Coronavirus - Africa: COVID-19 cases surge in Africa, near first wave peak

COVID-19 cases rose to over 116 500 in the week ending on 13 June, up from the previous week’s nearly 91 000 cases

COVID-19 cases in Africa are surging by over 20% week-on-week as the continent's third wave gains pace and nears the first wave peak of more than 120 000 weekly cases recorded in July 2020, new data from the World Health Organization (WHO) shows. COVID-19 cases rose to over 116 500…

Video News Release: WHO Africa COVID-19 Online Briefing

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WHO Africa COVID-19 Online Briefing

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Giving 110%: Eswatini’s early rollout of COVID-19 vaccines

Eswatini received its first batch of 32 000 Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in late March

“I didn’t think that I could get COVID out here in my village,” says Linda Simelane at her home in Sibebe in rural Eswatini. “I stay away from people, I stay alone, but it happened that I started getting flu symptoms.”  At the peak of Africa’s first wave of infections…

Blood donation rate falls in Africa in wake of COVID-19 pandemic

An analysis by the WHO found that the frequency of blood drives in the African region has dropped by 25% and demand for blood declined by 13%

Blood donation has fallen by 17% in the African region in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic that has caused widespread disruptions to key health services, lives and livelihoods. World Blood Donor Day is marked today. An analysis by the World Health Organization (WHO) found that the frequency of blood…

Mauritius new budgetary measures ensure sustainability of its national COVID-19 vaccination campaign and encourage local manufacture of COVID-19 vaccines to better fight the pandemic

The country intensified its national vaccination campaign to reach herd immunity with at least 60% of its adult population being vaccinated by September 2021

The Minister of Finance presented the 2021-22 Budget on Friday last after yet another year of unprecedented events.  The country announced important budgetary health measures to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, protect its population while boosting up the economy and growth. The country is pushing the pharmaceutical industry as fresh pillar…

Drop in blood donations add to maternal health threats in Africa

The COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened the shortfall, with donations dropping by 17% over the past year

Just half of the blood needed for transfusion each year in the African region is collected, leaving many facing life-threatening shortages. The COVID-19 pandemic has further worsened the shortfall, with donations dropping by 17% over the past year. One of the critical requirements for blood transfusion is in saving the…

Ethiopia to vaccinate 2 million against cholera in Tigray region

The vaccination drive, which began on 10 June, will cover 13 priority districts in Tigray

Ethiopia today officially launched a preventive oral cholera vaccination campaign targeting 2 million people aged 1 year and above in Tigray region in the north of the country to avert a potential outbreak. The vaccination drive, which began on 10 June, will cover 13 priority districts in Tigray and is…

How Senegal prepared for COVID-19 surge

All treatment specialists working in treatment centres or in home-based care service were trained in the new treatment protocol

As the second wave of COVID-19 infections surged in early 2021, Senegal stepped up measures to cope with the anticipated rise in the number of patients needing critical care. Professor Daye Ka, Infectious and Tropical Disease Expert and member of Senegal’s COVID-19 task force, explains the steps taken to avert…

The system stalling COVID-19 importation into Rwanda

The country has implemented an innovative electronic tracking system to stop the domestic spread of COVID-19 from arriving passengers

The aircraft engines power down as disembarking passengers rummage through their carry-on bags for documents in readiness for immigration. This is Kigali International Airport, a busy regional hub. The country has implemented an innovative electronic tracking system to stop the domestic spread of COVID-19 from arriving passengers. It starts with…

Coronavirus - Africa: Nine in 10 African countries set to miss urgent COVID-19 vaccination goal

At 32 million doses, Africa accounts for under 1% of the over 2.1 billion doses administered globally

As COVID-19 cases in Africa rise for the third week running and vaccines are increasingly scarce, 47 of Africa’s 54 countries—nearly 90%—are set to miss the September target of vaccinating 10% of their people unless Africa receives 225 million more doses. The new global targets were announced recently at the…