John Nkengasong - The African Mirror

Sep

2021

Britain’s non-recognition of Africa-administered vaccines regrettable – AU

AYENAT MERSIE and GEORGE OBULUTSA THE African Union's (AU) top health official called Britain's lack of recognition for coronavirus vaccines administered in Africa regrettable, saying it sends a confusing public health message. England announced last week that it would expand the list of countries from which it recognises vaccines, adding 17 others beyond the initial list of the United States and Europe. None of those countries are in Africa. The British government sets coronavirus policy for England, while Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are in charge of their own rules. "We regret that the UK would take this position. We…

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

Less than 3.5 % of Africans vaccinated against COVID

COVID-19

LESS than 3.5% of Africans are vaccinated against COVID-19, far short of its official target of 60%, John Nkengasong, director of Africa's Centers for Disease Control, said on Tuesday. World Health Organization head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at the same briefing that the continent was being "left behind by the rest of the world" and that this would allow the coronavirus to keep circulating.

Sep

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Give vaccines to Africa, ditch unproven third shot’

COVID-19

TIM COCKS RICH nations would do better to send vaccines to Africa to help fight the global COVID-19 pandemic rather than hoarding them for third-dose booster shots that scientific evidence does not back, the African Union's (AU) top health official said on Thursday. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) director John Nkengasong told a news conference he was baffled some rich countries were disregarding World Health Organization (WHO) advice to hold off from booster shots until more people were fully vaccinated worldwide. "The problem we have with the third doses is: we have not seen enough science…

Jun

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Africa not winning against brutal COVID-19 pandemic’

NEWS

MacDONALD DZIRUTWE and OMAR MOHAMMED AFRICA is not winning its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic as a third virus wave sweeps the continent and countries struggle to access enough vaccines for their populations, Africa CDC director John Nkengasong has said. The COVAX programme co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO) for fair distribution of vaccines is planning a shake-up as it has been shunned by rich countries and failed to meet the needs of the poorest, internal documents seen by Reuters show. Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) director Nkengasong said he was more worried about getting…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

India’s COVID-19 emergency is wake-up call to Africa -AU health chief

NEWS

THE raging state of the COVID-19 pandemic in India is a wake-up call for Africa that its governments and citizens must not let their guards down, the African Union's disease control agency has warned. African nations generally do not have sufficient numbers of health care workers, hospital beds, oxygen supplies, and the continent of 1.3 billion would be even more overwhelmed than India if cases surged in a similar way, said John Nkengasong, head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. "We are watching with total disbelief...What is happening in India cannot be ignored by our continent," he…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

“Don’t waste vaccines”

COVID-19

ALEXANDER WINNING and OMAR MOHAMMED THE African Union's disease control body and World Health Organization yesterday urged African countries not to waste COVID-19 vaccines donated to them, after confusion in Malawi and South Sudan about whether doses they received had expired. "My appeal to member states is: if we are doing our part to mobilise these vaccines, you do your part and use the vaccines," John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told a news conference. Malawi has said it plans to destroy more than 16,000 doses of AstraZeneca's vaccine manufactured by the…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

Africa CDC cannot predict date for 2nd shots

COVID-19

MANY Africans who have received their first COVID-19 vaccine do not know when they will get a second shot because deliveries are delayed, the continent's top public health official has said. "We cannot predict when the second doses will come and that is not good for our vaccination programme," John Nkengasong, the head of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), told reporters. Africa lags behind most other regions in COVID-19 vaccinations, with just less than 14 million doses having been administered on the continent of 1.3 billion, according to the Africa CDC. Ghana, for example, has…

Apr

2021

By The African Mirror

‘Vaccine delay could be catastrophic for Africa ‘

COVID-19

INDIA’S temporary hold on major exports of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 shot will undermine Africa's vaccination plans, and could have a "catastrophic" impact if extended, the head of the continent's disease control body said yesterday. India decided to delay big exports of the shots made in its territory by the Serum Institute of India (SII) to make sure it could meet local demand, two sources told Reuters last week. The hold "will definitely impact our ability to continuously vaccinate people," the director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, John Nkengasong, told a news conference in Addis Ababa. The African…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

Africa disease control head calls on rich nations to share excess COVID-19 shots

COVID-19

OMAR MOHAMMED COUNTRIES that have ordered more COVID-19 vaccines than they need should consider distributing excess doses to Africa, the head of the continent's disease control body has said. As African countries begin to feel the effects of a second wave of the coronavirus pandemic, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said it was unlikely to secure enough vaccine shots. Many African states are relying on COVAX, a global COVID-19 vaccine allocation plan co-led by the World Health Organization (WHO), which is working to lower prices and discourage hoarding. "Some countries have got…