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World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus – Rwanda: COVAX delivers its 1 billionth COVID-19 vaccine dose

COVAX is leading the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history, with deliveries to 144 countries to date

On 15 January 2021, a shipment of 1.1 million COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda included the billionth dose supplied via COVAX. Together with our partners, COVAX is leading the largest vaccine procurement and supply operation in history, with deliveries to 144 countries to date. But the work that has gone into…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO advice for international traffic in relation to the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant (B.1.1.529)

WHO commends South Africa and Botswana for the speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information on Omicron

WHO has issued advice to countries on travel, given the circulation of Omicron variant. WHO commends South Africa and Botswana for the speed and transparency with which they notified and shared information on Omicron, allowing other countries to rapidly adjust their response.      While scientific research is underway to…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

WHO Director-General's opening remarks at the Member State Information Session on the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2

“I thank Botswana and South Africa for detecting, sequencing and reporting this variant so rapidly” - WHO Director-General

Honourable Ministers, Excellencies, dear colleagues and friends, The emergence of the Omicron variant has understandably captured global attention. The emergence of any new variant should capture our attention, especially one as highly mutated as Omicron. The WHO Secretariat takes this development extremely seriously, and so should all Member States. But…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Joint Statement on Dose Donations of COVID-19 Vaccines to African Countries

Dose donations have been an important source of supply while other sources are stepping up, but the quality of donations needs to improve

Building on lessons learned from our collective experience with dose donations over the past several months, the African Vaccine Acquisition Trust (AVAT), the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) and COVAX wish to draw the attention of the international community to the situation of donations of COVID-19…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus - Africa: Update on Omicron

Researchers in South Africa and around the world are conducting studies to better understand many aspects of Omicron

On 26 November 2021, WHO designated the variant B.1.1.529 a variant of concern, named Omicron, on the advice of WHO’s Technical Advisory Group on Virus Evolution (TAG-VE) (https://bit.ly/317uIkp).  This decision was based on the evidence presented to the TAG-VE that Omicron has several mutations that may have an impact on…

World Health Organization (WHO)

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    • Dr Sivile at the multi-month dispensing unit that was installed to survive the COVID-19 pandemic. Credit: ©Dr Sivile/Bauleni Clinic
    • Dr Sivile and HIV testers at the clinic review the log-books and discuss the data together. Credit: ©Dr Sivile/Bauleni Clinic
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Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Strength in numbers: data, partners and leadership create resilient HIV services during COVID-19 in Zambia

WHO applauds Zambia’s Ministry of Health and all the health workers for their resilience and achievements in delivering HIV testing and treatment services in face of many challenges

Dr Suilanji Sivile is an HIV clinician in Zambia who started working in the Eastern Province nearly a decade ago. He is also an HIV Technical Advisor at the Ministry of Health, leading many national COVID-19 activities. Reflecting on how the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded in Zambia, Dr Sivile highlights key…

World Health Organization (WHO)
Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus: Leaders make urgent call to accelerate vaccination globally and in Africa

The leaders stressed that the worst pandemic in the last hundred years will not end unless and until, there is genuine global cooperation on vaccine supply and access

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and a group of global health leaders today issued an urgent call for vaccine equity globally and in Africa in particular. The leaders stressed that the worst pandemic in the last hundred years will not end unless and until, there is genuine global cooperation on vaccine supply…

World Health Organization (WHO)

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    • The Ambassador of the United States to Sierra Leone (right) and the Deputy Minister of Health and Sanitation (Left) at the official handing over event of the vaccine
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Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus: Sierra Leone Receives 113,490 Pfizer Vaccines Donated by the US Government via COVAX Facility

The COVAX Facility has been instrumental in ensuring that COVID-19 vaccines are available in Sierra Leone to protect people

The United States Government, through the COVAX Facility, has boosted the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination drive in Sierra Leone, with a donation of 113,490 doses of the Pfizer vaccines.  This generous contribution from the US Government comes within a week of Sierra Leone receiving consignments of 151,200 doses of the Johnson & Johnson…

World Health Organization (WHO)

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    • Table 1: Products subject of WHO Medical Product Alert N°5/2021
    • Table 2: Photographs of products subject of WHO Medical Product Alert N°5/2021 (1)
    • Table 2: Photographs of products subject of WHO Medical Product Alert N°5/2021 (2)
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Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Coronavirus – Africa: Medical Product Alert N°5/2021: Falsified COVISHIELD vaccine

Falsified COVISHIELD vaccine identified in the WHO regions of Africa and South- East Asia

Alert Summary This WHO Medical Product Alert refers to falsified COVISHIELD (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Corona Virus Vaccines (Recombinant)) identified in the WHO African Region, and the WHO South-East Asia Region. The falsified products were reported to WHO in July and August 2021. The genuine manufacturer of COVISHIELD (Serum Institute of India Pvt. Ltd.)…

World Health Organization (WHO)

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    • Egypt receives third batch of 1 766 400 AstraZeneca vaccines through the COVAX Facility
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Source: World Health Organization (WHO) |

Egypt receives third batch of 1 766 400 AstraZeneca vaccines through the COVAX Facility

To increase vaccination rates in Egypt the Ministry of Health and Population has opened more than 400 vaccination centres in the past few months

Egypt has received an additional 1 766 400 COVID-19 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in a third batch of vaccines delivered via the COVAX Facility. This delivery will provide an important boost to the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Egypt. The arrival of the vaccines is important at this stage…