Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) warned on Tuesday that blanket travel bans will not prevent the international spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant, even as dozens of countries have already introduced such restrictions. Although labeling Omicron as a “variant of concern”, the WHO said blanket travel …
Read More »New dangerous COVID-19 variant
Heavily mutated coronavirus variant puts scientists on alert | THE INDEPENDENT | Researchers in South Africa are racing to track the concerning rise of a new variant of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The variant harbours a large number of mutations found in other variants, including Delta, and it seems …
Read More »WHO warns against border closures as Omicron variant spreads
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Despite a growing number of countries impose flight bans on southern African nations due to concerns over the new Omicron variant, World Health Organization (WHO) urges countries to follow science and the International Health Regulations. In a statement, the organization warns that travel bans may …
Read More »U.S. scrambles to take actions over Omicron variant’s chilling effect
United States imposed travel restrictions on southern African countries New York, U.S. | Xinhua | The newly-discovered Omicron variant of COVID-19 in South Africa has raised fears about the global trajectory of the pandemic, while some countries including the United States have raced to impose travel restrictions on southern African countries. …
Read More »Two cases of Omicron variant detected in UK as restrictions tightened
Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern London, UK | Xinhua | Two cases of the Omicron coronavirus variant have been detected in Britain, British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said Saturday. He said the cases, detected in Chelmsford and in Nottingham, are “linked” and the two individuals are now self-isolating along with …
Read More »SARS-CoV-2 variant B.1.1.529 named Omicron, designated “Variant of Concern”: WHO
Omicron (B.1.1.529): SARS-CoV-2 Variant of Concern Geneva, Switzerland | Xinhua | The World Health Organization (WHO) classified on Friday the latest variant B.1.1.529 of SARS-CoV-2, which was first reported from South Africa, as a “Variant of Concern” (VOC), and asked countries to enhance surveillance and sequencing efforts. South Africa has seen …
Read More »INTERVIEW: Africa’s first mRNA vaccine
Technology transfer hub gets to work The World Health Organisation (WHO) and the COVID Vaccines Global Access (COVAX) initiative announced in mid-2021 that they were working with a consortium to establish the first COVID messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine technology transfer hub on the African continent, in South Africa. The Conversation …
Read More »Herbal skin treatments
Makerere University scientists give traditionalists a boost | THE INDEPENDENT | An organic research group at Makerere University Kampala has embarked on testing the safety, quality and efficacy of herbal remedies in a bid to ensure that only those found safe and effective are used. The group from the university’s …
Read More »WHO: Insulin still out of reach for many a century after discovery
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A century after it was discovered, insulin still remains out of reach for many people living with diabetes, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a report published Friday to commemorate the milestone anniversary. Diabetes is characterized by elevated levels of blood sugar which over time, can cause …
Read More »WHO warns of measles outbreaks as countries fail to reach elimination target
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | No new countries have achieved measles elimination target, just a month to the end of the year. This is according to the World Health Organization-WHO. By the end of 2020, 81 countries had succeeded in sustaining their measles elimination status despite the pandemic. WHO reports …
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