WHO says Africa is on track in the fight against COVID-19

WHO says Africa is on track in the fight against COVID-19

Exactly two years after the first COVID-19 was confirmed on the African continent, the outlook for 2022 remains positive in terms of getting the pandemic under control, according to the World Health Organization. “The African continent has gotten smarter, faster and better at responding to each new surge in cases…

South African team members test COVID positive in Tokyo

South African team members test COVID positive in Tokyo

Four members of South Africa’s Olympic sports teams in Tokyo have tested positive for the coronavirus. Three of them are members of Team South Africa’s soccer squad and have moved into an isolation facility after testing positive for COVID, according to the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC)….

U.S. adds South Africa to COVID travel restrictions list

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,…

Logistics challenges put the chill on COVID vaccine ‘good news’

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…

World Bank warns of COVID impacts on global poverty

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to push as many as 150 million more people into extreme poverty by 2021, the World Bank says, marking the first time in 20 years that the number of those in such poverty will rise. The pandemic “compounds the forces of conflict and climate change”…

HRW: Irreecha festival may prove a flashpoint in uneasy Ethiopia

Human rights campaigners are appealing for calm and restraint in Ethiopia, as the Oromo people celebrate the Irreecha harvest festival this weekend amid ongoing political divisions. “This year’s festival, on October 3 and 4, occurs against the backdrop of escalating tensions and unrest in Oromia,” said Laetitia Bader, the Horn…

WHO warns COVID-19 spread is accelerating for Africa

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…