COVID-19 Updates

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health, Dr Diana Atwine acknowledges that the health ministry could have flouted procurement procedures while dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, she says this was inevitable for the purpose of saving so many lives that were at stake. Atwine’s remarks were …

Tokyo, Japan | Xinhua | Overseas spectators will be banned from entering Japan to watch the Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games this summer due to COVID-19, the Tokyo 2020 organizing committee announced on Saturday. Tokyo 2020 president Seiko Hashimoto told a news conference that the decision has been made by the …

Businesses and consumers that went digital helped mitigate the economic downturn caused by the pandemic Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Amid slowing economic activity, Covid-19 led to a surge in e-commerce and accelerated digital transformation. As lockdowns became the new normal, businesses and consumers increasingly went digital, providing and purchasing …

Islamabad, Pakistan | XINHUA | Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has tested positive for COVID-19, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health Faisal Sultan said on social media Saturday. The Ministry of National Health Service, Regulations and Coordination said on social media that the prime minister was not fully …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new study by Makerere University-based bioethicists has found that the government blundered regarding who should be given priority as initial beneficiaries of the Covid-19 vaccine. Launching preliminary findings of the survey in which scientists sought to establish ethical and social issues for vaccine priority …

The AstraZeneca vaccine’s benefits outweigh its risks Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries on Friday to continue using the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine against COVID-19, as its benefits outweigh risks with tremendous potential to prevent infections and deaths from the pandemic. Following the review on the AstraZeneca …

Kampala, Uganda | Julius Businge | Any effort geared towards supporting businesses is highly needed at this time for the economy to fast recover from the COVID-19 crisis. A group of civil society organisations under their umbrella body, Civil Society Budget Advocacy Group (CSBAG) has listed challenges women face in business …

Stanbic continues to support clients as the economy recovers Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Stanbic Bank Uganda (SBU) has paid out a total of Sh110 billion to its shareholders for financial year 2019, continuing a long track record of returning consistently positive earnings despite prevailing challenges. At the peak of …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The presidential advisor on epidemics Monica Musenero has asked the government to sensitize the public about the on-going Covid-19 vaccination. Musenero who is part of the COVID-19 national task force says that the low turn up of health workers for the vaccination exercise is not …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has asked all persons aged 70 and above to go to vaccination centres for COVID-19 jabs. In a Thursday evening joint press statement, Health Minister Dr Jane Ruth Aceng said while they had initially planned to vaccinate the elderly starting from …