HEALTH - The African Mirror

Dec

07

2021

South African students shrug off Omicron and fret about exams

COVID-19

TIM COCKS THE students knew their South African university was the epicentre of a new COVID-19 variant spreading panic across the globe, but over the past week, many worried more about how Omicron would mess up exams and holiday plans than about catching it. At the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), in the capital Pretoria, learners languidly walked across the green campus shaded by trees, chatting, buying soft drinks, staring at their phones and sitting on benches overlooking a pond. Most wore masks; a few didn't. Many were vaccinated; some obstinately were not. Around 30 students interviewed by Reuters were…

Dec

07

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa readies hospitals as Omicron variant drives new COVID-19 wave – Ramaphosa

COVID-19

South Africa is preparing its hospitals for more admissions, as the Omicron variant pushes the country into a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections, President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Monday. Ramaphosa said in a weekly newsletter that Omicron appeared to be dominating new infections in most provinces and urged more people to get vaccinated against COVID-19. "We will soon be convening a meeting of the National Coronavirus Command Council to review the state of the pandemic. This will enable us to take whatever further measures are needed to keep people safe and healthy," he added.

Dec

07

2021

By The African Mirror

South Africa’s Biovac to start making Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine in early 2022 – exec

COVID-19

SOUTH Africa's Biovac Institute will start making Pfizer-BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine early next year after receiving the drug substance from Europe, according to a Pfizer executive. Biovac's "fill and finish" deal with Pfizer, announced in July, will make it one of the few companies processing COVID-19 shots in Africa, where many countries have struggled to access sufficient doses during the pandemic. "We expect that the Cape Town facility will be incorporated into our supply chain by the end of this year," Patrick van der Loo, Pfizer regional president for Africa and the Middle East, told a conference in Kigali on vaccine…

Dec

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Fauci says he hopes U.S. travel ban from southern Africa can be lifted in ‘reasonable period’

COVID-19

ANTHONY Fauci, the top U.S. infectious disease official, said on Sunday he hopes the ban on travellers from southern African countries can be lifted in a "reasonable period of time" as more information is gathered on the Omicron variant of the coronavirus. Fauci said on CNN's "State of the Union" program that U.S. authorities are mindful of the hardship the travel ban is causing in those countries and are constantly re-evaluating the policy.

Dec

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Senegal records first Omicron case in tourist who attended demonstration

COVID-19

SENEGAL has recorded its first case of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus in a tourist who attended a demonstration in the capital Dakar last month with about 300 people of varying nationalities, testing lab IRESSEF said on Sunday. The 58-year-old man was visiting from another West African country and tested positive when leaving Senegal on Friday. He is under quarantine and has no symptoms, the lab said in a statement.

Dec

05

2021

By The African Mirror

S.African official says number of children sick with COVID-19 is not cause for panic

COVID-19

HIGHER hospital admissions among children during a fourth wave of COVID-19 infections in South Africa that is driven by the Omicron variant should prompt vigilance but not panic as infections have been mild, a health official said on Saturday. A large number of infants admitted with COVID-19 last month in Tshwane, the metropolitan area that includes the capital Pretoria, raised concerns that the Omicron variant could pose greater risks for young children than other coronavirus variants. Scientists have yet to confirm any link and have cautioned that other factors could be at play. Ntsakisi Maluleke, a public health specialist in…

Dec

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Efforts to protect the poor during COVID: how five African countries fared

COVID-19

THE number of people living in poverty around the world is estimated to have increased by half a billion people due to the COVID-19 crisis. The African continent has suffered at least US$100 billion in economic costs in 2020, measured by the reduction in trade revenues and financial flows due to the pandemic. Many studies have been undertaken to evaluate the effects of the pandemic in Africa. But there’s little evidence of what difference tax-and-benefit systems made to poverty before or during the crisis. Two areas of government policy form the tax and benefit system. First, governments support people through…

Dec

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria plans booster shots after first cases of Omicron variant

COVID-19

NIGERIA will start vaccine booster shots from next week for COVID-19, a senior official said, after the country confirmed its first cases of the Omicron variant among two travellers who arrived from South Africa last week. Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said booster shots will be available from December 10 to those that have been fully vaccinated. Only 2.9% of Nigerians eligible to get vaccines have been inoculated so far. First reported in southern Africa a week ago, Omicron -- the mutated coronavirus variant that poses a high risk of infection -- has…

Aug

02

2021

By The African Mirror

What machine learning can offer Nigeria’s healthcare system

HEALTH

IMAGINE it’s 2030 – and a typical day in a Nigerian healthcare setting. In earlier decades, when a patient walked in, they could see piles of folders and a clutter of pens scattered all over the office. They’d have a long wait before being seen by a medical professional. Today, clinicians use technology to navigate easily through a system that’s centred on the patient. BUSAYO AJUWON, Research Associate |PhD Candidate, Australian National University ALICE RICHARDSON, Associate professor, Australian National University BRETT LIDBURY, Associate Professor So what has changed? Information in physical folders and files has been captured and used. A…

Aug

02

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Nigeria isn’t ready to deal with rising cases’

COVID-19

WITH rising cases of the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in Nigeria, there is heightened concern about how well the country is prepared to deal with them. The Conversation Africa’s Wale Fatade asked public health expert Doyin Odubanjo what Nigeria should do. DOYIN ODUBANJO, Executive Secretary, Nigerian Academy of Science What makes the Delta variant different from other COVID-19 variants? The variant has now become the main one of concern globally and is believed to be the cause of the recent surge in cases seen in Asia and Africa. It is also believed to be behind the rise in…