Sat 11 December 2021: The decision by several governments across the globe to institute travel bans on seven African countries, starting on 27 November, due to the discovery of a new Covid-19 variant, Omicron, was perceived to be hasty in the eyes of some and fully justifiable on medical grounds, in the view of others. However, the […]
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Sat 11 December 2021: According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), booster COVID-19 vaccination provides an estimated 70% to 75% protection against mild illness from the new Omicron variant, the first finding from actual studies. Is quoted. The findings, released Friday, are some of the earliest data on protection against Omicron outside of laboratory […]
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Fri 10 December 2021: The Omicron variant has thrown the spotlight on the COVID-19 vaccine shortfall in Africa, with the continent remaining the worst hit by inequitable access to safe and effective vaccines. Poorer countries continue to scramble to get their hands on the lifesaving jabs, with less than 10% of Africa’s 54 nations projected […]
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Fri 10 December 2021: The Department of Health has announced that the first recipients of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine booster shot will likely get it in January. The department’s Deputy Director-General, Dr Nicholas Crisp, told the media that the first qualifiers to the booster shot will be eligible on 28 December. “That is a couple […]
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Fri 10 December 2021: Austria’s conservative-led government has detailed its plan to make coronavirus vaccines mandatory for those aged 14 and older, stating that non-compliance will result in fines of up to 3,600 euros ($4,071) per three months. “We do not want to punish people who are not vaccinated. We want to win them over […]
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Fri 10 December 2021: AlgorithmWatch warns that a plethora of automated decision-making systems were implemented in haste under the guise of public health. The COVID-19 pandemic was exploited as an excuse to further normalise surveillance and monitor an increasing number of daily activities of people around the world under the guise of public health, a […]
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Thu 09 December 2021: The African continent’s first messenger RNA (mRNA) technology transfer hub for COVID-19 vaccines will be a game-changer for the continent. “When outbreaks like COVID-19 happen, the whole world rallies around developing new technologies and vaccines. But we don’t know that we will have the same response if there is an outbreak […]
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Thu 09 December 2021: Allegra Stratton, a close adviser to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has quit after a video of her went viral. At a simulated press briefing, Stratton is seen answering questions from her colleague. She’s seen talking about a “fictitious” gathering that wasn’t “socially separated.” The party took place in the year […]
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Thu 09 December 2021: The South African Health Products Authority (SAHPRA) has approved the administering of the third dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for adults and children with a weak immune system. This means all adults in South Africa are now eligible for an additional shot six months after the second dose and it […]
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Thu 09 December 2021: The “acute phase” of the Covid-19 pandemic will end in 2022, billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates has predicted on his blog, also deeming the rise of the Omicron variant “concerning.” The billionaire suggested in a post to his GatesNotes blog that, “It might be foolish to make another prediction, but I […]
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