COVID-19 Updates

Washington, US | XINHUA | The United States failed to recognize the coronavirus threat from Europe in time, Robert Redfield, director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has said. Since the country’s COVID-19 epidemic broke out, the United States has reported over 4.4 million confirmed cases …

Kampala, Uganda | XINHUA | Africa still has a chance to contain the COVID-19 pandemic on the continent once proper measures taken, John Nkengasong, director of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), said on Thursday. According to the released data as of July 29 by the CDC …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Even with the push by sections to have private hospitals start offering COVID-19 related care coupled with the increasing number of patients testing positive for the virus being picked from private health facilities, the possibility of them being allowed to offer such care remains …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has advised health facilities to treat all patients admitted with acute respiratory tract symptoms or illnesses such as pneumonia with high suspicion for COVID-19. The advice was given by the health minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng during a national address …

Brussels, Belgium | XINHUA | The European Commission has signed a 63 million-euro contract with American pharmaceutical company Gilead to secure treatment doses of Veklury, the brand name for Remdesivir, for the treatment of COVID-19, it announced on Wednesday. The commission said in a statement that batches of Veklury will …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The African continent has so far conducted more than 8.3 million COVID-19 tests amid the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic across countries in the continent, the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) disclosed on Wednesday. The statement was made by …

Washington, US | XINHUA | U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday renewed his defense of using anti-malaria drug hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19, despite medical evidence disproving its effectiveness. “It’s safe. It doesn’t cause problems. I had no problem. I had absolutely no problem,” Trump said during a press briefing at the …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | XINHUA | The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) on Tuesday warned African countries to brace for possible “acute shortage” of COVID-19 Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in the near future. The Africa CDC made the urgent call for preparedness to avert a possible …

Rome, Italy | XINHUA | The ongoing coronavirus pandemic is threatening access to food by some of the world’s most vulnerable — children, according to a new white paper written by the heads of four United Nations agencies, including the Rome-based UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The white paper, …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Scientists have embarked on a study that seeks to examine the uptake of prevention guidelines which will offer government clues on effective Covid-19 interventions. Prof. Nelson Sewankambo, the Director of Training Health Researchers into Vocational Excellence in East Africa (THRIVE), says that the study …