coronavirus – KMAUPDATES

Jul132020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

University professors fear returning to campus as coronavirus cases surge

HEALTH

Laura Crary, an art history professor at a liberal arts college in South Carolina, is anxious to return to the classroom, so much so that she was prescribed anti-anxiety medications for the first time in her life. “I am 62.5 years old, which means I’m four years from full retirement age, or I’d probably retire right now because I’m very nervous,” she said. While the final fall 2020 plans at her college are still pending, professors at her university were told that conducting solely online classes was not an option. Crary asked that NBC News not name the college. As coronavirus cases start to surge in more than 30 states across the U.S., some professors are pushing back when it comes to returning to campus for in-person teaching. More than 50% of colleges and univer...

Jul132020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

‘world’s most beautiful woman’ tests positive for COVID-19

Entertainment

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the Indian actress and former Miss World long touted as the ‘world’s most beautiful woman” has tested positive for COVID-19. The news was shared in a tweet from the 46-year-old star’s actor husband, Abhishek Bachchan, who revealed that the couple’s 8-year-old daughter, Aaradhya, also has COVID-19. Just a day earlier, Bachchan, had disclosed that he and his 77-year-old father, Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan, had tested positive after experiencing mild symptoms. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the Indian actress and former Miss World long touted as the ‘world’s most beautiful woman” Aishwarya and Aaradhya have also tested COVID-19 positive. They will be self quarantining at home. The BMC has been updated of their situation and are doing the needful.The ...

Jul122020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Sierra Leone: International Organization for Migration (IOM) Water Facilities Help Resettled Communities Fight COVID-19 in Sierra Leone

HEALTH

FREETOWN, Sierra Leone, July 12, 2020/ -- Amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, handwashing remains among the most difficult preventive measures for millions of Sierra Leoneans to follow. In fact, access to clean water is still a challenge for many crowded urban settlements across Sierra Leone, a small country in West Africa where an estimated 2.9 million people live without clean and potable water. So, how do you wash your hands if you cannot access water? Despite the COVID-19 outbreak in a country still traumatized by some 4,000 deaths caused by the Ebola virus, flood survivors living in camps often forsake lockdown measures as they search for clean water for their households. To support these disaster-affected communities, the In...

Jul122020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

African Development Bank Regional Economic Outlook 2020: In West Africa, harnessing the youth workforce could speed economic recovery in the post-COVID-19 era

AFRICA

ABUJA, Nigeria, July 12, 2020/ --Growth in West Africa, poised to expand by 4.0 percent in 2020, now projected to contract by -2.0 percent in 2020; Demand for science, technology, engineering and mathematics increasing, though school enrolment, retention rates poor. West Africa’s burgeoning youth population offers a strategic workforce which can be harnessed for employment and economic growth, despite a COVID-19 pandemic that is devastating the continent and global economies, the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) said in its regional economic outlook report. The virtual launch of the report on 3 July, was jointly hosted by the Bank’s Regional Development and Business Delivery Office for West Africa, the Nigeria Country Office and the Country Economics Department. The report wa...

Jul102020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

WORLD: Chinese embassy warns of Unknown ‘pneumonia’ deadlier than coronavirus sweeping Kazakhstan.

CORONAVIRUS, HEALTH, INTERNATIONAL

The Chinese embassy in Kazakhstan has warned of a deadly "unknown pneumonia" after the former Soviet republic reported a spike in pneumonia cases since June. "The death rate of this disease is much higher than the novel coronavirus. The country's health departments are conducting comparative research into the pneumonia virus, but have yet to identify the virus," the embassy said in a warning to Chinese citizens in the country. While the Chinese embassy described the illness as an "unknown pneumonia", Kazakhstani officials and media have only said it is pneumonia. It was not clear why the Chinese embassy had described the illness as "unknown" or what information it had about the pneumonia. The embassy's website, citing local media reports, said the provinces of Atyrau and Aktob...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

World Health Organization announces that coronavirus can linger in the air

HEALTH

Under growing pressure from researchers, the World Health Organization acknowledged Thursday that the coronavirus can linger in the air indoors and potentially infect people even when they practice social distancing. The United Nations agency had maintained that such airborne transmission occurred only during certain medical procedures and that nearly all infections occur when people inhale respiratory droplets expelled in their immediate vicinity or when they touch contaminated surfaces. But mounting evidence — including "super-spreading" events in which multiple choir singers, restaurant diners or dance students were infected — suggests that the virus can be transmitted through microscopic droplets known as aerosols that can float in the air, potentially for hours. This week, 2...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Libya: African Development Bank grants $0.5 million emergency relief assistance for personal protective equipment (PPE) protection against COVID-19

AFRICA

ABIDJAN, Ivory Coast, July 10, 2020 --The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (www.AfDB.org) have approved a grant of $480,000 to Libya under the Special Relief Fund (SRF) for the procurement of much-needed personal protective equipment (PPE) intended for treatment of cases of infection of the novel Coronavirus. The Bank’s funding will contribute to supporting the country’s national Response Plan for COVID-19. The assistance is intended to focus on infection prevention and control and to shield communities, particularly those most vulnerable including the health workers. The $480,000 grant, is considered the first granted to the North African nation under the SRF since 2014. It was approved following a request from the Libyan government. The operation is a resul...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: Refugees in Africa ‘even more vulnerable than ever’ amid COVID crisis

AFRICA

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 10, 2020 --The alert from the World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN refugee agency (UNHCR), coincides with ongoing conflict and disasters on the continent, and severe underfunding for their work. “While the situation continues to deteriorate for everyone, the disaster is magnified for refugees who have absolutely nothing to cushion their fall”, said WFP Executive Director, David Beasley. “In the best of times, refugees live in cramped conditions, struggle to meet their basic needs and often have no option but to rely on outside assistance for their survival. Now more than ever, they need our lifesaving support.” More than 10 million refugees worldwide receive WFP assistance today; this includes the world’s largest refugee settlement...

Jul102020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

CORONAVIRUS: Africa begins collaboration for Covid-19 vaccine trial

CORONAVIRUS

The African Union Commission has launched a consortium for Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials aimed at securing more than 10 trials as early as possible. The new consortium will be headed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention. It will bring together global vaccine developers, funders, and African organisations that facilitate clinical trials to ensure that sufficient data on effects of vaccine candidates on the African population is generated. This will enable vaccines to be confidently rolled out in Africa once approved. The AU Commission says rolling out a vaccine in Africa is key to “limiting transmission, preventing deaths and laying the foundation for socio-economic recovery that should bring Africa’s integration agenda back on track”. “Success in develop...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Liberia: Comic Strips Provide Preventative Information to Protect People from Virus

AFRICA

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 10, 2020 --Liberia declared a state of emergency in early April when the pandemic hit. In a race against time, Sharon Logan with a group of fellow returnees took the initiative to create comic strips to get essential preventative information about the virus to communities with limited access to mainstream communication channels. Sharon is part of a network of migrant returnees trained to provide accurate and clear information to people at risk of unsafe migration and exploitation and abuse by human traffickers and smugglers in West Africa. The network was formed under the Migrants as Messengers (MaM) programme led by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support returnees in the region to lead migration awareness-raising initiative...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus: Reggae classic ‘One Love’ re-issued to help children upended by COVID crisis

Entertainment

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 10, 2020/ --The iconic Bob Marley song One Love is to be re-released with the blessing of the musician’s family to support children whose lives have been upended by COVID-19, the UN said on Thursday. The fundraising initiative comes as the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) warned that an additional 6,000 children could die every day from preventable causes in the next six months. Almost all of them live in developing countries, where the coronavirus pandemic has placed additional strain on already fragile health systems and basic services. Call for unity, then and now Issued in 1977 by Bob Marley and the Wailers, with a call for unity and to tackle the suffering of children, a new version of the much-loved reggae anthem will go on s...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Uganda: Government of Sweden boosts UNICEF lifesaving healthcare services during COVID-19 response

AFRICA

KAMPALA, Uganda, July 10, 2020 --The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received US$4.4 million (app. UGX 16 billion) from the Government of Sweden to support Uganda’s COVID-19 humanitarian response and efforts towards the continued delivery of essential health services for pregnant and breastfeeding women, newborns, young children, and adolescents. The new funding will target beneficiaries in the districts of Iganga, Isingiro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kasese, Mbale, Wakiso, Pakwach, Nebbi, Zombo, Madi-Okollo, Arua, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Obongi, and Adjumani from July 2020 to June 2021. UNICEF and partners continue to support the Government of Uganda in controlling, containing, and mitigating the impact of COVID-19. UNICEF is particularly focused on strengthening acce...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UNHCR and WFP warn refugees in Africa face hunger and malnutrition as COVID-19 worsens food shortages

AFRICA

ROME, Italy, July 10, 2020 --UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme (WFP) are warning that severe underfunding, conflict and disasters – as well as supply chain challenges, rising food prices and loss of income due to COVID19 - threaten to leave millions of refugees across Africa without food. “Millions of refugees throughout Africa are currently reliant on regular aid to meet their food needs,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Around half are children, who may develop life-long difficulties if deprived of food at vital stages in their development.” Unless urgent action is taken to address the situation, levels of acute malnutrition, stunting and anemia are expected to rise. In refugee camps in Ethiopia, 62% of children are experiencing cr...

Jul102020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus: African Union Commission launches Consortium for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial

AFRICA

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia, July 10, 2020 --The African Union Commission has launched a new initiative, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) Consortium for COVID-19 Vaccine Clinical Trial (CONCVACT). CONCVACT is an outcome of the virtual conference on Africa’s Leadership Role in COVID-19 Vaccine Development and Access held on 24-25 June 2020. The conference was hosted by Africa CDC and presided over by the Chairperson of the African Union, H.E. President Cyril Ramaphosa and the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, H.E. Moussa Faki Mahamat. “Success in developing and providing access to a safe vaccine requires an innovative and collaborative approach, with significant local manufacturing in Africa. We need to support the contribution of African scien...

Jul92020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: UNHCR and WFP warn refugees in Africa face hunger and malnutrition as COVID-19 worsens food shortages

AFRICA, CORONAVIRUS, HEALTH

ROME, Italy, July 9, 2020/ -- UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and the World Food Programme (WFP) are warning that severe underfunding, conflict and disasters – as well as supply chain challenges, rising food prices and loss of income due to COVID19 - threaten to leave millions of refugees across Africa without food.“Millions of refugees throughout Africa are currently reliant on regular aid to meet their food needs,” said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees. “Around half are children, who may develop life-long difficulties if deprived of food at vital stages in their development.”Unless urgent action is taken to address the situation, levels of acute malnutrition, stunting and anemia are expected to rise. In refugee camps in Ethiopia, 62% of children are experiencing critical ...

Jul92020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

Coronavirus – Uganda: Government of Sweden boosts UNICEF lifesaving healthcare services during COVID-19 response

CORONAVIRUS, UGANDA

KAMPALA, Uganda, July 9, 2020/ -- The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has received US$4.4 million (app. UGX 16 billion) from the Government of Sweden to support Uganda’s COVID-19 humanitarian response and efforts towards the continued delivery of essential health services for pregnant and breastfeeding women, newborns, young children, and adolescents.The new funding will target beneficiaries in the districts of Iganga, Isingiro, Kampala, Kamuli, Kasese, Mbale, Wakiso, Pakwach, Nebbi, Zombo, Madi-Okollo, Arua, Maracha, Koboko, Yumbe, Moyo, Obongi, and Adjumani from July 2020 to June 2021. UNICEF and partners continue to support the Government of Uganda in controlling, containing, and mitigating the impact of COVID-19. UNICEF is particularly focused on strengthening access to essent...

Jul92020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

CORONAVIRUS: Uganda registers 23 new cases, tally to 1,000

CORONAVIRUS, HEALTH, UGANDA

Results of COVID-19 tests that were conducted on Wednesday have confirmed 23 new cases, bringing the cumulative confirmed cases in Uganda to 1,000. Out of the 23 new cases; 12 are Ugandan nationals who returned from abroad. According to a statement by Dr Henry Mwebesa, the director general of health services at the ministry of health, eight people returned from Afghanistan, three from DR Congo and one from South Sudan. He said that they were all under quarantine at the time of the test. Dr Mwebesa said that three patients arrived via Mutukula, Afoji and Madi Opei points of entry while eight were contacts and alerts from Tororo, Hoima, Luweero, Kyotera and Arua districts. He said that 31 foreign truck drivers (24 Kenyans, 3 Tanzanians, 2 DR Congo nationals, one Rwandan and o...

Jul92020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus: Madagascar Country Office – Covid-19 response

AFRICA

NEW YORK, United States of America, July 9, 2020/ -- Highlights • From May 17th to July 7th 2020, the growth curve in the number people testing positive decupled, reaching an exponential shape from 304 to 3250. Cases have been reported in 15 regions. • There are currently four regions mostly affected by the epidemic in Madagascar:Analamanga (Antananarivo), Alaotra Mangoro (Mangoro), Analanjirofo (Fenerive Est) and Atsinanana (Toamasina) that cumulate most of the previous and new cases with high community transmission. The overload of central hospitals has led to preparing for decentralizing of care for asymptomatic and pauci-symptomatic patients whilst moderate, severe and critical patients will still be taken care of in central hospitals • Government declared health emergency st...

Jul92020 by Kayongo Brian TimothyNo Comments

UGANDA: Hon Kyagulanyi charges the government to address on lockdown deaths.

AFRICA, UGANDA

Kyadondo East MP Robert Kyagulanyi, alias , has asked government to explain the killing of 15 Ugandans who were gunned down by Local Defence Unit (LDU) personnel during the lockdown. “While the coronavirus has not killed a single Ugandan, government security personnel, including LDUs and others, have killed many people, tortured Ugandans and mutilated others in the name of enforcing Covid-19 related restrictions,” Mr Kyagulanyi told the press at his offices in Kamwokya yesterday. The Uganda People’s Defence Forces (UPDF) spokesperson, Brig Richard Karemire, said most of their errant officers who committed some of the crimes have since been arrested, charged or convicted and jailed on varying charges. “Like today (yesterday), we have sentenced one of them to 20 years in jail. We a...

Jul92020 by KATENDE SHARIFNo Comments

Coronavirus – Africa: Standing in solidarity with migrants – Supporting civil society and other stakeholders in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic

AFRICA

GENEVA, Switzerland, July 9, 2020/ -- The UN Network on Migration salutes all actors providing vital protection, monitoring, advocacy, information and support to and in collaboration with migrants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Civil society organizations, migrant and diaspora associations, workers and employers organizations, national human rights institutions, youth and women-led organizations, local authorities and communities, the private sector and others play a vital role in protecting many of those rendered most vulnerable by the pandemic and responses to it. The Network calls for increased recognition for this work, including through avenues for meaningful participation and greater governmental and financial support. The challenges many migrants already faced are now exacerbate...