19
EGYPT will receive another 4.9 million doses of different types of coronavirus vaccines in May. The earliest of these will be a shipment of 1.7 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine which is due to arrive next week as part of the global COVAX agreement, the Egyptian cabinet said in a statement. COVAX was established by the Geneva-based GAVI vaccine alliance and the World Health Organisation (WHO) for the equitable distribution of vaccines. Egypt will receive an additional shipment of 1.7 million AstraZeneca vaccines by the end of May, 1 million doses of the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine to arrive…
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May
06
2021
By The African Mirror
‘Use idle capacity to make vaccines’

‘Use idle capacity to make vaccines’

COVID-19
THE world cannot act soon enough to put idle manufacturing capacity to work making COVID-19 vaccines to help redress a massive imbalance in global supply, the head of the World Trade Organization said yesterday. WTO director-general Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala said equitable access to vaccines, diagnostics and treatments was "both the moral and economic issue of our time". The World Health Organization said in April that of 700 million vaccines globally administered, only 0.2% had been in low-income countries. Okonjo-Iweala told a meeting of the 164-member WTO that those who had ordered more vaccines than they needed must share with others. Members…
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Jun
18
2021
By The African Mirror
Tanzania to request to join COVAX

Tanzania to request to join COVAX

COVID-19
OMAR MOHAMMED TANZANIA hopes to join the COVAX global vaccine-sharing facility, the latest sign it has changed tack following the death in March of COVID-19- and vaccine-sceptic president John Magufuli. A World Health Organisation official said vaccines could arrive in the country of 58 million people within two weeks. Since taking office in March, new president Samia Suluhu Hassan has sought to gradually bring Tanzania into line with global public standards for tackling COVID-19. The country is one of only four in Africa that have yet to start vaccination campaigns, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.…
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May
06
2021
By The African Mirror
Egypt to close stores, restaurants early

Egypt to close stores, restaurants early

COVID-19
THE closing hours of Egyptian stores, malls and restaurants will be brought forward to 9 pm (1900 GMT) to help contain the coronavirus for two weeks from today, straddling the last days of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and Eid celebrations, the prime minister announced yesterday. Large gatherings and concerts will be banned over the same period and beaches and parks will be shut between May 12-16, Mostafa Madbouly said in a televised address. The number of new coronavirus cases has been steadily rising in Egypt in recent weeks and officials have warned of infections spreading further as families…
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Nov
16
2025
By TEKO NHLAPO
Bridging continents, changing futures: how a new alliance wants to rewrite Africa’s oncology story

Bridging continents, changing futures: how a new alliance wants to rewrite Africa’s oncology story

AUDA-NEPAD, HEALTH
THE air in Mombasa, Kenya, was thick with the promise of change. It was November 2025, and the 7th Scientific Conference on Medical Product Regulation in Africa (SCoMRA) was in full swing. But this was more than just a conference; it was a continental convocation, a pivotal moment in Africa’s journey toward health sovereignty. The theme, “Regulatory Harmonisation: Unlocking Africa’s Potential in Health Product Manufacturing and Trade,” was a direct response to a stark, long-standing vulnerability: over 90% of the continent’s medicines are imported. The COVID-19 pandemic had brutally exposed the fragility of this dependence, turning external supply chains into…
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May
05
2021
By The African Mirror
Vaccine hesitancy slows Africa’s COVID-19 inoculation drive

Vaccine hesitancy slows Africa’s COVID-19 inoculation drive

COVID-19
MAGGIE FICK WHEN Edith Serem received her COVID-19 vaccination last month at a hospital in Nairobi where she works as a doctor, nurses jokingly warned she might start speaking in a foreign language. Serem said some colleagues got the AstraZeneca shot after watching her closely for several days to see if she was okay, but others refused, still wary of possible side effects. Health experts worry that public scepticism about taking the relatively small number of doses African countries have battled to procure could prolong a pandemic that has already killed more than 3.3 million people worldwide. "I'm not an…
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May
05
2021
By The African Mirror
Women lost $800 billion in income

Women lost $800 billion in income

COVID-19
SOPHIA SUN THE COVID-19 crisis cost women around the world $800 billion in lost income in 2020, Oxfam said, as it demanded steps to tackle gender inequality. Women, overrepresented in low-paid, precarious sectors like retail, tourism and food services, lost more than 64 million jobs last year, said the charity, a 5% total loss, compared to a 3.9% loss for men. The pandemic has "dealt a striking blow" to recent gains for women in the workforce, said Oxfam Executive Director Gabriela Bucher, in a written statement. The $800 billion figure, based on International Labor Organisation data, likely underestimates the total…
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