A roundup of the latest news, stats, and analysis of COVID-19’s impact in Africa. View our data tracker and sign up for our weekly newsletter. This week, war in Ethiopia has killed an estimated half a million people, global food aid supplies dwindle, Russia seeks to counter NATO through African alliances, and a provisional TRIPs deal has entered the chat. Top news Knocking on famine’s door: Half a million people have died in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia since the war started...
Top news Looming food crisis: Russia’s war against Ukraine is causing daily human tragedy inside the country. Experts warn that the war could soon have devastating impacts in far away places due to rising food prices and shortages. The World Food Programme, which gets half of the wheat it distributes in humanitarian crises from Ukraine, may need to find other suppliers. 44 million people globally are on the brink of famine and an additional 232 million are just one step behind. And...
A roundup of the latest news, stats, and analysis of COVID-19’s impact in Africa. View our data tracker and sign up for our weekly newsletter, and read on for the implications of Russia’s war on Ukraine for Africa and the COVID response. From food and oil prices to refugees, racial bias, and diverted attention of leaders, the effects will ripple across African countries. Top news Non-linear: Russia’s devastating war against Ukraine is a watershed moment. As we watch the bravery of...
A roundup of the latest news, stats, and analysis of COVID-19’s impact in Africa. View our data tracker and sign up for our weekly newsletter. This week, how war in Ukraine could impact world food prices and Tanzania’s gas trade, the suspension of COVID-19 vaccines to Africa, and a recap of the AU-EU Summit.. Top news Of war and wheat: Russia’s attack on Ukraine, a major grain exporter, could have a ricochet effect on food prices in low-income countries – adding layers of concern to the already...
Top news Face saving or life-saving?: BioNTech announced the launch of not-for-profit (aka at-cost), movable vaccine factories to scale up mRNA vaccine production in Africa and other regions with low vaccine rates. The modules, enclosed in shipping containers and described as a “turnkey solution,” are capable of producing up to 50 million vaccines per year. The first units will be shipped to Rwanda and Senegal (and possibly South Africa), with a fill-and-finish role for Ghana. Ghana’s President Nana Akufo-Addo welcomed the news, thanking “BioNTech and...
Top news Two viruses collide: Scientists are increasingly concerned about a possible link between HIV/AIDS and new COVID-19 variants. A team of experts at the Network for Genomic Surveillance in South Africa recently documented the case of an HIV-positive woman whose COVID-19 infection lasted nine months and resulted in more than 20 viral mutations. The team is planning additional research to study whether this is a widespread phenomena. Meanwhile, experts are concerned that vaccine inequality combined with higher rates of immunocompromised people increases the...
A roundup of the latest news, stats, and analysis of COVID-19’s impact in Africa. View our data tracker and sign up for our weekly newsletter. This week, up to 80% of South Africans have had COVID-19, eye-popping levels of healthcare waste, and a mental health crisis born of the pandemic. Top news Don’t know, can’t tell: South Africa has scrapped quarantine for asymptomatic COVID-19 cases and cut quarantine times to seven days for symptomatic cases. That policy change stemmed from new...
TOP NEWS A coup for COVID: The coup in Burkina Faso threatens to hamper the country’s COVID response and exacerbate the existing humanitarian crisis. Coup leader Paul-Henri Sandaogo Damiba rationalized his move by arguing that President Kaboré failed to defend against jihadist attacks. With the army distracted by efforts to consolidate power, jihadists may be the winners. Only 3.6% of the country’s population is fully vaccinated and over half the population has insufficient food. Increased political instability could worsen the...
If your social media feed or city streets were flooded with calls to #EndThePandemic once and for all, then you’re familiar with our Global Week of Action. From 15-22 January, ONE, our dedicated Global Activists, and our partners called on leaders of rich countries to finally make 2022 the year they end the pandemic and vaccinate the world. Here’s what happened. Taking over billboards and social media All week long ONE and it’s partners took over billboards in France, London and Berlin, plastered...
Top news Money, money, money: The world’s 10 richest men made trillions during the pandemic. They doubled their fortunes, at a rate of $15,000 every second. Some have chosen to do good – the Gates Foundation and the Wellcome Trust pledged $300 million to CEPI (CEPI is seeking a total of $3.5 billion to tackle the minor issues of pandemic response and preparedness). But even if each of the 10 richest men gave away 99.9% of their current wealth, they would still be richer than 99% of...