Coronavirus

The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved two versions of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine for emergency use, clearing the way for the vaccines to be shipped to African countries through the Covax scheme. Covax is a global initiative in which countries pool their resources to support the development of vaccines …

The co-chair of a taskforce overseeing government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic has been fired by President Lazarus Chakwera, amid allegations over misuse of 6 billion Malawi Kwacha ($7.7m ). The co-chair of the taskforce, John Phuka, and the head of disaster management, James Chiusiwa, were sacked “for showing a …

Zimbabwe has received its first 200,000 doses of the Sinopharm Covid-19 vaccine, donated by China. The consignment arrived on Monday morning in a Air Zimbabwe flight and was handed over to the government by the Chinese ambassador to the country. An additional 600,000 doses ordered by the Zimbabwean government are …

South Africa on Monday reopened 20 land border crossings that were closed over a month ago to limit the spread of Covid-19. The land border points with Zimbabwe, Namibia, Mozambique, eSwatini, Botswana and Lesotho will now have normal travel. They were closed following congestion by people who sought to enter …

In a statetement said on Sunday, the Rwandan health ministry said the country has started immunising its healthcare workers against the cornavirus pandemic. An official in the ministry said immunisation with the Pfizer vaccine started last week in a few hospitals in the capital, Kigali. In a tweet, the ministry …

Zimbabwe will receive 800,000 coronavirus vaccine doses developed by China’s Sinopharm by the start of March, the government has said. China is donating 200,000 of the shots while Zimbabwe is paying for the other 600,000. Information Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said in a video posted on Twitter that the first batch …

The coronavirus variant first found in the British region of Kent is a concern because it is mutating and so could undermine the protection given by vaccines against developing COVID-19, the head of the UK’s genetic surveillance programme said. The coronavirus has killed 2.35 million people and turned normal life …

The African Union’s disease control body said on Thursday that it was not “walking away” from AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine, after trial data showed it had greatly reduced efficacy against the coronavirus variant dominant in South Africa. Africa CDC Director John Nkengasong told a news conference that more work needed to …

Namibia’s national carrier Air Namibia has decided to suspend all operations, cancelling all of its flights and grounding its aircraft with immediate effect. The airline urged all customers to cancel reservations and request refunds. According to the state-owned New Era newspaper, the announcement leaves more than 600 employees without jobs. …

The municipal authorities in Chimoio city in Mozambique have announced plans to expand the morgue at the main provincial hospital citing rising Covid-19 deaths. City mayor João Ferreira has confirmed the expansion. The project will include expanding the mortuary building and refrigeration capacity at a cost of $5,300 in Manica …