Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Key workers and other vulnerable people in 145 countries should receive COVID-19 vaccines in the first half of this year, under the joint UN-led COVAX initiative for fair access to coronavirus-beating jabs, it’s been confirmed. Some 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine which requires …
Read More »Azithromycin found to have no effect on COVID- Study
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Common antibiotic azithromycin has been found not to have any effect on treating COVID-19, according to a new study published in the medical journal, The Lancet. The study showed that the drug had no effect on patients admitted to hospitals. It could not reduce deaths …
Read More »COVID-19 exposes true cost of corruption
Transparency International reveals that persistent corruption is undermining health care | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The 2020 Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) released on Jan 28, by Transparency International reveals that persistent corruption is undermining health care systems and contributing to democratic backsliding amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries that perform well on …
Read More »NDA closes drug outlets over illegal operations
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Drug Authority- NDA has closed down more than 600 drug outlets over illegal operations. Dr. James Tamale who heads regions at the NDA says that apart from operating without licenses and being run by unqualified individuals, many of the medicines that they …
Read More »900 residents hit by water scarcity in Gulu
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | More than 900 residents of Tee-Ladwong village in Patiko Sub County, Gulu District are in dire need of clean and safe water. Several water sources especially shallow wells and spring wells in the area have either dried up due to the dry season or contaminated by …
Read More »Health experts worried about school re-opening
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Health experts are worried that the reopening of educational institutions for non-candidate might trigger a surge in COVID-19 cases if schools do not fully adhere to the required Standard Operating Procedures -SOPs. During the first phase of re-opening, schools were required to put in place …
Read More »Teachers, parents welcome school reopening nod
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Educationists, teachers and parents have welcomed a move by the government to end the closure of schools after almost a year of limited activity. The schools were closed in March 2020, following the outbreak of coronavirus disease, an ailment which, according to experts, spreads faster …
Read More »Govt to spend Sh56 billion on COVID-19 vaccines
To be able to vaccinate all Ugandans at the current cost, the country will have to spend at least sh2 trillion Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda will spend Sh56 billion to procure an initial 18 million COVID-19 vaccine doses that are expected in the country this month. According to …
Read More »Heart institute renews call for more equipment, expansion
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Uganda Heart Institute (UHI) is overwhelmed by the numbers of people seeking treatment, yet it’s operating in very limited space and using inadequate equipment. The issue came up as the heart institute, received an Electrocardiogram (ECG) machine from the Rotary Club of Nsangi. The …
Read More »WHO turns to football stars to promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | FIFA is teaming up with the World Health Organization (WHO) to promote the need for fair access to COVID-19 vaccines, treatment and diagnostics, and to encourage people to keep practicing life-saving, everyday public health measures to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and to protect …
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