Epidemics Tracker

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT  |  The World Health Organization (WHO) has listed two more versions of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccine for emergency use, giving the green light for them to be rolled out globally through the COVAX facility, set up to ensure equitable access to the drug across the world. …

On Jan.27, Winnie Byanyima, the Executive Director of UNAIDS, the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, spoke during the opening plenary at this year’s virtual HIV Research for Prevention (HIV R4P) Conference. Byanyima who spoke under the theme, “Where will we be in 2025?” detailed plans for a new UNAIDS …

Lilongwe, Malawi | XINHUA |  Malawi President Lazarus Chakwera has fired the commissioner for the Department of Disaster Management Affairs (DoDMA) and a co-chairperson of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 for failing to demand accountability on funds spent on fighting the pandemic. Chakwera has also ordered an immediate overhaul …

Educationalists maintain pre-school is critical in children’s physical, mental and psycho-social development Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | How do you home-school a three year old without going nuts? Maximum respect to kindergarten teachers,” a young Ugandan mother posted on her Facebook page on Feb.11. Thousands of Ugandan parents have …

  Regional Integration amidst a Pandemic: Covid-19 and the East African Community COMMENT | Prof. Kasaija Phillip Apuuli | The 2019 United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s (UNECA) Africa Regional Integration Index (ARII) ranked the East African Community (EAC) as the most integrated Regional Economic Community (REC) in Africa with a …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Students in private universities based in Kampala are having face to face lectures before the official dates set for reopening by Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education and Sports directed on February 9th, 2020 that Universities and other tertiary institutions would start face to …

Zimbabwe to vaccinate all of its eligible population on a voluntary basis free of charge Harare, Zimbabwe | XINHUA |  Zimbabwe is scheduled to roll out its COVID-19 vaccination program next week after it receives the first batch of vaccines from China, Deputy Health Minister John Mangwiro said Friday. The …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Private sector leaders and financiers are calling for a review of the government stimulus package announced mid last year saying the measures were not well informed and are not bearing the expected fruit. The government announced more than 1 trillion Shillings in stimulus cash in …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Lira district has trained 20 medical workers from different health facilities to conduct the Rapid Diagnostic Tests – RDTs for Covid-19. The health workers are from Lira Regional Referral Hospital, Pentecostal Assemblies of God health center IV, Amach and Ogur health center IV. The training …

Nairobi, Kenya | Xinhua | The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Africa has spiked as the continent grapples with local transmission of highly contagious strains of the virus, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Thursday. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa said the death toll from the pandemic …