Epidemics Tracker

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday that the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict is likely to drive COVID-19 transmission ever higher and in turn increase the risk of large numbers of people developing severe disease. “WHO is deeply concerned about the unfolding humanitarian emergency in Ukraine,” …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As Parliament processes the Public Health (Amendment) Bill, 2021, Uganda Law Society (ULS) wants the proposal for mandatory Covid-19 vaccination dropped and allow the public to consent to it. They propose that the bill should consider circumstances under which an individual may reject vaccination and  …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Finance has proposed establishing a mechanism to track the beneficiaries of interventions that helped Uganda recover from the effects of Covid-19. Among the initiatives that were put in place by the government include the Emyooga program, small recovery fund, SACCO money through the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | As Ugandan authorities plan to start vaccinating children aged 12 to 17 years against Covid-19, experienced medical experts continue to disagree with the move, urging authorities to drop the idea. “I’m completely against vaccinating healthy children against COVID-19,” Dr Renee Hoenderkamp, a qualified medical doctor working …

Brazzaville, Congo | Xinhua | Vaccination rates in Africa remain the lowest in the world, as the continent is “racing towards” the target of vaccinating 70 percent of its population, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday. One year since the COVAX Facility delivered the first COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Scientists working on a Covid-19 vaccine in Uganda have told legislators on the Presidential Affairs Committee that trials will commence in early March 2022. Dr Sheila Balinda, a molecular virologist at Uganda Virus Research Institute said they have developed a vaccine using Covid-19 strains that were …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | School administrators have allayed fears that the high number of reported cases of flu and cough among learners might be related to COVID-19. This follows the high cases of persistent flu and cough registered among learners, especially in nursery and primary schools. Our reporters visited several …

More time between the first two doses of mRNA COVID-19 vaccines may reduce the risk of myocarditis Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has updated its guidance on COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, expanding the recommended time between the initial two vaccine doses to eight …

How drug industry is undermining WHO plans | TIMOTHY HUZAR | Since June 2021, the WHO has been coordinating a messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa. The hub is important because it will increase the availability of mRNA vaccines, including those for COVID-19, in Africa, …

Cairo, Egypt | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO)’s approval to grant six African countries the technology to manufacture mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines would boost international efforts to confront the COVID-19 pandemic, Egyptian experts and officials said. On Friday, WHO announced that Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and …