Coronavirus – Face of Malawi

US Vice President Kamala Harris Tests Positive For Covid-19

Flora Mitumba — Wed, 27 Apr 2022 12:00:05 +0000

US Vice President Kamala Harris has tested positive for COVID-19, the White House said, becoming the latest top official in Washington to contract the coronavirus.

A spokesperson for the vice president said in a statement on Tuesday that Harris had not been in close contact with President Joe Biden or his wife Jill Biden “due to their respective recent travel schedules”.

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“Today, Vice President Harris tested positive for COVID-19 on rapid and PCR tests,” said spokeswoman Kirsten Allen. “She has exhibited no symptoms, will isolate and continue to work from the vice president’s residence.”

Earlier this month, top US cabinet members and key lawmakers, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also tested positive for COVID-19.

Several White House aides and Harris’s husband, Douglas Emhoff, have also contracted the virus in recent weeks.

But Biden, who tests regularly for COVID-19, has not been infected despite the outbreaks in US political circles, the White House has said.

“The President and the Vice President spoke on the phone this afternoon,” the White House said on Tuesday. “[Biden] wanted to check in and make sure she has everything she needs as she quarantines at home.”

Most legislators with recent positive tests have said they had mild cases, crediting vaccination for their light symptoms.

“After experiencing what I thought were seasonal allergies, I have tested positive for COVID-19. Thankfully, I am fully vaccinated so my symptoms remain extremely mild,” Congressman Joe Morelle, a New York Democrat, wrote on Twitter on Monday.

The US has reported more than 81 million COVID-19 cases and nearly one million related deaths since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020, according to data from John Hopkins University.

Source; Aljazeera

Coronavirus; China announces largest city-wide lockdown

Flora Mitumba — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 06:30:47 +0000

China has announced its biggest city-wide lockdown since the Covid outbreak began more than two years ago.

The city of Shanghai will be locked down in two stages over nine days while authorities carry out Covid-19 testing.

The important financial hub has battled a new wave of infections for nearly a month, although case numbers are not high by some international standards.

Authorities had so far resisted locking down the city of some 25 million people to avoid destabilising the economy.

But after Shanghai recorded its highest daily number of cases on Saturday since the early days of the pandemic, authorities appear to have changed course.

The lockdown will happen in two stages, with the eastern side of the city under restrictions from Monday until 1 April, and the western side from 1-5 April.

Public transport will be suspended and firms and factories must halt operations or work remotely, authorities said.

The city government published the instructions on its WeChat account, asking the public “to support, understand and cooperate with the city’s epidemic prevention and control work”.

Other lockdowns during the pandemic have affected entire Chinese provinces, though people could often still travel within those regions. But Shanghai, due to its high population density, is the largest single city to be locked down to date.

It is China’s commercial capital and by some calculations the biggest city in the country – but is now one of the worst-hit areas as China fights to contain a resurgence of the virus with Omicron, leading to a spike in new cases.

Officials had until now said the eastern Chinese port and financial hub must keep running for the good of the economy. The staggered approach to this lockdown means half the city will remain functioning at a time.

Millions of residents in other Chinese cities have been subjected to citywide lockdowns, often after a relatively small number of Covid cases.

In a city that’s been on its knees for two weeks, parts of it reduced to something like a ghost town, the streets are now suddenly busy with panic shoppers.

I’ve been out and seen queues stretching out of shop doors as people stock up before the lockdown starts early on Monday.

The subway station at the end of my road, newly opened just a few months ago, will be shut on Monday. Public transport will stop and all residents will be subject to mass city-wide Covid testing.

Almost 25 million people will be affected; the eastern side of the city first, then at the end of next week the western side.

Wuhan was sealed off at the very outset of this pandemic. Before Christmas it was Xi’an. Now China’s commercial and financial capital is being shut.

Just a few days ago officials here said Shanghai was too big and too important to lock down. The question now on many residents’ lips will be whether nine days is enough.

Vaccinate whole world to end pandemic, UN chief tells Davos

Flora Mitumba — Sun, 23 Jan 2022 07:00:35 +0000

UN chief Antonio Guterres told the all-virtual Davos forum on Monday that the world must vaccinate everybody against COVID-19 to ensure a way out of the pandemic.

The face-to-face gathering of political and corporate power players in the Swiss Alps is online for the second year in a row due to a pandemic that shows no sign of abating.

“The last two years have demonstrated a simple but brutal truth — if we leave anyone behind, we leave everyone behind,” said the United Nations Secretary-General.

“If we fail to vaccinate every person, we give rise to new variants that spread across borders and bring daily life and economies to a grinding halt.”

Guterres said the international community needs to “confront the pandemic with equity and fairness.”

He noted that the World Health Organization unveiled a strategy last autumn to vaccinate 40 per cent of the planet’s population by the end of 2021 and 70 per cent by the middle of this year.

“We are nowhere near these targets,” Guterres told the World Economic Forum.

“Vaccination rates in high-income countries are, shamefully, seven times higher than in African countries. We need vaccine equity, now,” he added.

Guterres said pharmaceutical companies should “stand in solidarity with developing countries by sharing licenses, know-how and technology so we can all find a way out of this pandemic.”

Source

AFP

Malawian Prophet Reveals Shocking Info Regarding Covid-19, Check It Out

Flora Mitumba — Tue, 11 Jan 2022 06:17:11 +0000

Self-acclaimed Malawian prophet Austin Liabunya has yet again revealed shocking information regarding the global pandemic Coronavirus which has left nations devastated since its start in 2019.

In what he claimed world prophecies, Liabunya claims that 2022 is the mark of the beginning of the end of the global pandemic which he clearly stressed that it will not be easily accepted by the ones he alleges created the virus.

“Take 2022 as the mark for the beginning of the end of covid19 however it will not be easy to accept that it has ended as they will still try to use it to threaten the world while planning for the next Covid19-like attack,” said Liabunya.

However, the flamboyant man of God said that despite the resistance, they will all be exposed, “Consider 2022 as the year when nations and leaders and brains behind covid19 will be exposed,” he said.

Senior 1 as he is well known among his followers added that things will come to open for everyone as the resistance against this propaganda will become too much around the world.

“Many countries vaccine will begin to show side effects at a higher level and it will be followed up and exposed and many of the brains behind it will be arrested and some even die,” he said.

He added; “Because of the failure of COVID-19 to accomplish its mission they will try to introduce new pandemics but this will collide with the plague that God is pouring in the Nations for their wickedness but their new plans will quickly be exposed.”

More Worry In The World As New Corona Virus Detected Which Is More Contagious Than Delta & Omicron

Flora Mitumba — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 19:00:52 +0000

Just when the world thought it could catch a break from the brutality that is COVID-19.

A new variant has been detected in France, that is more contagious. Named IHU, the new B.1.640.2 variant has so far infected 22 people living in Southeastern France.

It is referred to as ‘IHU’ as it was detected by researchers at Instituts Hospitalo Universitaires (IHU) Mediterranean infection.

Genetic lineage of SARS-coV-2 have been emerging and circulating around the world since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Delta and Omicron are the two variants of concern so far identified by the centers for disease control and prevention.

A genetic analysis of the variant found that it contains 46 mutations and 37 deletions from the original SAR s.coV-2 of those, there are 14 Amino acid substitutions and nine deletions on the spike protein, which is what SARS-CoV-2 uses to latch onto your cells. The B.1.640.2 has not been identified in other countries s for or labelled a variant under investigation by the world Healty organization (WHO).Thank you for reading this article please remember to like, share, comment and follow me for more articles updates.

Malawian prophet Reveals Bitter Truth About Covid-19 Vaccine

Flora Mitumba — Fri, 24 Dec 2021 05:00:09 +0000

There is a demon of fornication…

Self-acclaimed man of God Austin Liabunya has made serious sentiments regarding the infamous Coronavirus Vaccine as he claims that it was meant to control human behavior.

Writing on his official Facebook page, Liabunya said that the global pandemic is long gone what is remaining now is business for presidents pushing for their commission.

According to Liabunya, president were given targets of percentage of people in their countries to be vaccinated in exchange they were promised commission.

He continued that other president were already given their commission but those who haven’t been given, are the ones pushing for mandatory Covid-19 vaccine on their people.

The controversial man of God then added that there is a demon of fornication in the vaccine and DNA alterations.

Liabunya’s claims have come at a time government through the ministry of Health announced that come 2022, they will start mandatory Covid-19 vaccination.

However, Human Rights groupings are faulting government on its decision to force the citizens into getting the jab.

Ghana bans unvaccinated tourist

Flora Mitumba — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 16:00:16 +0000

Ghana is introducing some of the world’s strictest Covid travel rules, by banning any adult who has not been vaccinated from flying in with effect from Monday.

There is no option to self-isolate.

Ghanaian citizens and residents abroad are exempt for up to two weeks, but will be required to get jabbed upon landing at the airport.

The authorities say they are concerned about a surge of infections over the festive period.

Many other countries have avoided an outright blanket ban on unvaccinated arrivals, such as members of the European Union and the United States.

Ghana’s land and sea borders have been closed to passenger traffic since restrictions were first introduced at the start of the pandemic.

Alongside the new measures, Ghanaian authorities will also still insist that all arrivals present a negative PCR test.

All Ghanaians flying out of the country will also need to be fully vaccinated.

This means that a Ghanaian national who is not currently vaccinated but gets a jab at the airport would have to wait until getting a second dose before they were able to fly out, unless they get one from Johnson and Johnson.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends an eight- to 12-week gap between the first and second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine and a 21- to 28-day gap between the two Pfizer shots. The Moderna and Sputnik V also require two doses for maximum immunity.
Ghana is introducing some of the world’s strictest Covid travel rules, by banning any adult who has not been vaccinated from flying in with effect from Monday.

There is no option to self-isolate.

Ghanaian citizens and residents abroad are exempt for up to two weeks, but will be required to get jabbed upon landing at the airport.

The authorities say they are concerned about a surge of infections over the festive period.

Many other countries have avoided an outright blanket ban on unvaccinated arrivals, such as members of the European Union and the United States.

Ghana’s land and sea borders have been closed to passenger traffic since restrictions were first introduced at the start of the pandemic.

Alongside the new measures, Ghanaian authorities will also still insist that all arrivals present a negative PCR test.

All Ghanaians flying out of the country will also need to be fully vaccinated.

Ghana’s authorities are worried about a new wave of coronavirus infections caused by the Omicron variant among international arrivals.

“The expected increase during the festive season calls for urgent actions to prevent a major surge in Covid-19 cases in Ghana,” the head of the Ghana Health Service, Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said in a statement.

He said that over the last two weeks, cases detected at Ghana’s main airport, Kotoka, accounted for about 60% of all new confirmed Covid infections in the country.

The new travel guidelines have been met with mixed reactions among Ghanaians, with some supporting them and others saying people should have the right to choose, says the BBC’s Favour Nunoo in Accra.

With relatively few cases of Covid in the country, many Ghanaians do not feel overly concerned by the pandemic and so have not felt compelled to get immunized, he adds.

Less than 10% of Ghana’s population have currently been vaccinated – partly because of a lack of vaccines in the country until recently.

In an interview with BBC Focus on Africa, Mr Kuma-Aboagye brushed off the concerns of those who may not want to get jabbed.
“If you decide to come, then it means that you want to be vaccinated,” he said.

In the last wave more than 90% of those admitted to hospital were unvaccinated, he added.

The authorities plan to ramp up efforts to immunize the population in January, by making it compulsory for government employees, students and health workers to get the vaccine.

Vaccine passports will also be required to enter venues with large crowds like nightclubs and sports stadiums.

Since the start of the pandemic, Ghana has reported 131,246 cases and 1,228 Covid fatalities.

-BBC

Govt To Make Covid-19 Vaccine Mandatory Effective January 2022

Flora Mitumba — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 08:33:21 +0000

Government through the Ministry of Health has said it will make Covid-19 vaccine mandatory for key persons including journalists and health workers, effective January 2022.

Health Minister Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said the development follows the recent increase of new infections in the country and also as a way of boosting government’s vaccination campaign.

“Uptake of vaccines has not been high enough towards reaching our goal of vaccinating at least 60% of eligible Malawians by the end of next year. The vaccine remains our best preventive tool,” Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda said.

Official statistics show that about 641,000 people are fully vaccinated in Malawi. This amounts to just over 3% of the population, according to Reuters.

The southern African nation has seen a spike in daily Covid infections, with 318 new cases reported this week compared to less than 20 on most days in recent weeks, it adds.

The Omicron variant was discovered in the country last week.

Malawi Records 122 New Recoveries As Minister Says Back To Level 2

Flora Mitumba — Thu, 16 Dec 2021 12:16:22 +0000

Minister of Health Khumbize Kandodo Chiponda yesterday, said that Malawi recorded 122 new recoveries of the global pandemic Coronavirus with 310 new cases and no deaths.

Currently, the country is registering high numbers of new infections of which the health minister revealed that Malawi has been hit by the forth wave of the pandemic.

Today, Kandodo Chiponda announced that with the increased cases of Covid-19, the country is back to level two with an aim of curbing further spread of the global pandemic.

According to Kandodo Chiponda effective Monday, December 20, 2021 new measures will be enforced.

South African president Calls For Urgent Lift Of Travel Bans

Flora Mitumba — Mon, 29 Nov 2021 11:44:23 +0000

South Africa’s president has condemned travel bans enacted against his country and its neighbours over the new coronavirus variant Omicron.

Cyril Ramaphosa said he was “deeply disappointed” by the action, which he described as unjustified, and called for the bans to be urgently lifted.

The UK, EU and US are among those who have imposed travel bans.

Omicron has been classed as a “variant of concern”. Early evidence suggests it has a higher re-infection risk.

The heavily mutated variant was detected in South Africa earlier this month and then reported to the World Health Organization (WHO) last Wednesday.

The variant is responsible for most of the infections found in South Africa’s most populated province, Gauteng, over the last two weeks, and the number of cases of “appears to be increasing in almost all provinces” in the country, according to the WHO.

In his speech on Sunday, Mr Ramaphosa said there was no scientific basis for the travel bans and that southern Africa was the victim of unfair discrimination.

He also argued that the bans would not be effective in preventing the spread of the variant.

“The only thing the prohibition on travel will do is to further damage the economies of the affected countries and undermine their ability to respond to, and recover from, the pandemic,” he said.

He called on countries with bans in place to “urgently reverse their decisions… before any further damage is done to our economies”.

Mr Ramaphosa said South Africa would not impose new restrictions, but would “undertake broad consultations on making vaccination mandatory for specific activities and locations”.

Current regulations in South Africa make it mandatory to wear face coverings in public, and restrict indoor gatherings to 750 people and outdoor gatherings to 2,000.

There are no vaccine shortages in South Africa itself, and Mr Ramaphosa urged more people to get jabbed, saying that remained the best way to fight the virus.

A previous statement by the South African foreign ministry on Saturday also strongly criticised the travel bans, saying the country was being punished – instead of applauded – for discovering Omicron.

Omicron has now been detected in a number of countries around the world, including the UK, Germany, Australia and Israel.

South Africa detects new coronavirus variant, still studying its mutations

Flora Mitumba — Tue, 31 Aug 2021 07:31:53 +0000

South African scientists have detected a new coronavirus variant with multiple mutations but are yet to establish whether it is more contagious or able to overcome the immunity provided by vaccines or prior infection.

The new variant, known as C.1.2, was first detected in May and has now spread to most South African provinces and to seven other countries in Africa, Europe, Asia and Oceania, according to research which is yet to be peer-reviewed.

It contains many mutations associated in other variants with increased transmissibility and reduced sensitivity to neutralizing antibodies, but they occur in a different mix and scientists are not yet sure how they affect the behavior of the virus. Laboratory tests are underway to establish how well the variant is neutralized by antibodies.

South Africa was the first country to detect the Beta variant, one of only four labelled “of concern” by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Beta is believed to spread more easily than the original version of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and there is evidence vaccines work less well against it, leading some countries to restrict travel to and from South Africa.

WHO chief predicts when COVID-19 pandemic will end

Flora Mitumba — Fri, 30 Jul 2021 04:47:44 +0000

The COVID-19 pandemic has been raging for around 19 months now, scything across populations without discrimination.

Lakhs are already dead and many still dying across the world. One question dominates our collective mind: When will this pandemic end?

The World Health Organization (WHO) chief has a deceptively simple answer to this universal query.

The COVID-19 pandemic will come to an end “when the world chooses to end it,” said WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

While delivering the keynote speech at the 138th International Olympic Committee (IOC) session in Tokyo, Dr Adhanom Ghebreyesus said what matters most is “how infections are handled.”

The WHO chief reiterated that people can successfully beat the COVID-19 pandemic only if the cases of infection are identified quickly, isolated rapidly, traced efficiently and cared for as fast as possible so that onward transmission is disrupted.

He urged the whole world to come together and unite for a common objective of vaccinating 70 percent of the global population by June 2022. “We have to do everything we can in order to get victory over the global pandemic with determination, dedication and discipline. We are in a race against the coronavirus, not with each other,” he emphasized.

“When health is at risk, everything is at risk, was the most important lesson learnt from the many that the pandemic taught us,” he said.

Wishing for the success of the Tokyo Olympics, the doctor tweeted, “The Olympics have the power to bring the world together, to inspire, to show what is possible.

May these #Tokyo2020 Games be the moment that unites the world, and ignites the solidarity and determination we need to end the pandemic together.”

Globally, 191.15 million (19.11 crore) confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 4.11 million (41.10 lakh) deaths, have been reported to the WHO, as of July 21. A total of 3.57 billion (357 crore) vaccine doses have been administered till July 20.

Covid-19 jab could increase sperm count; Research

FACE OF MALAWI — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 07:27:06 +0000

Are you scared of taking Covid-19 vaccines for fear of affecting your sperm count?

Well, worry not, as the vaccine could actually increase the amount of semen produced, according to new research.

The latest findings in a study conducted at Miami University have established that vaccines against the novel coronavirus do not decrease sperm count or sperm quality among males.

What is more, the researchers found that Covid-19 vaccines may even serve to improve sperm count.

To come up with their conclusion, the eggheads compared sperm count in men who had recently received the jab and their sperm count before receiving the doze.

Men who received jabs for Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccines did not show any decrease in their sperm count with the final mean indicating the sperm count had even gone up.

The research team engaged 45 adult males aged between 18 and 50 years old, who had no symptoms of coronavirus or any previous case of the malady.

The men were required to observe abstinence for two to seven days before the first jab was administered and later on a semen analysis carried out on them.

After receiving the second jab of the vaccine, the men’s sperm count was once again analysed after 70 days.

The final tally recorded a 15 percent increase in the median sperm count which shot to 30 million cells per milliliter of fluid (m/ml) from 26 m/ml.

The average sperm count recorded a 22 percent upsurge to 44m/ml from 36 m/ml while sperm motility and volume of the sperm increased significantly as well.

The study which was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) is undoubtedly a huge breakthrough in countering misinformation being spread online regarding Covid-19 jabs.

The scientists expressed confidence that research findings were clear indication that Covid-19 vaccines do not decrease sperm count.

Unicef Asks Rich Countries To Donate Now Or Risk Wasting Jabs

FACE OF MALAWI — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 08:52:32 +0000

Millions of Covid vaccines could be wasted if rich countries send large amounts of leftover doses to poorer nations in one go, Unicef has warned.

The charity said there needed to be a steady supply throughout the year because poor countries do not have resources to use them all at once.

The UK and others have promised to donate their surplus doses – but they have been asked to give more earlier.

Stars including Billie Eilish and David Beckham are backing Unicef’s plea.

The celebrities have signed a letter to the G7 group of rich countries – including the UK – asking them to donate 20% of their vaccines by August.

“The pandemic will not be over anywhere until it is over everywhere,” said Beckham.

The other stars who have signed the letter include Andy Murray, Olivia Colman, Ewan McGregor, Liam Payne, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Orlando Bloom, Katy Perry, Gemma Chan, Whoopi Goldberg, Claudia Schiffer and Chris Hoy.

Unicef’s vaccine lead Lily Caprani told BBC Newsnight that countries needed to vaccinate their own populations at the same time as the rest of the world.

“At some point, no doubt, we will need to vaccinate under-18s,” she said. “But the priority at this moment has to be making sure that all of the vulnerable and priority groups around the world get vaccines.

“So we’re saying countries like the UK and the G7 need to donate their doses to those low income countries now, while still vaccinating their populations at home.”

But last week, Health Secretary Matt Hancock said vaccinating children in the UK would take priority over sending doses abroad.

Unlike other countries, the UK has not revealed how many doses it plans to donate to the Covax vaccine-sharing scheme, saying only that it will donate its excess doses. On Friday Mr Hancock said the UK did not currently have any spare doses.

Unicef’s Ms Caprani called on G7 countries to start donating jabs now as well as throughout the summer and the rest of the year.

“Low income countries need a steady supply that they can get off the tarmac and into the arms of health care workers,” she said.

“The unintended consequence of saving all these vaccines up to Christmas time is that countries won’t be able to absorb them and roll them out and therefore they could end up going to waste. We could see millions of doses of vaccines not used and expiring, and that will be a tragedy.”

In their letter, the celebrities said Unicef was already delivering vaccines in poor countries – but the charity was 190 million doses short.

The letter said the seven G7 countries will soon have enough to donate 20% of their doses between June and August without significant delay to their own rollouts – and doing that would provide more than 150 million doses to Covax.

“The virus is still spreading in many countries and producing new variants with the potential to put us all back where we started,” said the letter to the G7 group.

Some of the celebrities such as tennis star Murray are also urging people in the UK to donate to Unicef’s VaccinAid appeal.

Some countries, like the UK which has ordered 400 million doses of various vaccines, have already vaccinated a large proportion of their citizens.

But other countries are still waiting for their first shipments to arrive. Many poorer countries are relying on deliveries from Covax.

Some countries have pledged doses by the end of the year – but the World Health Organization has asked nations to share their vaccines now.

At the G7 summit later this week, Prime Minister Boris Johnson is planning to urge setting a target to vaccinate the world by the end of 2022.

Campaigners and critics – as well as a group of MPs – say action needs to be taken now and Britain should donate a dose for every jab imported into the UK.

The UK government has already donated £548m in aid money to the Covax scheme, and half a billion doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab have been ordered by other countries and sent abroad.

Washington Gives Away Free Marijuana Joints To Promote COVID-19 Vaccination

Mc Noel Kasinja — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 05:13:12 +0000

Washington residents will get a complimentary joint of marijuana with their COVID-19 vaccine shot this week.

If you are a Washington resident, this might be your lucky week. Adults in the state will be able to claim a free joint when they get their coronavirus vaccine shot.

As ABS News reports, the campaign is called “Joints for Jabs” and is led by the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board. It began on Monday, June 7, and is expected to last until July 12.

Adults can claim a complimentary joint of marijuana in Washington state this week when they receive a COVID-19 vaccine shot. https://t.co/WsvrHIBNu7

— ABC News (@ABC) June 8, 2021

Of course, if you want to benefit from the promotion, you must be 21 or older. Additionally, it should be your second dose of a Covid-19 vaccine at an active vaccination clinic. One more thing – you can only claim the complimentary joint from the retail location during the same visit as receiving the jab.

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The board also provides free beer, wine, or cocktails to adult residents who are vaccinated by June 30.

As for their “Joint for Jab” promotion, they said:

“[We] received multiple requests from cannabis retail licensees to engage in promotions to support state vaccination efforts.”

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According to recent data from the Washington State Department of Health, over 44% of the Evergreen State’s population is fully vaccinated against coronavirus. Moreover, ar per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than 42% of the entire U.S. population is fully vaccinated

You can now get a free joint with your covid vaccine in Washington State.

Cannabis retailers can give the joints to adults who get an on-site vaccine. The state is calling the promotion "Joints for Jabs."https://t.co/k9eiwKqRmc pic.twitter.com/gVonR6dSDn

— Mike Baker (@ByMikeBaker) June 7, 2021

However, Washington is not the only state to offer gree gifts to vaccinated adults. For instance, in Arizona, there is a cannabis dispensary handing out free pre-rolled joints and gummy edibles. In New Jersey, 13 local breweries are offering free beer to people who got their first jab in May.

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What’s more, on April 20, the unofficial pot holiday, an activist group called D.C. Marijuana Justice (DCMJ) gave away more than 8 pounds of locally-grown cannabis. They rolled up the marijuana into over 4,200 joints at 30 vaccination sites across Washington.

In the meantime, several other states are running COVID-19 vaccine lotteries where vaccinated citizens can win cash prizes.

Uganda closes schools as coronavirus cases rise

Flora Mitumba — Mon, 07 Jun 2021 13:45:35 +0000

Uganda’s President Yoweri Museveni has shut down schools and suspended public gatherings for a period of 42 days, as the country faces a surge of infections in a second Covid-19 wave.

Public transport between districts will be banned from Thursday onwards, to allow students who are in schools to return home.

Bars, cinemas and theatres have also been closed.

Dozens of schools had reported virus cases among staff and students prompting the closure.

The announcement came hours after the health ministry announced 1,259 new coronavirus cases – the highest number of infections recorded in a single day – and nine deaths on Sunday.

A rise in coronavirus cases was reported two weeks ago and officials mulled over a lockdown to prevent health facilities from being overwhelmed.

The national referral hospital Mulago reported a spike in Covid-19 patients last week, saying it needed to increase bed capacity.

Uganda has 52,929 cases of coronavirus and 374 deaths so far.

Uganda Considering Second Lockdown As Cases Surge

Flora Mitumba — Sat, 29 May 2021 19:00:03 +0000

The Ugandan government is considering a second Covid-19 lockdown to manage a sharp increase in new infections.

Health officials in the East African country say more contagious variants of the virus, especially from India, Nigeria, the UK and South Africa, are to blame for the increase in new cases.

Dr Diana Atwine of the health ministry said “some areas must be locked down unless people get back to observing SOPs (standard operating procedures)”.

“Otherwise, our systems will be overwhelmed and we shall see scenarios we have been seeing in some countries,” she said.

Critics, however, say the government is partly to blame for the high number of cases after it relaxed measures against the virus after January’s general election.

Uganda’s total confirmed cases stand at 44,594, with 361 deaths.

Kenya to reshare 200,000 unused vaccines

Flora Mitumba — Mon, 10 May 2021 16:13:15 +0000

Kenya’s health ministry plans to redistribute at least 200,000 doses of unused Covid-19 vaccines.

The country’s Health Minister Mutahi Kagwe says the vaccines would be taken to cities or counties where the uptake was high to prevent wastage.

“We cannot afford to have the jabs expire in our stores,” Mr Kagwe said.

Kenya expects to record an average vaccine wastage rate of 10% or less.

Wastage may occur when a closed vial cannot be used due to ineffective temperature control, monitoring and stock management during storage and transportation.

An open vial may also be wasted because of unused doses of multi-dose vials.

In the case of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, one vial can be used to vaccinate at most 10 people.

The World Health Organization says vials should be discarded either six hours later, or at the end of the immunisation session, or else the remaining doses go to waste and have to be destroyed.

More than 916,000 people have been immunised out of the 1.2 million doses received in February.