Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | When Africa’s first case of coronavirus was detected in Egypt in February, the rest of the continent prepared for the brunt of a pandemic that has engulfed Europe and spread to the United States, infecting more than 1.6 million worldwide. Health experts warned of the …
Read More »In DR Congo, a pioneering doctor fights Ebola and coronavirus
Kinshasa, DR Congo | AFP | Few generals would choose to fight a war on two fronts, against a foe that is nearly invisible and at times seems to have the terrifying ability to surface anywhere. Yet this is exactly the mission that Dr. Jean-Jacques Muyembe has taken upon himself, and …
Read More »WHO denies ignoring Taiwan early virus warning
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organisation on Friday denied having brushed off a Taiwanese warning on human-to-human transmission of the new coronavirus soon after its outbreak in China late last year. The US has accused the body of “putting politics first” by ignoring Taiwan’s warning in late December, …
Read More »US criticizes WHO for ignoring Taiwan virus warnings
Washington, United States | AFP | The United States on Thursday accused the World Health Organization of putting politics first by ignoring early coronavirus warnings by Taiwan, which voiced outrage over criticism from the UN body’s chief. President Donald Trump has gone on an offensive with threats to withhold funding for …
Read More »UVRI considers using cobas system to test more COVID-19 samples
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda Virus Research Institute-UVRI is considering using the Roche Cobas 6800/8800 system to test coronavirus samples. Prof. Pontiano Kaleebu, the Executive Director Uganda Virus Research Institute, says the Roche Cobas 6800/8800 system will enable them test between 340- 950 samples within 8 hours. This …
Read More »WHO urges virus unity after Trump attack
Geneva, Switzerland | AFP | The World Health Organization on Wednesday pleaded for global unity in fighting the coronavirus, following US President Donald Trump’s stinging attack on its handling of the pandemic. As the WHO prepares to mark 100 days on Thursday since it was first notified of the outbreak in …
Read More »Coronavirus: three months of global upheaval
Paris, France | AFP | In the three months since China first came across a new coronavirus, the world has been plunged into turmoil. A pandemic has been declared, schools and shops from New York to New Delhi shuttered, half the global population is confined in some form, while governments have …
Read More »Wuhan opens, sparking hope despite rising global deaths and economic pain
Wuhan, China | AFP | Thousands streamed out of the Chinese city of Wuhan Wednesday after a lockdown on the birthplace of the coronavirus was lifted, offering a ray of hope even as Europe and the United States faced rising deaths and crippling economic pain. As Wuhan reawakens, Western countries remain …
Read More »Coronavirus intensive care — what is involved?
Paris, France | AFP | The coronavirus pandemic has caused many thousands of people, including Britain’s prime minister, to need treatment in intensive care units, where severe cases of COVID-19 often receive breathing support. Boris Johnson was moved into intensive care when his condition worsened on Monday, 10 days after diagnosis …
Read More »Africa will not be used as COVID-19 testing ground- WHO chief
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that Africa will not be used as a testing ground for COVID-19 vaccines. His comments come after two French scientists suggested that vaccine trials should take place in Africa because there is a …
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