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Algerian medics fear new infections

Algerian medics fear new infections

LAMINE CHIKHI ALGERIAN medics fear next week's reopening of national borders will trigger a new surge in COVID-19 cases despite health measures, as people living abroad rush home to see family. The borders have been mostly closed since the global pandemic struck in early 2020, marooning thousands of Algerians working overseas and separating families with dual nationality but helping to protect against a more serious infection rate. "I am afraid of a likely increase in cases after the opening. Risks are high because of the variants," said Wafa, a doctor working at a private clinic in Algiers who asked not…
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Tunisia runs out of intensive care beds

Tunisia runs out of intensive care beds

TUNISIAN hospitals have run out of intensive care beds amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, a member of the independent scientific committee that advises the government said yesterday. Amenallah Messadi told Reuters the health system had been pushed to the point of collapse by a rise in cases driven by the more infectious coronavirus variant first detected in Britain. The scientific committee was considering whether to recommend another border closure to avoid the spread of another variant first detected in Brazil, he added. Tunisia briefly closed its borders during the first wave of the virus. "The situation is very critical,…
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‘COVID-19 infection rate approaching highest of pandemic so far’

‘COVID-19 infection rate approaching highest of pandemic so far’

THE number of new COVID-19 cases per week has nearly doubled globally over the past two months, approaching the highest rate seen so far during the pandemic, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday. "Cases and deaths are continuing to increase at worrying rates," Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a briefing focused on Papua New Guinea (PNG) and the western Pacific region. He said he was very worried about the potential for a much larger epidemic in PNG, and it was vital the country received more COVID-19 vaccines as soon as possible. PNG has now reported…
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Mauritius shuts down after more COVID-19 cases

Mauritius shuts down after more COVID-19 cases

MAURITIUS has gone into lockdown and suspended flights in and out of the island for two weeks following the discovery of 15 more cases of COVID-19, the Mauritius state tourism agency has announced. The Indian Ocean island of 1.4 million people has had 641 confirmed coronavirus cases with 10 deaths, according to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data. All residents and visitors have been asked to stay at home or in their hotels until March 25, the agency said in a statement. "We have decided to implement the nationwide lockdown to make sure that there is no risk of…
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COVID-19 floods Zim hospitals

COVID-19 floods Zim hospitals

MacDONALD DZIRUTWE WHEN Zimbabwe's rich and powerful get sick, they often go abroad in search of the best treatment money can buy; ousted President Robert Mugabe died in a hospital in Singapore in 2019. With travel curtailed by the coronavirus, that luxury is not available, exposing the elite to a truth the majority has long known: Zimbabwe's health system has been crumbling for years and is now struggling to cope with a spike in COVID-19 cases. Anger among overwhelmed medics is adding to broader public dissatisfaction with President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who pledged an economic revival after he took over from…
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South African barley farmers face bleak outlook as alcohol ban hurts demand

South African barley farmers face bleak outlook as alcohol ban hurts demand

SOUTH African barley farmers are bracing for a tough market ahead as demand for the grain used to make beer falls and stockpiles grow after a ban on the sale of alcohol was reinstated as the country battles a surge in COVID-19 cases. The government in December enforced its third ban on alcohol sales since the outbreak of the virus to alleviate pressure on strained healthcare facilities after a rise in infections. Unutilised stocks of barley, which is mainly planted for malting purpose in South Africa, stood at around 719,307 tonnes by December, 49% higher than a year ago, according…
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S.A fears post-Christmas homecoming, funerals

S.A fears post-Christmas homecoming, funerals

SOUTH Africa's second wave of COVID-19 cases, which has already far outpaced its first, could be driven even higher by post-Christmas holiday homecoming and overcrowded funerals, according to the health minister. Africa's most industrialised nation has recorded 1.34 million cases of COVID-19 so far, and some 37,000 deaths. Daily new cases, which surged to a record high of 21,000 earlier this month, have since fallen to just over 12,000 a day -- around the level its first-wave peak back in July. The pandemic and lockdowns to tackle it have damaged an economy that was already in recession and left millions…
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Tokyo reports 816 new COVID-19 cases as governors push for state of emergency

Tokyo reports 816 new COVID-19 cases as governors push for state of emergency

TOKYO reported 816 new daily coronavirus cases on Sunday, a day after governors from the capital and neighboring prefectures called on the Japanese government to announce a state of emergency to combat a recent surge in cases. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has resisted calls for a second national state of emergency; the government first introduced that measure in April during an earlier wave of the pandemic. Suga is scheduled to speak publicly on January 4. Japan's economy minister told reporters on Saturday the government needed to consult with health experts before deciding on a new declaration. As an interim measure,…
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Chad locks down capital for first time as COVID-19 cases rise

Chad locks down capital for first time as COVID-19 cases rise

CHAD has locked down its capital N'djamena for the first time since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic and has declared a dusk to dawn curfew due to a rise in infections, a decree signed by President Idriss Deby showed. The West African nation has until now reported a relatively low number of cases compared with other countries in the region, with 2,113 COVID-19 cases since March, and 104 deaths. President Idriss Deby New daily cases fell into the single digits in early December, according to Reuters data. It has risen to double digits in recent days, mostly in the…
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Zimbabwe delays new school term due to rising COVID-19 cases, cyclone

Zimbabwe delays new school term due to rising COVID-19 cases, cyclone

ZIMBABWE has postponed the re-opening of schools planned for next week, due to a surge in coronavirus infections and a tropical storm sweeping through the region, the government has announced. The government had set January 4 as the date to re-open primary and secondary schools, after many students missed class for much of last year as the country tried to curb the spread of COVID-19. Zimbabwe has recorded more than 13,000 cases of COVID-19 and 359 deaths. Daily cases have averaged more than 100 this week, compared to less than 50 last month. A teachers' union earlier petitioned the courts…
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