Cairo, Egypt | Xinhua | China’s Sinopharm and Sinovac COVID-19 vaccines protect against “severe hospitalization” caused by the Omicron variant, the United Arab Emirates-based news outlet The National reported Tuesday, quoting a World Health Organization (WHO) expert as saying. Abdi Mahamud, the WHO’s incident manager for the pandemic, said that “more …
Read More »WHO maintains 14-day quarantine recommendation for COVID-19 patients
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Although most people recover from COVID-19 within five to seven days of the onset of symptoms, the World Health Organization (WHO) still recommends a 14-day quarantine, an official from the organization told a press briefing on Tuesday. However, Abdi Mahamud from WHO’s COVID-19 Incident Management Support …
Read More »WHO warns of “tsunami of cases” from Omicron, Delta
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned on Wednesday that the more transmissible Omicron together with the currently circulating Delta variants might lead to “a tsunami of cases,” putting immense pressure on national health systems. Recapping WHO’s response since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Director-General …
Read More »WHO chief says blanket vaccine booster programs may prolong COVID-19 pandemic
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Blanket vaccine booster programs are likely to prolong the COVID-19 pandemic rather than ending it, as a result of unequal distribution of vaccines between rich and poor countries, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Wednesday. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a …
Read More »Africa surge in COVID-19 cases fastest this year
But deaths remain low ANALYSIS | THE INDEPENDENT | An 83% surge in new COVID-19 cases in early December in Africa, driven by the Delta and the Omicron variants, is causing fewer deaths than previous surges—but more waves could be building as updated forecasts warn that the continent may not …
Read More »Ministry of health to roll out mass polio vaccination in January
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda with support from the World Health Organization, is set to conduct a polio vaccination campaign across the country targeting an estimated 8 million children below 5 years of age. The spokesperson in the Ministry of Health Emmanuel Ainebyoona, says the national immunization campaign is …
Read More »Rapid increase in Omicron COVID cases “imminent”: ECDC
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 …
Read More »Caring for the mentally ill
Focused on peer support yields positive results | MICHELLE M. SCHWAB | In many regions of Africa, traditional healers have treated all illnesses, physical and mental, for centuries. As the prevalence of mental illness continues to rise in Uganda, western influence impacts how those with a mental illness can access …
Read More »Africa faces fourth wave of COVID-19 due to Omicron variant: WHO
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 …
Read More »Omicron variant may change course of COVID-19 pandemic: WHO chief
Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | Certain features of the Omicron variant, including its global spread and large number of mutations, suggest it could have a major impact on the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, said the chief of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Wednesday. With the Omicron variant now present …
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