Epidemics Tracker

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Education has halted the requirement for learners to undergo mandatory COVID-19 testing before being allowed to access schools as education institutions reopen next week. With the surge in COVID-19 cases registered in the country, managers of several boarding schools especially in the …

Cairo, Egypt | Xinhua | China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines protect against “severe hospitalization” caused by the Omicron variant, the United Arab Emirates-based news outlet The National reported Tuesday, quoting a World Health Organization (WHO) expert as saying. Abdi Mahamud, the WHO’s incident manager for the pandemic, said that “more …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has withdrawn the condition that passengers must prove that they are fully vaccinated before using public transport. The cancellation of the directive comes barely a week after it was announced by President Yoweri Museveni, as a condition for reopening the economy and allowing …

Yaoundé, Cameroon | Xinhua | Cameroonian authorities said on Tuesday stricter anti-COVID-19 measures will be applied before, during and after the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) which begins in the Central African nation on Sunday. More staff and equipment have been deployed to entry points, lodging facilities, competition sites and fan …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The envisaged factory for the production of Covidex, a herbal remedy for the management of COVID-19 will need a minimum of sh10 billion to become operational in Soroti. The Uganda Investment Authority (UIA) offered five acres of land in Soroti Industrial Park last year to …

Malaba, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Business at the Malaba border in Tororo district is on the halt as truck drivers enter a third day of strike. The truck drivers are protesting against the mandatory fee of Ugx100,000 (3,600 Kshs) charged for COVID-19 testing as they cross to the Ugandan side. …

Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Although most people recover from COVID-19 within five to seven days of the onset of symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends a 14-day quarantine, an official from the organization told a press briefing on Tuesday. However, Abdi Mahamud from WHO’s COVID-19 Incident Management Support …

New York, U.S. | Xinhua | Omicron was officially announced on Tuesday as the absolutely dominant variant of COVID-19 in the United States, as the country is entering the third year of the pandemic, with more curing pills ordered from Pfizer while the federal government’s policies criticized as murky. OMICRON DOMINANCE …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | President Yoweri Museveni on Tuesday received a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as the country grapples with a surge in the number of cases. Museveni, according to a State House statement, received the booster dose while at his home in Kiruhura district, western Uganda. …

Hoima, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Two health workers attached to Butema Health Center II in Buhanika sub-county, Hoima district are in custody at Hoima central police station on allegations of selling COVID-19 vaccination cards to non-vaccinated people. Police picked up the unnamed suspects on Monday afternoon. Police allege that the …