HEALTH - The African Mirror

Jan

06

2021

New variant unlikely to fully negate vaccines

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING A variant of the coronavirus first detected in South Africa is unlikely to completely negate the immunising effects of vaccines, a researcher studying it told Reuters. British scientists expressed concern on Monday that COVID-19 vaccines may not be able to protect against the variant identified by South African genomics scientists and which has spread internationally. Richard Lessells, an infectious disease expert at the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform, which played a central role in identifying the variant known as 501Y.V2, said his understanding was that the comments were not based on any new data but on shared…

Jan

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Nigeria aims for 42 million vaccines

COVID-19

FELIX ONUAH NIGERIA hopes to get 42 million COVID-19 vaccines to cover one-fifth of its population through the global COVAX scheme, said Faisal Shuaib, head of the country's primary healthcare agency. Shuaib said the batch of vaccines would come as part of Nigeria's plan to inoculate 40% of the population this year, with another 30% in 2022. By the end of January, 100,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine are expected to arrive, he said. The COVAX scheme was set up to provide vaccines to poorer countries such as Nigeria, whose 200 million people and poor infrastructure pose a daunting challenge…

Jan

06

2021

By The African Mirror

New variant: All you need to know

COVID-19

THERE is no indication that the coronavirus variant identified in South Africa is more transmissible than the one spreading fast in Britain, the World Health Organization's technical chief on COVID-19, Maria Van Kerkhove, has said. Van Kerhove said this as Britain began its third lockdown after Prime Minister Boris Johnson said a coronavirus variant first identified in Britain was spreading so fast it risked overwhelming the National Health Service within 21 days. UK scientists also expressed concern that vaccines being rolled out in Britain may not be able to protect against another variant that emerged in South Africa. The following…

Jan

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Two doses of vaccine recommended

COVID-19

COVID-19 patients should take two doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech vaccine within a period of 21-28 days, the World Health Organization said, as many countries grappled with a more highly infectious coronavirus variant. "We deliberated and came out with the following recommendation: two 2 doses of this vaccine within 21-28 days," Alejandro Cravioto, chairman of WHO's Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE), told an online news briefing. He said SAGE did not recommend the Pfizer jab for travellers unless they were in a very high-risk group due to the very limited supply of anti-COVID drugs at present.…

Jan

06

2021

By The African Mirror

Vietnam suspends flights from Britain, SA

COVID-19

VIETNAM has suspended inbound flights from countries with new COVID-19 variants, initially Britain and South Africa, the health ministry has announced. A new variant first found in Britain includes a genetic mutation that could result in the virus spreading more easily between people. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. Picture: Twitter "The risk for the disease to penetrate and spread in Vietnam is very high, especially from people entering from infected countries," the ministry said in a statement. Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has told authorities to work on a list of other countries that should be covered by the suspension,…

Jan

05

2021

By The African Mirror

Love, tech and online abuse of women

COVID-19

WHEN Priya's boyfriend posted a nude photo of her online, he told her it would give her a confidence boost by making her an object of desire for other men. Instead she felt powerless knowing that someone she loved had shared an intimate photo without her consent. "He said all these people dream of having you but only I get to have you," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Mumbai, not wanting to reveal her real name. Priya's story is all too common. There has been a global rise in online harassment of women and girls in the past…

Jan

05

2021

By The African Mirror

eSwatini aims to vaccinate entire population against COVID-19

COVID-19

eSWATINI aims to vaccinate all its 1.3 million people against COVID-19 and will set aside at least 200 million emalangeni ($14 million) to do so, senior officials in the southern African kingdom has said. eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is participating in the COVAX global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organization and hopes to receive enough vaccines for 20% of its population via the facility free of charge. It wants to buy vaccines for the remaining 80% via COVAX but recognises it may have to source doses elsewhere. "We are still trying to explore other sources for…

Jan

04

2021

By The African Mirror

Kenya extends night curfew to March to curb COVID-19 spread

COVID-19

KENYA is extending its nightly curfew to March 12 as part of measures aimed at taming the spread of COVID-19, President Uhuru Kenyatta's office has announced. In early November, Kenyatta extended the nightly curfew that was in place, and it had been due to expire on Sunday. It runs between 10 p.m and 4 a.m. A ban on political and roadside gatherings that could turn into super spreader events was also extended for another 60 days, as was a prohibition on overnight events and vigils, Kenyatta's office said in a statement. When the first coronavirus cases were confirmed in Kenya…

Jan

03

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Overwhelmed’ Zimbabwe tightens COVID-19 restrictions, orders most businesses closed

COVID-19

ZIMBABWE extended a nationwide curfew, banned gatherings and ordered non-essential businesses closed for a month in an effort to curb a surge in coronavirus infections. Vice President Constantino Chiwenga, who is also health minister, said some of the tighter restrictions were effective immediately and included a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and a ban on inter-city travel. From Tuesday, non-essential businesses would also be suspended, he said. "People must stay at home save for buying food and medicines or transporting sick relatives," Chiwenga told a news conference. The country had recorded 1,342 COVID-19 cases and 29 deaths in one…

Jan

02

2021

By The African Mirror

Singapore to block entry to visitors from South Africa

COVID-19

SINGAPORE says it will stop allowing entry to visitors with a recent travel history to South Africa, citing reports of a potentially more contagious strain of the novel coronavirus circulating in the country. All long-term pass holders and short-term visitors with travel history to South Africa within the last 14 days will not be allowed entry into the city-state, or transit through it, the health ministry said. Returning Singapore citizens and permanent residents will be required to undergo a COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test upon arrival at the start of a 14-day quarantine. "While the strain has been suggested…