COVID - The African Mirror

Feb

2024

Jobs in South Africa: the labour market is recovering from COVID – but unskilled and less educated people are still being left behind

FOR more than three decades the South African economy has had very high rates of joblessness. The country’s economy has been unable to create enough jobs for its growing army of workers. This has partly been because of the stagnant economic growth rate of only 1.7% during the 2010s (it was even lower at 0.9% in 2015-2019). DEREK YU, Professor, Economics, University of the Western Cape Another factor that limited the economy’s capacity to create jobs at a rapid enough pace to absorb new job seekers and previously employed people was the impact of restrictions imposed during the coronavirus (COVID-19)…

Oct

2020

By The African Mirror

Five South Koreans die after getting flu shots, sparking vaccine fears

WORLD

SANGMI CHA FIVE people have died after getting flu shots in South Korea in the past week, authorities said, raising concerns over the vaccine's safety just as the seasonal inoculation programme is expanded to head off potential COVID-19 complications. Authorities said there was no reason to believe the deaths were linked to the vaccine but an investigation, including post mortems, was underway. "It makes it hard for us to put out a categorical statement," Vice Health Minister Kim Gang-lip told a briefing on Wednesday about the deaths, which include a 17-year-old boy and a man in his 70s. Coming just…

Sep

2020

By The African Mirror

COVID robocop: the droid that reminds you to wear your mask

COVID-19

ENGINEERS have developed a robot that can detect whether people are wearing a mask to guard against COVID-19 and, if not, politely remind them to put one on. The feature is an upgrade of Pepper, a 120 cm (47 inch) high robot with human-like features that is already in operation in some countries welcoming visitors to shops, exhibitions and other public spaces. Pepper's camera scans the faces of people approaching it, and if it detects the lower half of their face is uncovered, it pronounces the phrase: "You have to always wear a mask properly." If it sees that the…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

African leaders’ concerned with one million COVID-19 cases but happy with high recoveries

COVID-19

AFRICAN MIRROR REPORTER AFRICAN leaders have expressed concern over the number of COVID-19 cases across the continent has reached a million, with 26 000 recorded deaths. The worry of Africa’s heads of states and governments was communicated after an extraordinary meeting of the African Union (AU), convened by its chairperson, President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa. Ramaphosa chaired the third teleconference Meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government with Chairpersons of the AU Regional Economic Communities (RECs). Although concerned about the levels of COVID-19 on the African continent, the leaders welcomed the hight…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

Uganda’s tough approach curbs COVID-19, even as Africa nears a million cases

NEWS

ELIAS BIRYABAREMA UGANDA's crumbling public hospitals, doctors' strikes and corruption scandals make its success in the fight against the new coronavirus all the more unlikely. But the nation of 42 million people has recorded just over 1,200 cases and five deaths since March, a strikingly low total for such a large country. As the number of cases in Africa approaches one million, Uganda's experience shows what can be accomplished when a government with a firm grip on power acts quickly and enforces a strict lockdown. But its success came at a cost, critics say. Jobs were lost, and economic growth…