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A leading US Intelligence advisor has taken a firm stance on the origins of COVID-19, insisting that the virus came from a biological weapons lab in Wuhan.
A November 26 letter from the presidency asked the head of Uganda's national drug authority to 'work out a mechanism' to clear the importation of the vaccines.
China has about five COVID-19 vaccine candidates at different levels of trials. It was not clear what vaccine was being imported into Uganda.
One of the frontrunners is the Sinopharm vaccine developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates said the vaccine has 86% efficacy, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.
China has used the drug to vaccinate up to a million people under its emergency use program.
On Tuesday, Morocco said it was ordering up to 10 million doses of the vaccine.
Record cases
Uganda on Monday registered 701 new COVID-19 cases, the highest-ever daily increase, bringing its national count to 23,200.
The new cases were out of the 5,578 samples tested for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said in a statement.
Tuesday's tally was 606, the second-highest ever number of new infections, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the east African country to 23,860.
Health authorities have blamed ongoing election campaigns which have drawn huge crowds for the rise in infections.
The African Union (AU) will test the controversial herbal remedy for Covid-19 from Madagascar.
“I am excited to update you that the Republic of Madagascar, through its Ministry of Health, has agreed to collaborate with the African Union and Africa Centres for Disease Control (Africa CDC) to explore further the remedy they have discovered for the treatment of Covid-19 to benefit the continent at large,” Mr Kwesi said on Twitter.
Last week, South Africa’s health minister Zweli Mkhize confirmed that they had received a scientific research request from Madagascar on the remedy.
Last week, the AU received data on the remedy for review based on global technical and ethical norms.
“Once furnished with the details, the Union, through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, will review the scientific data gathered so far on the safety and efficacy of the Covid-19 Organics.
Barely 24 hours after the World Health Organisation (WHO) suspended all clinical trials for hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has said the trial will continue in Nigeria.
The UN agency had on Monday said it had 'temporarily' suspended the clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19 over safety concerns.
Clinical trials in Nigeria
Mrs Adeyeye, however, said there are proven records that hydroxychloroquine has been effective in the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
\"There is data to prove that hydroxychloroquine worked for many COVID-19 patients.
The governor said COVID-19 patients in the state would, henceforth, be treated with the drugs.
Health experts have warned that improper use of gloves by service providers in the course of their duty poses a risk to clients as most do not follow World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines on cleanliness and disposal.
In a survey carried out by NewsDay in Harare, a number of fuel attendants as well and other workers around the city were seen wearing gloves, using them to serve clients without regularly changing them.
Community Working Group on Health (CWGH) executive director Itai Rusike said the wearing of gloves by the fuel attendants and other service providers without regularly changing the protective wear posed a health risk to clients.
The WHO and Health and Child Care ministry have issued out guidelines on the proper use of PPE (personal protective equipment) and believe the use of one pair of gloves can increase the chances of transmission if one comes in contact with an infected person,” he said.
A manager at a fuel service station in Chitungwiza, only identified as Calvin, said they have been using gloves as part of their PPE while on duty, though they regularly change them, with an individual using up to four pairs per shift.
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) says its members will not go back to the classroom to teach unless government accede to their proposals of ensuring maximum safety of staff and learners in line with COVID-19 protocols.
The proposals include: the government ensuring a mandatory testing of all teachers and learners to ascertain their status, provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Veronica handwashing buckets, alcohol-based hand sanitisers and regular flow of water for all schools in the country.
The President of GNAT, Ms Philippa Larsen said this at the launch of the association's impact assessment of COVID-19 on the education sector in Ghana.
Ms Larsen said the association has also recommended adequate numbers of health personnel to be provided in the schools to handle the health needs of teachers and learners.
The Deputy General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Mr Joshua Ansah said the union had also researched into COVID-19 and its impact on businesses and urged the government to collaborate with the teacher unions for a collective way forward towards the reopening of schools.
OVER FIFTY women have accused charity workers of sex abuse in Congo during the ebola...
The post Charities accused of sexual abuse in DR Congo during Ebola crisis appeared first on Voice Online.
Nairobi — While coronavirus pandemic has impacted nearly all sectors of the economy globally, horticulture remains among the worst hit in Kenya with reduced demand for flowers which has seen several farms across the country reduce their workforce by more than 50 percent.
A study by Hivos People Unlimited dubbed Hivos Rapid Assessment 2020 on the Impact of COVID-19 on women workers in the horticultural sector in Kenya reveals the harsh impact felt by some of these workers in the wake of coronavirus which had infected 1,348 people and killed 52 by May 26.
The study was conducted in 12 flower farms located in the outskirts of the capital Nairobi, Rift Valley, and Mt. Kenya regions with 71 women workers out of the initial target of 100.
One-third of the farms had retained their workers but on a two-week rotational work schedule and in one of the flower farms, workers were reduced from 500 to 180 with 100 of them sent on unpaid leave.
Nonetheless, COVID-19 has affected the sector and according to the Kenya Flower Council, it currently operates less than 10 percent of its normal operations with the closure of European markets which usually receives 70-75 percent of the produce.
[Monitor] The news about the Covid-19 vaccine that is 90 per cent effective in stopping coronavirus infection, has raised hope that the pandemic will end soon.
Uganda’s president on Monday expressed his frustration with the World Health Organisation (WHO), saying they are not gods and should be modest as they set out guidelines to contain the spread of the coronavirus.
Museveni, who was addressing the country on the latest government efforts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic specifically took issue with WHO’s protocols on the tally of confirmed cases in Uganda.
Museveni in May this year directed the country’s health ministry to deduct from the country’s tally, all positive tests from neighbouring countries.
Uganda has sent back at least 167 nationals of neighbouring countries who tested positive in Uganda, and Museveni advised WHO to interest itself in Africa’s cultural context where hosts have a right to welcome or reject visitors.
By the time the president addressed the nation, Uganda had 774 confirmed cases, of which Museveni pointed out that nearly half (373) are truck drivers transporting good across the East African region.
Botswana has signed an agreement with the global vaccine distribution scheme co-led by the World Health Organisation, giving it the option to buy coronavirus vaccines for 20% of its population, a senior health official told Reuters
Founded in 1963, the aim of the Organization of Africa Unity, the precursor of Africa Union (AU) was to safeguard the interests and independence of all African states, encourage the continent's development, and settle disputes among member states.
I agree with the President of Namibia, Dr. Hage Geingob, that African Union (AU) had achieved \"what some thought would be impossible - a free, democratic, self-governing and most importantly an Africa without incessant civil wars\" .
Indeed Africa has come of age as articulated by Nigeria's General Murtala Ramat Muhammed in his \"Africa Has Come of Age\" speech at the OAU Summit Summit on Angola which categorically mobilised African Heads of State for the recognition of the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) as the authentic government of the Angolan people contrary to the preference of United States of America and the West in general.
The chair of the Africa Union, South Africa's Cyril Ramaphosa hit the nail on the head when in his anniversary speech he observed that \"As Africans we will continue to stand on the side of justice and support the people of the Western Sahara in their enduring struggle for freedom and self-determination\".
It's time for genuine collaboration and unity of purpose between African states in combating the impact of the pandemic within the new normal and within the context of the African Union's Agenda 2063.
[This Day] The World Health Organisation (WHO) and Borno State Government have taken malaria prevention drugs to 42 internally displaced persons (IDP) camps in the troubled North-east state.
Described as an onset of high blood pressure during pregnancy, the exact reason for the prevalence of preeclampsia in Uganda is unknown due to the fact that detailed clinical records of all births are lacking.
Also responsible for cases of miscarriage and low birth weight, the condition usually begins after the fifth month of pregnancy in women whose blood pressure had been normal, according to experts.
Dr Ononge said preeclampsia is basically managed in hospital where the blood pressure is controlled.
According to Dr Richard Idro, preeclampsia raises the blood pressure and it starts damaging the kidney and so protein starts leaking into the urine.
\"If the blood pressure rises too high it starts affecting the blood vessels in the brain and the mother can die,\" Dr Idro said.
[Cameroon Tribune] The African Nations Football Championship that was planned to take place in April will now take place in January 2021 in Cameroon while the 2021 AFCON still in Cameroon has been pushed forward to January 2022. These are some of the major decisions taken on Tuesday June 30, 2020 by members of the Executive Committee of (CAF) in a video Conference in Cairo. The decisions did not come as a surprise to African countries as many had predicted a possible postponement of the two competitions. Cameroon had prepare
[East African] Two of the widely used drugs in the fight against Covid-19 do not prevent death or reduce the time spent in hospital.
Akin Abayomi, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, gave the update on Sunday on his Twitter handle.
However, on Sunday, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health said three of them have tested positive for COVID-19.
In addition to the new positive cases recorded in Lagos, three more COVID-19 related deaths have been recorded in the state.
This brings the total deaths from COVID-19 to 36 in Lagos State.
The commissioner urged Lagos residents and particularly those who recently returned to the country to cooperate with the COVID-19 response team as may be desirable at all times and in all circumstances.
Johannesburg — At least 22 countries in Africa will be organizing polls this year, 13 of which will be for the positions of president or prime minister.
So why are these countries not being advised to postpone elections?
However, WHO says it is not discouraging elections but is advising that any gathering of people needs to be carried out with physical barriers and distancing among the people involved.
Handling the COVID-19 outbreak also brought some trouble for Tanzania's President John Magufuli, who is facing his first election since being chosen as the country's leader 5 years ago.
Magufuli is being described a tyrant by the opposition, who say information is being controlled and that the alleged withholding the true number of people with the novel coronavirus is an election tactic by the president.
Many young men and women remain dependent and at home with parents due to problems related to academic difficulties while still others remain because of inadequate skills in dealing with life in general.
