Paris, France | AFP | The French government said Wednesday that doctors should no longer prescribe hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 patients, an unproven and potentially harmful treatment for the disease nonetheless promoted by US President Donald Trump. The move came after two French advisory bodies and the World Health Organization (WHO) warned …
Read More »190 000 people could die of COVID-19 in Africa
World health body says pandemic will be slower but longer | THE INDEPENDENT | Eighty-three thousand to 190 000 people in Africa could die of COVID-19 and 29 million to 44 million could get infected in the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail, a new study by …
Read More »WHO suspends hydroxychloroquine trial as COVID-19 treatment
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization said Monday it had temporarily suspended clinical trials of hydroxychloriquine as a potential treatment for COVID-19 being carried out across a range of countries as a precautionary measure. The decision came after publication last week of a study in The Lancet which …
Read More »South America named virus epicenter as Trump seeks US reopening
Washington, United States | AFP | South America is “a new epicenter” of the coronavirus pandemic, the World Health Organization has declared, as US President Donald Trump intensified his push to reopen the reeling American economy. Brazil led the surge across South America, its death toll passing 21,000 on Friday from …
Read More »80 million children risk being exposed to measles, pneumonia
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | 80 million children in the world could face the risk of suffering from measles, diphtheria and pneumonia. In a joint statement, the World Health Organization, the United Nations International Children’s Fund-UNICEF and GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, note that as many as 80 million children …
Read More »As pandemic rages, Trump eager to vaccinate America first
Washington, United States | AFP | Leaders of China, France, Germany, and the World Health Organization want any coronavirus vaccine to be deemed a “global public good,” but President Donald Trump has another idea: vaccinate America first. Behind the principle of “global public good” lie two distinct issues: intellectual property rights …
Read More »EAC states face diplomatic spat due to COVID-19 tests
In a letter dated May 20, 2020, the Tanzanian government said that 15 of its truck drivers that had been blocked from entering Kenya after reportedly testing positive for coronavirus disease, had tested negative in Tanzania. On the basis of this, the Tanzanian Regional Commissioner Mrisho Mashaka Gambo said that …
Read More »WHO deploys 2 physicians at Gulu hospital
Gulu, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Health Organisation – WHO will dispatch two physicians to Gulu Regional Referral Hospital to boost the fight against COVID-19. The COVID-19 case management team headed by Dr Paska Apiyo is overstretched and the WHO reinforcement is expected to boost their effort in …
Read More »WHO reports record virus cases as Trump mulls in-person G7
Washington, United States | AFP | The World Health Organization has reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases, as US President Donald Trump proposed hosting world leaders for the annual G7 summit as a sign of “normalization.” The WHO said Wednesday that more than 106,000 virus cases had been reported …
Read More »WHO reports record virus cases as Trump proposes face-to-face G7 summit
Washington, United States | AFP | The World Health Organization on Wednesday reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases, as US President Donald Trump proposed hosting world leaders for the annual G7 summit as a sign of “normalization.” Trump, who is seeking to revive the battered US economy and his …
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