A video from Egypt, shared widely on social media, has brought renewed international attention to the COVID-19 pandemic on the African continent. The video, which has not been independently verified by AT, was shot at the El Husseineya Central Hospital in the eastern Ash Sharqia region. It appears to show…
South African health officials are grappling with a new wave of COVID infections, some linked to a newly identified variant of the coronavirus as the country closes in on 25,000 fatalities. The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) announced another 216 COVID fatalities on Monday. At least 150 samples from…
The world has met news of a successful COVID-19 vaccine candidate with guarded optimism, but a number of challenges remain in producing, storing and distributing the treatment – and that’s assuming the vaccine and others in development are successful in preventing COVID. Pharmaceutical company Pfizer announced Monday that there’s a…
With the COVID-19 pandemic and its many sorrows has come a new appreciation for essential workers, and now a Roman Catholic nun in Zambia has been named one of “seven unsung heroes” by wealthy philanthropist Bill Gates. Gates recently featured Sr. Astridah Banda in his popular “Gates Notes” newsletter and…
Policies that deliver a Temporary Basic Income (TBI) for the world’s poorest people could help some 3 billion people to stay home, thereby slowing the current surge in COVID-19 transmission in developing nations. That’s according to a new report released Thursday by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), which puts…
South African photographer Daniela Zondagh captured a striking image of an empty table with 1,000 seats to help business owners in the hospitality industry illustrate the impact the coronavirus pandemic is having on their livelihoods. Zondagh documented the table setup for Bosman Family Vineyards, which claims an eight-generation heritage in…
A consortium of tobacco companies has taken the South African government to court in a bid to overturn the administration’s decision to ban the sale of alcohol and tobacco products during the Covid-19 pandemic. Japan Tobacco International (JPI) and British American Tobacco South Africa (BATSA), together with The South Africa…
The World Health Organization has issued a clear warning about the acceleration of coronavirus cases on the African continent, noting that many countries are seeing a rise in positive COVID cases that exceeds the percentage that has commanded so much attention in South Africa. “It’s not accelerating any faster than…
South Africa has instituted a mandatory face mask policy, nighttime curfew and a return to a ban on liquor sales as the country faces an upsurge in coronavirus cases – the equivalent of 500 new cases each hour. “Like the massive cold fronts that sweep into our country from the…
Ghanaian authorities on Sunday were denying rumors that President Nana Akufo Addo has left the country for medical treatment, following news that he had been exposed to COVID-19 through a close contact. “Kindly disregard the false story published by the Herald newspaper,” said Eugene Arhin, the president’s communications director, in…
African leaders met Wednesday to discuss the coronavirus pandemic, in a virtual meeting hosted by Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa, the current chair of the African Union. Also coordinating the Summit on Solidarity against COVID-19 was President Macky Sall of Senegal, whose nation holds…
More than 200,000 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed on the African continent, and the sweep of the pandemic is accelerating, according to World Health Organization (WHO). Officials said Thursday the coronavirus count reached the benchmark of 100,000 cases in 98 days, but it then took only 19 days to…
Opposition leaders in Ethiopia warn of the potential for additional unrest following parliament’s decision to allow Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed to remain in office beyond the end of his term. A joint statement from the Oromo LIberation Front (OLF) and Oromo Federalist Congress (OFC) followed Wednesday’s decision to keep Abiy…
The World Health Organization warns that the data on COVID-19 on the African continent may not “paint the full picture” of the pandemic’s public health impact While Africa has been spared the COVID-19 crises seen in nations like the United States, China, Russia and Brazil, it is likely that cases…
The number of coronavirus cases in South Africa continues to climb, with the Ministry of Health reporting 30 additional deaths on Thursday and a toll that has reached 369 victims. Among them is a 2-day-old baby who was born prematurely and did not survive on a ventilator. “The mother had…