HEALTH - The African Mirror

Nov

26

2020

South Africa’s Western Cape officials warn of COVID-19 resurgence

COVID-19

SOUTH Africa's Western Cape province, home to tourist hub Cape Town, is experiencing a resurgence of COVID-19 infections, its premier has said after new cases jumped 52.1% in the past week. The Western Cape emerged as Africa's first regional hotspot towards the end of March when the new coronavirus spread via tourists into local communities, following the first confirmed positive case in South Africa earlier that month. "The Western Cape government is deeply concerned about the growing number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalisations in the province, which can now be considered as an established resurgence," premier Alan Winde said in…

Nov

28

2020

By The African Mirror

WHO warns countries with falling COVID cases to stay alert

COVID-19

EVEN if countries see a fall in coronavirus cases, they need to stay vigilant, Maria Van Kerkhove, the World Health Organization's technical lead for COVID-19, has warned. "What we don't want to see is situations where you are moving from lockdown to bringing (the virus) under control to another lockdown," she told a virtual briefing in Geneva. Nearly 61 million people have been reported to be infected by the coronavirus globally and 1.4 million have died, according to a Reuters tally. "It is in our power to keep transmission low," she said. "We have seen dozens of countries show us…

Nov

28

2020

By The African Mirror

Thousands attend funeral of Sudan’s last democratically elected PM

COVID-19

THOUSANDS of Sudanese packed into the city of Omdurman for the funeral of Sadiq al-Mahdi, Sudan's last democratically elected prime minister, who died from the coronavirus at the age of 84. Mourners in traditional white garments, mostly wearing masks, wept and waved national flags ahead of prayers for the two-time prime minister, who was a central figure in Sudan's political and spiritual life for more than half a century. "Today the icon of tolerance in Sudan has passed away, a symbol of civilian jihad in Sudan, a warrior knight," one mourner, Abd al-Rahman al-Zein, told Sudanese TV through tears. Stewards…

Dec

05

2020

By The African Mirror

Coronavirus claims 1.5 million lives globally with 10,000 dying each day

COVID-19

SHAINA AHLUWALIA and SANGAMESWARAN S OVER 1.5-million people have lost their lives due to COVID-19 with one death reported every nine seconds on a weekly average, as vaccinations are set to begin in December in a handful of developed nations. Half a million deaths occurred in just the last two months, indicating that the severity of the pandemic is far from over. Nearly 65-million people globally have been infected by the disease and the worst affected country, United States, is currently battling a third wave of coronavirus infections. In the last week alone, more than 10,000 people in the world…

Dec

05

2020

By The African Mirror

FACTBOX – Latest on worldwide spread of the coronavirus

COVID-19

U.S. leaders urgently called on Americans to wear masks and threatened even more drastic stay-at-home orders after deaths from the coronavirus set a single-day record, with two people dying every minute, while worldwide deaths crossed 1.5- million. DEATHS AND INFECTIONS * For an interactive graphic tracking the global spread of COVID-19. * Eikon users, see COVID-19: MacroVitals for a case tracker and summary of news. EUROPE * More than half of Spaniards are not willing to get COVID-19 vaccinations as soon as they are available, a survey showed as the government announced a target of 15 million to 20 million…

Dec

04

2020

By The African Mirror

How COVID upended life as we knew it in a matter of weeks

COVID-19

ALEXANDRA HUDSON ON January 1, 2020, as the world welcomed a new decade, Chinese authorities in Wuhan shut down a seafood market in the central city of 11 million, suspecting that an outbreak of a new "viral pneumonia" affecting 27 people might be linked to the site. Early lab tests in China pointed to a new coronavirus. By January 20 it had spread to three countries. For most people, it was a minor health scare unfolding half a world away. Nearly a year later it has changed lives fundamentally. Almost everyone has been affected, be it through illness, losing loved…

Dec

04

2020

By The African Mirror

Promise of COVID vaccines is ‘phenomenal’, WHO says

COVID-19

STEPHANIE NEBEHAY THE promise of COVID-19 vaccines is "phenomenal" and "potentially game-changing", Hans Kluge, the World Health Organization's regional director for Europe, told a briefing. Speaking from Copenhagen, he said supplies were expected to be very limited in the early stages and countries must decide who gets priority, though the WHO said there is "growing consensus" that first recipients should be older people, medical workers and people with co-morbidities. Britain approved Pfizer Inc's COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, jumping ahead of the rest of the world in the race to begin the most crucial mass inoculation programme in history. Prime Minister…

Dec

03

2020

By The African Mirror

South African reintroduces tough anti-COVID-19 measures in response to second wave

COVID-19

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER THE resurgence of a COVID-19 second wave has forced South Africa to reintroduce tough measures in the Nelson Mandela Bay in Eastern Cape, an area which has seen new high infection rates which has led to overwhelmed hospitals. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the measures, in a special address to the nation, which will apply to the Nelson Mandela Bay, which has been declared a COVID-19 hotspot. He said the government would assess the Sarah Baartman region in the Eastern Cape and the Garden Route region in the Western Cape, which have also shown signs of…

Dec

03

2020

By The African Mirror

EXPLAINER-When and how will COVID-19 vaccines become available?

COVID-19

JULIE STEENHUYSEN nad CARL O’DONNELL BRITAIN has become the first Western country to approve a COVID-19 vaccine, jumping ahead of the United States and Europe after its regulator cleared a shot developed by Pfizer and BioNTech for emergency use in record time. Pfizer, with partner BioNTech SE, and rival Moderna have released trial data showing their COVID-19 vaccines to be about 95% effective at preventing the illness, while AstraZeneca last month said its vaccine was on average about 70% effective. The companies have said distribution could begin almost immediately after any approval, with governments around the world to decide who…

Dec

02

2020

By The African Mirror

Here is how the world reacted to Britain’s announcement that its COVID-19 vaccine rollout will begin next week

COVID-19

BRITAIN has become the first country in the world to approve the COVID-19 vaccine developed by U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech and said it will be rolled out from early next week. Here are some reactions to the news: JOHN TREGONING, A READER IN RESPIRATORY INFECTIONS AT IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON: "This is great news and remarkable progress given the first cases were less than a year ago. It shows what progress can be made through science and innovation. The MHRA, the UK drug regulator, will have gone through all the safety data from the trials before approving…