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The COVID-19 Africa Update is a bi-weekly tracker that highlights the latest news and analysis on the COVID-19 pandemic across the African continent. This tracker is powered by Globesight as part of the #StaySafeAfrica campaign.
July 26th, 2021
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PAN-AFRICAN HIGHLIGHTS

Pan-African Highlights

 

Rockefeller commits $13.5 million to combat health misinformation

The Rockefeller Foundation has announced a $13.5 million commitment to help strengthen COVID-19 public health response efforts in the United States, Africa, India, and Latin America. The commitment includes funding to help design and evaluate interventions, tools, and methods to build trust in COVID-19 vaccination efforts, amongst other projects.

COVID-19 deaths in Africa surge more than 40% over previous week

Africa has recorded a 43% week-on-week rise in COVID-19 deaths, as hospital admissions increase rapidly, and countries face shortages in oxygen and intensive care beds. The surge is driven by public fatigue with key health measures and an increased spread of variants.

CDC Group announces $50 million trade finance facility with Ecobank as part of its COVID-19 response

CDC Group has announced a $50 million trade finance facility for Ecobank International aimed at providing systemic liquidity to underserved markets and crucial trade finance support to local banks and businesses across Africa, which were significantly affected by COVID-19.

Biden announce US vaccine doses for Cameroon, CAR, Gambia, Lesotho, Niger, Senegal, Zambia

President Biden announced a fresh tranche of vaccine doses for seven African countries. The US is making the donation through COVAX. It will consist of the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) single shot vaccine.

Western Africa

 

China donates 470,000 COVID-19 vaccine doses (Nigeria)

The Chinese government donated 470,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria to bolster the West African country’s fight against the virus. The Chinese Ambassador to Nigeria delivered the donation to the Nigerian Minister of Health.

African Foundries Ltd donates 1000 oxygen cylinders to fight COVID-19 (Nigeria)

African Foundries Ltd has donated 1,000 cylinders to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH). This comes following a high demand for oxygen and other facilities as countries continue to fight COVID-19.

USAID announces $30 million for research and innovation centers in Africa and Central America (Liberia)

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced new funding to create research and innovation centers in Liberia and Guatemala. USAID plans to provide $30 million over the next five years towards research and building training capacity to address health system challenges such as COVID-19. 

Eastern Africa

 

AfDB approves $20 million loan to support COVID-19 recovery (Seychelles)

The African Development Bank Group has approved a $20 million flexible loan to finance Seychelles’ Governance and Economic Reforms Support Program, expected to help drive the island nation’s macroeconomic stability and recovery from COVID-19.

Denmark donates $1.4 million towards COVID-19 response plan (Uganda)

Uganda received a $1.4 million donation from Denmark to assist in the implementation of the COVID-19 resurgence response plan. The grant from Denmark will be managed by the World Health Organization and used to support district coordination of the pandemic. 

US donates approximately 450,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine (Ethiopia)

The US Embassy in Ethiopia announced the donation by the US Government of 450,000 doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine as part of the US government’s global efforts to fight COVID-19, as part of the US pledge to initially provide 25 million doses to Africa of 80 million doses globally.

UAE sends aid and medical supplies (Rwanda)

The UAE sent an aid plane carrying 9 tones of medical supplies, testing kits, ventilators and COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda. Rwanda was among the first countries to receive medical aid from the UAE to combat COVID-19.

‘Massive’ order placed  for COVID-19 vaccines (Tanzania)

Tanzania has placed a “massive” order with the African Union for COVID-19 vaccines, marking a turnaround for the country’s government, which previously made no effort to secure doses. Tanzania is one of three countries on the African continent that has not yet started a national COVID-19 vaccination campaign.

Ministry of Health announces country running out of COVID-19 vaccines (South Sudan)

South Sudan has run out of COVID-19 vaccines after exhausting its supply of AstraZeneca doses received through COVAX. The director-general for preventive health services in the Ministry of Health, said South Sudan has vaccinated nearly 57,000 people since the country launched its vaccination campaign against COVID-19 in the capital Juba on April 6.

Southern Africa

 

Launch of Vaccination Rollout Program for correctional services officials and inmates (South Africa)

Correctional Services officials are being vaccinated in public and private vaccination sites across the country. The vaccination of inmates commenced at the 90 approved vaccination sites in Correctional Centers across the country.

Individuals urged to register for vaccinations (South Africa)

The MEC for Health urges the next category of 35 years and above to cease the chance and register on the Electronic Vaccination Data System (EVDS) from 15 July 2021. The introduction of the new category of eligible vaccines is part of government efforts to ramp up vaccination roll-out programs.

Germany provides support to vulnerable communities (Zimbabwe)

The Government of Germany has contributed approximately $3.5 million to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in Zimbabwe to support highly vulnerable communities struggling to meet their basic food needs amidst COVID-19.

Belgium sends emergency aid in the fight against COVID-19 (Namibia)

Belgium has decided to provide emergency assistance to Namibia, following a request transmitted by the country through the European Mechanism for Civil Protection. The material sent comes from the strategic stock of the FPS Public Health and consists of approximately 130,000 KN95 masks.

US donates electronic high-tech equipment to support COVID-19 vaccination program (Namibia)

The United States donated 176 tablet and 53 laptop computers, as well as 250 remote temperature monitoring devices and 2,000 terabytes in hard-drive capacity to the Ministry of Health and Social Services (MOHSS) to support data entry at vaccination sites and for monitoring purposes.

Central Africa

 

Towards the end of free treatment for unvaccinated individuals (Cameroon)

Cameroonian authorities are warning people who refuse to be vaccinated against the coronavirus that they may soon have to pay for their own medical care if they contract the disease COVID-19.

Germany donates 1 million masks to curb COVID-19 (Congo)

Germany donated 1 million masks to Congo as an indication of the bilateral cooperation between the two countries and supported the vaccination campaign against COVID-19 throughout the territory.

Over 160,000 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine to arrive (Gabon)

Gabon will receive over 160,000 doses of the American vaccine Johnson & Johnson through the COVAX initiative. This vaccine only requires one dose as opposed to two in other vaccines such as Sinopharm and Sputnik V which are already available in Gabon.

Country set to containing the spread of COVID-19 (Gabon)

Gabon’s Steering Committee of the monitoring and response plan against COVID-19 has said that the Central African country is on its way to taming the pandemic through increased recoveries and vaccinations.

COVID-19 variants to be analyzed to combat them effectively (São Tomé and Príncipe)

São Tomé and Príncipe is going to carry out the sequencing of the genome of the new COVID-19 variants, which will allow authorities to identify the variants in circulation and to combat them better, announced the Minister of Health.

Northern Africa

 

PM sacked after violent COVID-19 protests (Tunisia)

Tunisia's president has sacked the PM and suspended parliament, after violent mass protests nationwide on July 25. Anger over the government's handling of a massive recent spike in COVID-19 cases has added to general unrest over the nation's economic and social turmoil. The president’s opponents in parliament immediately accused him of staging a coup.

Country receives COVID-19 relief support from Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal and Spain (Tunisia)

As part of the European Civil Protection Mechanism, Belgium has sent emergency aid to Tunisia which includes 150,000 vaccine doses and other medical supplies. Additionally, France donated 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines as well as medical equipment and supplies from ItalyPortugal and Spain.

Government reimposes restrictions on gatherings to stem COVID-19 cases (Algeria)

Algeria will reimpose restrictions on gatherings starting July 26 to cope with a rapid spread of the more infectious Delta variant of COVID-19 that has led to an increase in the number of cases. The measures, which will apply to 35 out of 58 provinces, include an 8pm-6am curfew.

Green light for local Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine production (Algeria)

Algeria will manufacture the Chinese COVID-19 vaccine Sinovac locally. Sinovac will be the second COVID-19 vaccine to be produced in Algeria, with the Russian vaccine Sputnik V to begin production locally from September.

Government imposes new precautionary measures against COVID-19 amid alarming increase (Libya)

Libyan Prime Minister imposed new precautionary measures against COVID-19. The new measures include closing coffee shops and restaurants, banning weddings and funerals and stopping public transportation for two weeks. All public and private agencies are instructed to abide by the precautionary measures against COVID-19.

COVID-19 Q&A Powered by Meedan

Is ivermectin a proven treatment for COVID-19?

Since mid-2020, ivermectin has been discussed as a possible therapy to treat or prevent COVID-19 because it has shown some ability to act as an antiviral in non-human lab studies. Some studies have shown promising results and have made headlines around the world, but not all studies have shown positive outcomes, and many are not rigorous enough to influence healthcare decisions. Health experts say more information is needed. Similarly, ivermectin has not been approved as a treatment for COVID-19 by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

Insights Browse

How COVID-19 undermines democracy in Africa

As the recorded number of COVID-19 cases in Africa edges towards the six million mark, it has become clear that the pandemic is not only a public health challenge. It is undermining the well-being of democracy in Africa. In prioritizing public health, governments have drawn on emergency legislation to implement lockdown regulations. These measures narrow the gap between authoritarianism and democracy and can be used as a pretext for authoritarian regimes to hold on to power. Postponed elections can add to growing fears of democratic backsliding on the continent.

Vaccine diplomacy and beyond: New trends in Chinese image-building in Africa

In the face of growing tensions between the US and China, Beijing’s relationships with the Global South are taking on particular salience. Africa has long been a testing ground for Chinese public diplomacy tools. The COVID-19 pandemic has proven important in this regard. However, while China’s so-called mask and vaccine diplomacy has drawn a lot of comment, many of these approaches reflect trends in Chinese public diplomacy that predate the current crisis. A recent report by The South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) maps and contextualizes new developments in China’s use of public diplomacy in Africa. Specifically, it focuses on the practice of crisis public diplomacy, as seen throughout the pandemic and particularly in response to the global outcry following the mass eviction of African migrants in the Chinese city of Guangzhou in April 2020. The paper shows that while Chinese diplomats have experimented with many innovative public diplomacy tools, the Guangzhou incident occasioned a retreat to more conventional methods. 

Africa’s third COVID-19 wave is not over, continent should brace for more surges

Although new COVID-19 cases across Africa may be starting to trend downwards, the third wave is far from over and several countries remain dangerously affected by the spread of the Delta variant. Project HOPE warns that the third COVID-19 wave across African countries could be a prelude to deadlier waves in the weeks to come. The third wave put existing medical resources under great strain with hospitals facing shortages of oxygen supplies and ICU beds. With only 1.5% of Africa’s population – about 20 million people – fully vaccinated and overstretched health systems, the prospect of new waves surging faster and higher should be of great concern.

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About #StaySafeAfrica

#StaySafeAfrica seeks to empower communities and individuals to take simple and proven preventative measures to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Africa, supporting the African Union, the African Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, and national governments’ response plans. Furthermore, the campaign aims to encourage individuals to pool resources to support the African Union COVID-19 Response Fund.
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