Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua | The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday that there was “insufficient evidence” for it to recommend the administration of a second booster vaccine against COVID-19. “At the moment, there is insufficient evidence from clinical trials or real-world evidence that could support our recommendation for the …
Read More »Africa needs to ramp up COVID-19 vaccination six-fold: WHO
Brazzaville, Congo | Xinhua | With only 11 percent of the population fully vaccinated in Africa, the vaccination rate on the African continent needs to increase six times to meet the 70 percent target set for mid-2022, warned Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO). “The world has finally heard our calls. …
Read More »UGX 536 Billion for gov’t projects not utilized: Auditor General
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new audit report released by the Auditor General has revealed 536.5 billion Shillings for 36 government projects has not been absorbed. This is highlighted in the audit report for the financial year 2020/2021 presented to the Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Anita Among on Wednesday …
Read More »Auditor General reports mismanagement of UGX 2 Trillion Covid-19 funds
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Auditor-General has unearthed mismanagement of 1.97 trillion Shillings appropriated by Parliament to manage the COVID-19 pandemic. These funds were disbursed to Ministries, Departments and Agencies-MDAs under the Emyooga programme, Microfinance Support Centre, Uganda Development Bank (UDB), and Uganda Development Corporation (UDC), among others. According …
Read More »Experts discuss post-COVID-19 transport reforms
Makerere University researchers show how traditional transport was disorganised Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in partial or near-total shut down of motorised transport systems in most countries. In addition to new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) around transport, there was a lot of …
Read More »Parliament stays debate on cash transfer to teachers over PAC report
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament suspended the debate on COVID-19 relief cash for teachers on Tuesday until the glitches reported during the government cash transfers in July 2021 are addressed. The government through Parliament appropriated Shillings 53.5 billion targeting 500,000 vulnerable persons affected by the second lockdown. However, the …
Read More »Budget: NGOs hope for speedy approval of local content bill
Non-governmental Organisations have advised the government to expedite passing of the local content bill and increase funding for the Small and Medium Enterprises in the upcoming national budget. Kampala, Uganda | JULIUS BUSINGE | In a joint communique dated Jan.15, the NGOs under their umbrella organisation, Civil Society Budget Advocacy …
Read More »Rent for residential properties in prime locations rises
The rates are projected to remain relatively stable for the short to mid-term Kampala, Uganda | PATRICIA AKANKWATSA | Rents for residential properties in the prime locations in Kampala increased in the second half of 2021 on the back of returning expatriates and ongoing developments in the oil and …
Read More »Involve pregnant women in clinical trials
International campaign launched over locking pregnant women out of clinical trials Kampala, Uganda | RONALD MUSOKE | You would think that with all the potential complications that affect women during and after pregnancy, thousands of drugs have been developed specifically for them, says Dr. Metin Gülmezoglu, the executive director of …
Read More »Ministry of health plans Covid-19 vaccination in schools as cases start piling
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health is planning to start vaccinating children aged 12 to 17 against COVID-19. Although the majority of COVID-19 vaccines were initially approved for use in adults aged 18-years and above, an increasing number of vaccines are now also being authorized for use in …
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