COVID-19 Updates

Harare, Zimbabwe | Xinhua | At least 436 workers from all departments at Zimbabwe’s largest referral hospital, Parirenyatwa Group of Hospitals, are in isolation after contracting COVID-19 while on duty, an official said Friday. Hospital spokesperson Linos Dhire said operations had since been scaled down as a result of the …

Copenhagen, Denmark | Xinhua | The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for Europe on Thursday urged people to exercise caution this holiday season, as the region is now coping with two highly transmissible coronavirus strains that have the potential to overload the already overburdened health systems. “The European region …

The Hague, Netherlands | Xinhua | The European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Thursday issued advice on the emergency use of Pfizer’s COVID-19 pill called Paxlovid. The European Union (EU) drug regulator said the medicine, which is not yet authorized in the EU, can be used to treat adults with COVID-19 who …

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia | Xinhua | The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa surpassed the 9-million mark on Wednesday as the continent strives for adequate access to vaccines. The Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said that as of Wednesday evening, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases …

Stockholm, Sweden | Xinhua | A rapid increase in the number of Omicron COVID-19 variant cases is imminent, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) warned on Wednesday. The European Union’s (EU) health watchdog also urged countries to rapidly intensify their vaccination efforts, and reintroduce and strengthen other measures …

New York, U.S. | Xinhua | U.S. pharmaceutical giant Pfizer Inc. Tuesday said final results show that its novel COVID-19 oral antiviral tablets could reduce risk of hospitalization or death by close to 90 percent for high-risk patients. The results, based on an analysis of over 2,000 patients in a phase …

London, UK | Xinhua | Given that the Omicron variant has already taken hold in Britain, all 11 countries on England’s COVID travel red list are to be taken off from 0400 GMT on Wednesday, British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said on Tuesday. Javid made the announcement in the parliament, adding …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | There have been many concerns about getting people to recover from the mental stress caused by COVID-19 lockdowns as many authorities move to reopen their countries fully. However, other countries have reinstated some restrictions to battle new variants like Omicron, which according to some experts …

Brazzaville, Congo | Xinhua | Africa is being hit by the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic driven by the Omicron variant, after recording the fastest weekly surge in new cases since May 2020, said an official of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Tuesday. “Africa is now officially in the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Minister for Health Dr Jane Ruth Aceng has tasked district leaders in the Ankole sub-region to recruit more data entrants at vaccination centres. Dr Aceng was speaking at the launch of the accelerated Covid-19 vaccination campaign for the 13 districts forming the Ankole sub-region …