Epidemics Tracker

Madrid, Spain | Xinhua | The Spanish government will next week revoke the mandate for wearing facemasks against the infection from COVID-19, Spanish Health Minister Carolina Darias said on Friday. A proposal for that will be approved in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday, the minister told local radio station Cadena …

Brussels, Belgium | Xinhua | The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said on Thursday that there was “insufficient evidence” for it to recommend the administration of a second booster vaccine against COVID-19. “At the moment, there is insufficient evidence from clinical trials or real-world evidence that could support our recommendation for the …

Brazzaville, Congo | Xinhua | With only 11 percent of the population fully vaccinated in Africa, the vaccination rate on the African continent needs to increase six times to meet the 70 percent target set for mid-2022, warned Thursday the World Health Organization (WHO). “The world has finally heard our calls. …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Parliament suspended the debate on COVID-19 relief cash for teachers on Tuesday until the glitches reported during the government cash transfers in July 2021 are addressed. The government through Parliament appropriated Shillings 53.5 billion targeting 500,000 vulnerable persons affected by the second lockdown. However, the …

  Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Ugandan laboratories will next month start paying a fine of $3,000 USD (about sh10.5 million)  for each fake Covid-19 test result they will issue to air-bound travelers. Ugandan aviation officials say the vice is on the increase. The decision was communicated during a meeting …

Entebbe, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health has received a consignment of ten automated COVID-19 testing equipment on Friday which they say will help them cut down on the time they spend analyzing results and their final release. Currently, people testing through the government labs have to …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health is planning to start vaccinating children aged 12 to 17 against COVID-19. Although the majority of COVID-19 vaccines were initially approved for use in adults aged 18-years and above, an increasing number of vaccines are now also being authorized for use in …

Berlin, Germany | Xinhua | German biotechnology company BioNTech and U.S. company Pfizer have started clinical trials of an Omicron-based COVID-19 vaccine candidate in healthy adults 18 through 55 years of age, the companies said on Tuesday. The trials would evaluate the safety, tolerability and immunogenicity of the vaccine candidate, according …

Washington, U.S. | Xinhua | The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Tuesday projected the global economy to grow by 4.4 percent in 2022, down by 0.5 percentage point from October’s forecast, according to a newly released update to its World Economic Outlook report. Growth will slow as economies grapple with supply …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health is now banking on personal responsibility to curb the transmission of COVID-19 as the economy fully reopens. Bars, entertainment centres, public concerts and the entire Arts industry are now allowed to operate, after close to two years of extreme restrictions which …