The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo says the number of COVID-19 cases in the WHO African Region has increased to over 30,000. The UN’s health agency gave the update on its official twitter account @WHOAFRO on Sunday. “Over 30,000 COVID-19 cases reported on the African continent with over 9,000 associated recoveries and 1,300 deaths recorded,’’ it said. The WHO African Region COVID-19 dashboard showed that in sub-Saharan Africa, South...
Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, Director for Africa, World Health Organisation (WHO), on Saturday said that Africa was falling short of the 2020 milestone of 40 percent reduction in cases and deaths. Moeti, who disclosed this in a statement to commemorate the 2020 World Malaria day, said that the continent needed to double its efforts to achieve a 75% reduction by 2025. “On April 25, 2020, we commemorate World Malaria Day to draw attention to the devastating...
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday named former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, as a Special Envoy for the newly inaugurated Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator. She is to serve alongside British business executive, Sir Andrew Witty in the same capacity, to mobilise international commitment to the initiative. Director-General of the organisation, Dr. Tedros Ghebreyesus, made the announcement during the launch of the ACT Accelerator — via webinar from Geneva. “I would...
Seventeen people, including 12 rangers from Virunga National Park, died in an armed attack by an unidentified armed group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local authorities said on Friday. According to a statement by Nzanzu Kasivita Carly, governor of the eastern province of North Kivu where the attack took place, four passengers and a driver were also killed in a jeep burned by the attackers. The attack was also confirmed by the...
Eleven crew men onboard a Portuguese flagged container ship, MV TOMMI RITSCHER, have been rescued from a pirate attack by operatives of Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (NN SBS) and Benin Navy in Beninoius territorial waters. Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, Defence Headquarters Spokesman, said in a statement on Thursday that the pirate attack was foiled under the auspices of ECOWAS Maritime Zone E Naval operation comprising Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Niger Republic Gendarmerie. “The vessel was...
After recording 75 COVID-19 fatalities, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, on Thursday said the country would gradually start easing lockdown restrictions from May 1. He said the government had developed an approach that determined the measures that should be in place based on the direction of the pandemic in the country. As part of this approach, there will be five coronavirus levels from five to one. South Africa is currently at the highest strata of...
Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has ordered the government to gradually lift the lockdown measures due to an improved COVID-19 situation. In a message delivered to the nation, Tebboune congratulated Algerians on the occasion of the holy fasting month of Ramadan, which starts on Friday, saying, “I have issued instructions to review the quarantine procedure in line with the progress of the situation on the ground.” “The more indicators show improvement here and there, the closer...
When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, African countries’ unique challenges demand a regional response from an institution with the medical expertise to address its needs and leverage its strengths—the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC). On April 2, 2020, the World Bank Group approved its largest-ever support facility in response to an emergency. The first group of projects through its dedicated, fast-track facility for COVID-19 response provided $1.9 billion for 25...
A 43% jump in reported COVID-19 cases was registered in Africa last week. This explained a warning from the World Health Organisation that Africa could become the next epicenter of the pandemic. According to John Nkengasong, the Director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who disclosed this in his weekly briefing in Cape Town, on Thursday said Africa has a “very, very limited” and “very, very strained” testing capacity. Medical experts have...
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa says the number of COVID-19 deaths in the WHO African Region has increased to 1, 200. The UN’s health agency gave the update on its official twitter account @WHOAFRO on Friday. “Over 27, 000 COVID-19 cases reported on the African continent – with over 7, 000 associated recoveries and 1,200 deaths recorded,” it said. The WHO African Region COVID-19 dashboard showed that in sub-Saharan Africa, South...
