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Chairperson of the African Union (AU) President Cyril Ramaphosa said efforts to secure a COVID-19 vaccine for the continent were always collaborative
A November 26 letter from the presidency asked the head of Uganda's national drug authority to 'work out a mechanism' to clear the importation of the vaccines.
China has about five COVID-19 vaccine candidates at different levels of trials. It was not clear what vaccine was being imported into Uganda.
One of the frontrunners is the Sinopharm vaccine developed by the Beijing Institute of Biological Product, a unit of Sinopharm’s China National Biotec Group (CNBG).
On Wednesday, the United Arab Emirates said the vaccine has 86% efficacy, citing an interim analysis of late-stage clinical trials.
China has used the drug to vaccinate up to a million people under its emergency use program.
On Tuesday, Morocco said it was ordering up to 10 million doses of the vaccine.
Record cases
Uganda on Monday registered 701 new COVID-19 cases, the highest-ever daily increase, bringing its national count to 23,200.
The new cases were out of the 5,578 samples tested for the novel coronavirus over the past 24 hours, the country's health ministry said in a statement.
Tuesday's tally was 606, the second-highest ever number of new infections, bringing the cumulative number of confirmed cases in the east African country to 23,860.
Health authorities have blamed ongoing election campaigns which have drawn huge crowds for the rise in infections.
Ethiopia’s plan of filling the dam remains on course.
This was highlighted by Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Assumpta Ingabire ahead of the International Day of Families.
This year, the day is celebrated globally under the theme- 'Families in Development: Copenhagen & Beijing + 25' while in Rwanda, celebrations are to be held under the theme of 'Let's build a resilient and safe family.'
In Rwanda, there will be no national celebrations by officials from the ministry and other stakeholders will use the media to discuss issues affecting families in the country.
Ingabire stressed that the family is the foundation for a country's development and hence should possess the foothold in the fight against the current pandemic.
To ensure resilience and safety of families, the ministry has carried out continued awareness through the media mobilising communities on the need to stay safe as well as maintaining peace and harmony in families.
Some governments across the African continent are cautiously coming out of Covid-19 lockdown, such as Nigeria, which on Tuesday reopened churches and mosques, with social distancing restrictions in place.
In Uganda, President Yoweri Museveni announced that schools for final-year students would be postponed one more month as not enough test kits are available to test students every two weeks as proscribed.
Boda boda's employ over 1.2 million youths in Uganda, their source of income provides a livelihood to over 6 million Ugandans,how will they survive if they are to wait for the Covid pandemic to subside, President Museveni should rethink his decision #WhatIMissAboutMyBodaGuy pic.twitter.com/p8ZnXBISFu
- Nick Spartan (@nicksakwa) June 2, 2020
Part of the government concern is the slight spike in coronavirus cases over the weekend, with 84 new infections.
Nigeria returns to places of worshippers
While churches and mosques in Uganda remain shut, Nigeria has decided to open all places of worship on Tuesday as part of lifting its Covid-19 restrictions.
Surge in Covid-19 cases in Africa after lockdowns lifted in some countries
Nigeria needs to increase food production to feed itself, experts say
The coronavirus task force stipulated that only regular religious gatherings would be possible, and social distancing necessary in order to keep the churches and mosques open.
The ANC's top six is meeting on Tuesday night, hours after the Hawks had secured a warrant of arrest for secretary-general Ace Magashule.
Guinea Bissau was warned on Saturday to prepare for a possible increase in coronavirus cases by the head of its response commission, as a team of Cuban health workers arrived to help the nation tackle the pandemic.
Almost all cases (94%) have been recorded in the capital Bissau.
Former health minister Magda Nely Robalo, who was appointed to take charge of the response, urged people to continue preventive measures as she welcomed the 23 Cuban doctors and health workers who came at the request of the Bissau government.
Robalo said Guinea Bissau was facing major challenges due to the weakness of its health system.
Over 170 of Bissau's 2,000 health workers have contracted coronavirus, according to the World Health Organisation, while health authorities have raised the alarm over a lack of oxygen to treat patients.
The Presidency has announced that Ramaphosa will on Wednesday evening interact with communities across the nation through a virtual presidential imbizo on the coronavirus.
In Dec. 2003 President Conté was reelected to a third term. In April 2004, after two months on the job, Prime Minister Lonseny Fall resigned and went into exile, claiming that the president would not allow him to govern effectively. President Conté is in poor health, and many fear a power struggle should he die or be deposed. Anti-government demonstrators took to the streets in January and February 2007, demanding that Conté step down. In addition, labor unions went on strike, paralyzing the country. Conté, who has been criticized as being corrupt, responded by declaring martial law. The strike ended in late February when President Conté agreed to name diplomat Lansana Kouyaté as prime minister. More than 100 people died in battles with security officials during the strike.
Kouyaté was sacked in May 2008 and replaced by Ahmed Tidiane Souaré, a member of President Contés Party of Unity and Progress. Conte died in December 2008 after 24 years in power. Junior army leaders launched a bloodless coup shortly after his death. Many citizens, fed up with years of authoritarian rule, backed the coup. Army captain Moussa Camara took over as president of the republic. The junta established a 32-member National Council for Democracy and Development (CNDD) that replaced the government. The council said its priorities would be to wipe out corruption and improve the quality of life in Guinea. In August 2009, Camara called for presidential elections to be held in January 2010, with parliamentary elections to follow in March, thus fulfilling a pledge to call elections within two years of assuming power.
A month later, security forces opened fire at a pro-democracy demonstration at a Conakry stadium, killing nearly 160 people. The victims were among thousands protesting reports that Camara planned to run in the upcoming presidential election. The African Union, European Union, and the U.S. imposed sanctions on Guinea following the massacre, and Humans Rights Watch issued a report that said the crackdown was intended to stifle
Image: Siphiwe Sibeko, Reuters
Eskom CEO André de Ruyter said on Thursday the state power utility could become financially viable and do without government bailouts if it could more than halve its debt to R200-billion.
Eskom has about R450-billion of debt and is mired in financial crisis as it does not generate enough earnings to meet its debt costs.
Power demand has fallen by an average of 6GW because of the economic impact of the coronavirus
Eskom produces more than 90% of the electricity in South Africa but has battled to keep the lights on, a factor that helped push the country into recession even before the coronavirus crisis struck.
De Ruyter couldn’t say how long it would take to slash Eskom’s debt to R200-billion or achieve a 35% earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation margin, another metric it thinks will make its business said the company would start a “renegotiation process” with independent power producers to try to lower electricity costs for consumers.
Power demand has fallen by an average of 6GW because of the economic impact of the coronavirus, chief operating officer Jan Oberholzer said.
Thailand is conducting tests on macaque monkeys as it races to produce a cheaper, alternative coronavirus vaccine it hopes will be ready by 2021, a top researcher said Monday.
More than 100 candidate vaccines are currently in various stages of development around the world, at least eight of which are in clinical trials with humans, according to the World Health Organisation.
Oxford University researchers are considered the frontrunners in the race, starting clinical trials last month on a version based on a different virus that causes infections in chimpanzees.
At least two other companies -- pharmaceutical giant Pfizer and US-based Moderna -- are developing vaccines using the same technology, with the latter reporting positive preliminary results last week from clinical trials.
If the tests on the macaques go well, human trials should start in October, said Dr. Kiat Ruxrungtham, chair of the Chula Vaccine Research Center at Chulalongkorn University.
Assemblymember Kevin McCarty’s (D-Sacramento) Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6 (ACA 6) passed out of the California State Senate last week. The bill, known as the Free the Vote Act, will seek voters approval in the 2020 November election to restore voting rights to former inmates who are free from incarceration but still on parole. Currently, []
The post California Moves One Step Closer to Granting Parolees Right to Vote appeared first on Black Voice News.
The President said an essential part of this mission will be the focus on growing women-run enterprises in an effort to promote the end of gender inequality in the country.
Officials from the UN, West Africa and the African Union (AU) have met an influential Muslim cleric behind demonstrations against Mali's beleaguered president, the coalition behind the protests said on Monday.
Tens of thousands of people joined a rally in Bamako last Friday to demand the resignation of President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, who was re-elected in 2018 for a second five-year term.
The alliance which organised the protests said \"a delegation from the international community met Imam (Mahmoud) Dicko\" on Sunday.
Its members came from the UN's peacekeeping mission in Mali, MINUSMA; the AU; and the Economic Community of West African States (Ecowas), a 15-nation bloc that includes Mali, it said in a statement.
MINUSMA spokesperson Olivier Salgado said the head of the peacekeeping mission, Mahamat Saleh Annadif, \"along with representatives from regional organisations, met certain organisers (of Friday's rally) but also with representatives of national authorities... to find ways of renewing dialogue.\"
The World Health Organisation recognises the need to include women in outbreaks preparedness and response such as the global Covid-19 policy spaces but other than the disaggregation of the disease burden by gender, response measures have not addressed the gendered impacts.
During the West African outbreak of Ebola virus disease, women’s voices were ignored thus resources for reproductive and sexual health were diverted to the emergency response, contributing to a rise in maternal mortality.
During the Zika virus outbreak, women did not have autonomy over their sexual and reproductive lives, which was compounded by their inadequate access to health services.
Gendered measures should include: disaggregation of the coronavirus data by sex, age, and disability; country strategic plans for preparedness and response must be grounded in strong gender analysis; strengthening leadership and meaningful participation of women in addressing Covid-19 including budgeting.
Paying attention to respiratory illnesses in pregnant women; issuing clinical guidelines for treating pregnant women with Covid-19 infection; addressing the growing mental health and psychosocial needs of females; providing financial incentives for families and girls to resume their education when the confinement ends.
However, if it was necessary, Ramaphosa said any part of the country could return to alert Levels 4 or 5 if the spread of infection was not contained and if there was a risk of health facilities being overwhelmed.
The most effective defence against the virus is the simplest
Ramaphosa said simple hygiene practices, such as the regular washing of hands, wearing a face mask, keeping at least a 1.5 metre distance from other people, avoiding touching the face with unwashed hands, and cleaning surfaces regularly were the most effective defences against the coronavirus.
South Africa now has 11 000 active Covid-19 patients, and 429 deaths
The country now has 22 583 confirmed coronavirus cases, of which 11 000 are active cases, Ramaphosa said.
South Africa has repurposed 20 000 hospital beds for Covid-19, and 27 hospitals are being built
In preparation for the expected increase in infections, around 20 000 hospital beds have been, and are being, repurposed for Covid-19 cases, Ramaphosa said.
Owing to the great demand across the world, South Africa has a shortage of diagnostic medical supplies, which has contributed to lengthy turnaround times for coronavirus testing, Ramaphosa said.
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Jackson Mthembu
Cabinet has resolved to appeal the high court judgment that declared the Covid-19 regulations under levels 3 and 4 invalid and unconstitutional.
Government will ask that its appeal is heard on an urgent basis so that all of us can obtain certainty on the regulations
The court gave government 14 days to alter the guidelines, meaning level-3 regulations remain in place until new regulations were published.
However, Mthembu said cabinet is of the view that another court might come to a different conclusion on the matter.
“Cabinet has therefore decided to appeal the north Gauteng high court decision and government will ask that its appeal is heard on an urgent basis so that all of us can obtain certainty on the regulations,” he said.
Extension
“Cabinet wishes to assure the nation that all interventions introduced since the declaring of the national state of disaster in March 2020 by President Ramaphosa have been directed primarily at saving the lives of our people,” said Mthembu.
