Lagos, Nigeria | Xinhua | The Nigerian government on Sunday announced its intention to ban arrivals from Canada, Britain, Argentina and Saudi Arabia from Tuesday, after the four countries added Nigeria on their red list and banned foreign travels from the country after detection of a new coronavirus variant. The decision …
Read More »South African president tests positive for COVID-19
Johannesburg, South Africa | Xinhua | South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is receiving treatment for mild COVID-19 symptoms after testing positive for the virus, said the Presidency in a statement released on Sunday night. The president, who is fully vaccinated, started feeling unwell after leaving the State Memorial Service in honor …
Read More »Brazil’s supreme court requires foreigners to enter with full vaccination
Sao Paulo, Brazil | Xinhua | Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF) determined on Saturday that all foreigners entering the country should present a certificate verifying that they have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The decision was made at the request of the Brazilian political party Sustainability Network given the federal …
Read More »Over 47,000 girls impregnated in Bukedi during COVID
Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 47,000 teenage girls in the Bukedi sub-region have been impregnated during the two years in the country. Statistics from the National Population Council indicate that Bukedi registered an increase in the number of teenage pregnancies from 23,829 in 2019 to 25,066 in 2020 …
Read More »Covid-19 vaccine stock outs hit greater Luwero districts
Luwero, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Districts in greater Luwero are facing a shortage of Covid-19 vaccines. On Tuesday this week, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng re-echoed the need to seek vaccination after she confirmed seven cases of Omicron COVID-19 variant. Aceng said that the new COVID-19 variant is not severe among people …
Read More »Booster shot provides protection against Omicron: Pfizer
New York, U.S. | Xinhua | A booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine would provide enough protection against the Omicron variant while two doses may not be sufficient, said COVID-19 vaccine developers Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE on Wednesday. Three doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine would generate sufficient serum antibodies to …
Read More »U.S. Senate votes to overturn Biden’s vaccine mandate
Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The U.S. Senate on Wednesday voted to overturn President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for businesses. Senators voted 52-48 on the resolution, which needed a simple majority to be approved. Democratic Senators Jon Tester and Joe Manchin voted with Republicans, giving it enough support to be …
Read More »Omicron variant may change course of COVID-19 pandemic: WHO chief
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Certain features of the Omicron variant, including its global spread and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday. With the Omicron variant now present …
Read More »Omicron variant not as severe as feared: Health ministry
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has urged Ugandans to remain calm even if the Omicron COVID-19 variant has been detected in the country. This comes following the detection of nine Omicron variant cases among travellers from South Africa and Nigeria. The variant was first detected in …
Read More »AU calls for urgent rescinding of travel bans on African countries over Omicron
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The African Union (AU) warned that travel and entry bans in connection with the emergence of the Omicron COVID-19 variant limit the free movement of people and goods, imposing immediate and significant impact on African countries. The 55-member pan African bloc, in a statement issued …
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