Coronavirus

South Africa has seen a sharp rise in coronavirus infections across the country since Monday, as the Omicron variant is wreaking havoc, health officials said. Some 8,500 Covid infections have been registered in the last 24 hours. South Africa was the first country to detect the new variant, Omicron which …

The Nigerian government has announced that all civilian workers should receive their doses of covid vaccine as several cases of the Omicron variant have been detected. In absence of proof of vaccination, officials are invited to submit the results of PCR tests dating from 72 hours before being allowed access …

Some travellers from South Africa who arrived in Nigeria last week have been tested positive to the Omicron variant, the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has announced. In a press release, the body warns that it is a matter of “when, not if” more cases are identified. The NCDC …

The South African Head of State, Cyril Ramaphosa has said he was disappointed by African leaders who have followed western countries in suspending flights to and from southern African states after the discovery of a new coronavirus variant. He said it was unfortunate, and that he would have preferred if …

Government in Zimbabwe has reimposed a lockdown and mandatory quarantines for all travellers amid rising Covid cases in order to curb the spread of the Omicron variant. President Emmerson Mnangagwa reimposed a curfew from 21:00 to 06:00 local time and said international travellers will be required to be tested on …

The head of the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, voiced concern on Tuesday that some states are introducing blanket measures aimed at the Omicron coronavirus variant that he said were “not evidence-based or effective on their own”. Dr Tedros said these were penalising southern African countries that reported …

Health authorities in Rwanda have announced that the country will begin giving third doses to the elderly and those who have underlying conditions starting on Tuesday. The health ministry says the implementation will be done in phases and will begin in the capital, Kigali. People between 30 and 50 are …

Authorities in Eswatini have launched vaccination campaign to administer third dose of the coronavirus vaccine as the country heightens alert after a new variant was discovered. According to the authorities, those aged 18 and over, who have been fully vaccinated with AstraZeneca, Pfizer or Moderna, within the last six months …

The Chinese president Xi Jinping has pledged that his country will donate one billion additional coronavirus vaccine doses to Africa, BBC News reported. He said 600 million vaccines would be sent directly, while the remainder would be delivered by other means, including through investing in vaccine production sites in Africa. …

The South African president Cyril Ramaphosa has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbours over the new coronavirus variant Omicron and called for their lifting. The president said he was “deeply disappointed” by the action, which he described as unjustified, and called for the bans to be …