Among potential vaccines on clinical trials for the SARS-CoV-2 virus globally, the Ox1CoV-19 VIDA-Trials in Johannesburg is the sole candidate in Africa – a collaboration between Oxford University and University of Witswatersrand. This is worrisome despite capacities to conduct clinical trials in other countries including Senegal, Egypt and Algeria. Determined to increase this number, […]
Category: Africa
COVID-19 in Kenya: 150 days of learning
How does one fight an invisible, insidious, and all but intractable foe worth 30 kb in size? In Kenya, the hundred and fiftieth day of COVID-19 passed on 9th August 2020, nine months after the virus manifested itself in the Chinese province of Wuhan. The pandemic has brought forth some key learnings in the […]
Hospital-based care for newborns in Malawi: Staying the course for improved outcomes amid COVID-19
As a paediatrician and head of the Department of Paediatrics at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) in Lilongwe, Malawi, my focus is improving care for newborns and children in our hospital and supporting the referring districts. My colleagues and I remain committed to caring for small and sick newborns during the COVID-19 pandemic despite the additional […]
Ghana during COVID-19 : Reflections on Social Capital in Community Participation
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the newly emergent coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, has hit Ghana with full blown community transmission to the shock of many policy makers. Effective measures to reduce the transmission of the virus require active support from the population. Ghana’s COVID-19 response plan takes a comprehensive cross-sectoral approach, based on […]
Mental health, COVID-19 and primary healthcare in Guinea : a tale of stigma and solidarity
Click here to read the French Version of this COVID-19 In Africa Blog The daily coronavirus figures in Guinea make no mention of the socio-professional category of infected people. However, healthcare workers are at increased risk of contracting and spreading the virus. This blog is an update of our posts published in April and May […]
Santé mentale et COVID-19 en soins de santé primaires en Guinée: Entre stigmatisation et solidarité
Click here to read the English Version of this COVID-19 In Africa Blog En Guinée, les statistiques de la pandémie à coronavirus publiées quotidiennement ne font pas mention des catégories socio-professionnelles des personnes infectées. Toutefois, le personnel de santé fait partie des groupes à risque pour transmettre et contracter la maladie. Ce blogue fait suite […]
Social media and the spread of COVID-19 in Nigeria
The spread of COVID-19 has been relatively lower in Africa. Factors including age distribution and rurality have been proposed to contribute to this. Nigeria, the most populous African nation is predicted to have the most infections in the continent. Since the country’s index case, dynamics such as population density, urbanisation, poverty, and existing comorbidities […]
COVID-19 en Mauritanie : L’épidémie reprend ?
Click here to read the English Version of this COVID-19 In Africa Blog Après une période avec un nombre de cas de covid-19 modeste, et un sentiment d’espoir que la bataille a été gagnée, la situation a drastiquement changé depuis. En effet, un vieil adage nous dit « il ne faut pas vendre la peau de […]
COVID-19 in Mauritania: The epidemic resumes?
Click here to read the French Version of this COVID-19 In Africa Blog There was a sense of hope and a feeling of victory when we saw the numbers of COVID-19 cases drop in Mauritania. However, shortly afterwards the situation changed drastically and the old proverb ” don’t sell the bear’s skin before you have […]
COVID-19: A need to revalue the first line of care: notes from the Tshamilemba Health Centre , Congo
COVID-19 : Une nécessité de revaloriser la première ligne des soins Entre détection et protection au Centre de Santé Tshamilemba, Lubumbashi, République Démocratique du Congo The government has been working on biological control measures such as laboratory research into viruses and vaccines. Their focus lies first and foremost on measures to change people’s […]