Yet another strain of the COVID-19 virus has emerged in France, after the case was discovered in a person returning from travel in the West African nation of Cameroon. The new strain has now been identified in 12 people who may have had contact with the person, who lives in…
President Cyril Ramaphosa has announced that South Africa will donate more than 2 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccines to its African neighbors, in a show of unity worth more than US$18 million. “This donation embodies South Africa’s solidarity with our brothers and sisters on the continent…
The World Health Organization (WHO) says three drugs already used for other conditions will be used to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients as part of the global Solidarity PLUS trial program. The three drugs – artesunate, imatinib and infliximab – were chosen by an independent panel of experts looking to find…
Health officials in Kenya say they’re seeing a spike in COVID-19 infections that is placing a strain on resources, even as the country continues to roll out its vaccination plans. “The Ministry of Health Kenya is extremely concerned with the number of rising cases of those contracting the coronavirus disease…
The United States said Monday that it is adding South Africa to the list of countries subject to travel restrictions because of the coronavirus pandemic and the emergence of a new strain of COVID in the African nation. Jen Psaki, the White House press secretary for the new Biden administration,…
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…