Epidemics Tracker

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Top artists from across Africa and throughout the African Diaspora have joined forces with UNESCO, to save lives and counter misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They are creating public service announcements, songs and music videos as part of an online campaign called #DontGoViral which has …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Most health workers at four Makerere University Teaching Hospitals have a negative attitude toward COVID-19 patients. This was revealed in an online cross-sectional study conducted at Mulago National Referral Hospital, Mulago Specialized Women and Neonatal Hospital, Kiruddu National Referral Hospital and Kawempe National Referral …

London, United Kingdom | AFP |  Major social advances have often emerged from the depths of disaster: the Black Death brought an end to serfdom, and Britain’s welfare state emerged from the ruins of World War II. As the coronavirus outbreak took hold, many governments brought in policies previously dismissed as …

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The Minister in charge of the Presidency Esther Mbayo has been asked to explain why directives issued by President Yoweri Museveni during the COVID-19 lockdown are misinterpreted.   Bugabula South MP Henry Kibalya complained about a recent incident where security personnel in Kyengera refused a pregnant …

Moscow, Russia | AFP |  The bombastic military parade through Moscow’s Red Square on Saturday was slated to be the spectacle of the year on the Kremlin’s calendar. Standing with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron, President Vladimir Putin would have overseen a 90-minute procession of Russia’s military …

Kampala, Uganda |  THE INDEPENDENT |  The number of COVID-19 confirmed cases has surpassed the 100-mark after a sample of a Tanzanian truck driver tested positive. The case is a 32-year-old driver who entered the country via the Mutukula border. His sample was among 3,091 samples that were tested at the …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has denied knowledge of the proposed Constituency Covid-19 Task Force. Kadaga made the statement on Thursday during the plenary sitting. Media reports have for the past two days indicated that a Tuesday meeting between President Museveni and a select …

Johannesburg, South Africa | AFP | The World Health Organization on Thursday advised governments to clinically test a herbal drink touted by Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina as a remedy against coronavirus. The Covid-Organics infusion is derived from artemisia — a plant with proven anti-malarial properties — and other indigenous herbs. Rajoelina …

Nairobi, Kenya | AFP | The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention on Thursday sought to ease concerns by Tanzania that the country’s coronavirus test kits were faulty. President John Magufuli on Monday suspended top officials at the country’s national laboratory, after saying he had secretly had animals and fruits …

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The Ministry of Health and other agencies are facing problems tracking truck drivers who have tested positive to coronavirus disease- COVID-19. According to officials on the National COVID-19 Task Force, it has become increasingly hard to trace drivers and their contacts because as they …