• Ramadan: WHO warns of a possible surge in COVID-19 pandemic
• 2% of 690 million COVID-19 vaccines administered in Africa
• Africa CDC wants the continent to produce 60% of its vaccines need
• NPHCDA partners with ICPC to ensure accountability in deployment, administration of vaccines
• FAAN raises concern over the violation of COVID-19 protocol
A new strain of Coronavirus currently killing twice as many people as other variants have been detected in Kent, a county in Southeast England, a UK-based newspaper, Daily Record has announced. The new variant discovered in Nigeria has sparked fears it could be even deadlier than the South African form, according to reports.
12 April 2021, 5:05 PM | SABC | @SABCNews
Image: ReutersCurrently, the continent imports 99% of all vaccines while managing to manufacture only 1%.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa says the COVID-19 pandemic has showcased Africa’s capabilities in science and in health response.
Speaking during the Africa Centre for Disease Control’s two-day conference on vaccine manufacturing, Ramaphosa said the talent and will is there, but resources are a challenge.
Ramaphosa says while the production of effective vaccines has provided hope for recovery, not all countries can share equally in the hope of having access to vaccines at the time they need them most. He says the challenge that many African countries face is that the supply of vaccines is currently too slow to meet their needs.
Africa s battle with COVID-19 continues, one year on
The COVID pandemic has hit Africa less severely than was initially feared. But the consequences of the crisis are huge: the economic slowdown has amplified social inequality, as limited access to vaccines dampens hopes.
Africa will have to deal with the impact of COVID-19 for years to come
When the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global spreading of the SARS-CoV-2 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, the African continent had just 47 confirmed cases and no deaths. Unfortunately, Africa has now caught up, Anja Osterhaus, program manager for Oxfam Germany, told DW about the developments in the 12 months seince then.
Policy Paper: Research and Development Priorities for COVID-19 in Africa
Format
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new type of Coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, that causes COVID-19 respiratory disease, a global pandemic. The outbreak has devastated parts of Asia, Europe, and the United States of America with the world reporting more that one million deaths by 26 September 2020. Emerging data from Africa shows remarkably low numbers of reported COVID-19 deaths despite high levels of disease transmission with the projected trend of the pandemic remaining unknown. However, the long term impacts of the pandemic on health and development are likely to be major not just to African countries but to the world. Research and development investments, therefore need to be focused, timely, and unique to various geographies.