United Nations, USA | THE INDEPENDENT | United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Thursday called on member states to make vaccine solidarity a top priority. “Our first priority for 2021 is to respond to COVID-19. Vaccines are the first great moral test before us,” the UN chief told the …
Read More »China’s debt grip on Africa
It holds 62% of Africa’s bilateral debt which rose from 1% of GDP to over 15% in a decade COMMENT | PAOLA SUBACCHI | The pandemic is confronting highly indebted poor countries with a fateful dilemma. As Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, lamented last April, …
Read More »Scientists investigating drop in COVID-19 positive cases
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Scientists on the COVID-19 task force are investigating a drop in the number of positive cases reported in the country. For the last two weeks, results released by the health ministry have shown a drop in the number of positive cases reported. From January 14, …
Read More »UEFA still planning to host Euro 2020 across 12 cities
London, England | THE INDEPENDENT | UEFA reaffirmed its plan to host the delayed Euro 2020 tournament across 12 European cities, as the continent’s football governing body met representatives of the 12 host associations and tournament organizers in a routine meeting on Wednesday. The tournament was originally planned to be …
Read More »MPs recommend UGX 173Bn to save health sector from COVID-19 distress
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Health Committee of parliament has recommended for the allocation of Shillings 173billion towards mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on the health sector. The Committee chairperson, Dr. Michael Bukenya notes that the outbreak of COVID-19 exerted pressure on an already challenged system with problems in …
Read More »Morocco receives 1st batch of Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines
Rabat, Morocco | THE INDEPENDENT | Morocco received on Wednesday its first shipment of Chinese Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccines, the ministry of health said. The first batch of vaccines developed by the China National Pharmaceutical Group Co. Ltd (Sinopharm) arrived at Casablanca airport and will be dispatched to the vaccination locations …
Read More »Higher institutions of learning to open after three months -Circular
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The National Council of Higher Education -NCHE has communicated that Higher Institutions of learning will open after the next three months. According to the National Council of Higher Education (NCHE) Executive Director Professor Mary Okwakol, the communication is based on prior advice from the Minister …
Read More »Museveni scoffs at NDA as Uganda launches COVID-19 cure trials
Kampala, Uganda | FLAVIA NASSAKA | President Yoweri Museveni has expressed displeasure at what he called a ‘slave mentality’ among scientists in Uganda. “I do not know what the problem with Africans. If the Europeans do not get a solution, we wait and die? This I cannot accept,” he said. The …
Read More »Surge of COVID-19 infections: Gov’t starts training health workers on occupational health
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The health ministry has embarked on a training program for health workers amidst a surge in infections in this category and uncertainty on whether or not they contract the virus in the line of duty. The program will see at least 2000 health workers training …
Read More »Gavi hopes to deliver 150 mln doses of COVID-19 vaccines in first quarter of 2021
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said on Tuesday that they hope to deliver 145 to 150 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the first quarter of 2021 and 500 million doses in the second quarter, and then 1.5 billion in the second half of …
Read More »