SADC COVID-19 Pandemic – An Opportunity to Strengthen Governance gga.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from gga.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Reuters
3 minute read
Two senior Malawian cabinet ministers and two other senior political figures died on Tuesday from COVID-19, the government said.
The deaths followed a cabinet meeting and other gatherings attended by politicians over the Christmas period, but officials did not say where the victims were infected.
Local Government Minister Lingson Berekanyama and Transport Minister Sidik Mia both succumbed to the disease in the early hours of Tuesday, the government spokesman said.
They were senior members of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), the main partner in an alliance that unseated ex-leader Peter Mutharika in a second round election in June last year, delivering victory to President Lazarus Chakwera. Mia had been tipped as a possible successor to Chakwera.
SADC loses 10 ministers in two weeks
Deputy Editor
In a space of two weeks, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) has lost ten ministers to Covid-19, a tragic signal to regional leaders that a coordinated regional response to the pandemic is now urgent.
Across the region, thousands have died from Covid-19 since the outbreak reached SADC in February 2020.
If ever there was any complacency when the disease first reached these shores, the second wave has awakened citizens and their leaders to the reality of the devastating nature of the virus.
The grim regional statistics as of January 26, 2021, points to a serious need for a collective regional response to prevent the spread of the virus and reduce the daily human carnage.
3 Min Read
BLANTYRE (Reuters) - Two senior Malawian cabinet ministers and two other senior political figures died on Tuesday from COVID-19, the government said.
The deaths followed a cabinet meeting and other gatherings attended by politicians over the Christmas period, but officials did not say where the victims were infected.
Local Government Minister Lingson Berekanyama and Transport Minister Sidik Mia both succumbed to the disease in the early hours of Tuesday, the government spokesman said.
They were senior members of the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), the main partner in an alliance that unseated ex-leader Peter Mutharika in a second round election in June last year, delivering victory to President Lazarus Chakwera. Mia had been tipped as a possible successor to Chakwera.
Africa lags in COVID-19 vaccination drive
Officials say 60% of Africa s 1.3 billion people will need to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to achieve continent-wide herd immunity. But with cases surging, governments are scrambling to secure supplies.
COVID-19 vaccine trials have been carried out in South Africa but the country has yet to roll out a vaccine program to the general public
Africa is in danger of being left behind in the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines as countries in other regions strike vaccine deals, the World Health Organization has warned. It is deeply unjust that the most vulnerable Africans are forced to wait for vaccines while lower-risk groups in rich countries are made safe, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, in a statement on Thursday.