Social Distancing Forcing Schools to Reduce Learning Time Jinja, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A section of school administrators in Jinja district have resolved to increase the time allocated to learners during both break and lunchtime to promote social distancing at the different eating points. They argue that learners normally crowd …
Read More »COVID-19 affects sperm quality in men – Study
Washington, USA | THE INDEPENDENT | Men infected with COVID-19 might experience a short-term reduction in sperm count, according to a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology. The study shows that some men infected with COVID-19 might find it hard to impregnate a woman after recovering from the …
Read More »Re-opening the economy: What it means for startups
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | While addressing the nation on December 30, 2021, President Yoweri Museveni lifted the two-year lockdown and fully opened all the sector of the economy. With most of the business returning to normal operations this month, start-ups within the education, creative and transport sectors received …
Read More »Experts explain higher COVID hospitalization rate in North America
New York, US | Xinhua | Experts point to several reasons why the rate of COVID patients in hospital is higher in North America than in most other parts of the world, the BBC has reported. Professor David Larsen, an epidemiologist and global health expert at Syracuse University in …
Read More »US Embassy cancels visa interviews over surge in Covid-19
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The US Embassy in Kampala has temporarily suspended routine visitor visa interviews following a recent spike in Covid-19 cases in the country. The suspension comes in the wake of the third wave of the pandemic declared by the Ministry of Health on 7 January …
Read More »COVID: WHO recommends two new ‘wonder’ drugs
Geneva, Switzerland | THE INDEPENDENT | WHO has recommended two new drugs for COVID-19, providing yet more options for treating the disease. The extent to which these medicines will save lives depends on how widely available and affordable they will be. The first drug, baricitinib, is strongly recommended for patients …
Read More »MINISTRY: No COVID tests, no school fees hike
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Plans by several schools to make a COVID-19 test compulsory for returning students, and to also increase school fees, could be frustrated if orders by the Ministry of Education are enforced. Several educationists URN talked to are however not happy with the directive, saying …
Read More »COVID-19 testing requirement for truckers at border halted
Tororo, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The government has dropped its decision requiring truckers to undergo a mandatory COVID-19 testing before entering the country. The truckers have been paying sh100,000 for COVID-19 testing before they are allowed to cross into Uganda. Recently, the truckers from Kenya rose up in protest …
Read More »Djokovic detained at Australian airport in COVID-19 vaccination dispute
Melbourne, Australia | THE INDEPENDENT | Tennis star Novak Djokovic has been held in Melbourne, hours after arriving for the Australian Open supposedly with a vaccination exemption. Border Force officials are still assessing his documents to support his exemption. According to officials, a COVID infection in the past six months – …
Read More »Dissatisfaction rises as Europeans celebrate holidays amid raging pandemic
Warsaw, Poland | Xinhua | Several European countries have seen record COVID infections in the post-Christmas days. During the holidays, surging numbers and ramped-up restrictions have led to dissatisfaction and criticism among experts and citizens. CELEBRATION AND INFECTION France has seen a sharp increase since Christmas, with 208,099 cases detected …
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