Coronavirus digest: SA scientists monitor new, rare COVID-19 variant
05 September 2021 |
8:06 am
Experts in South Africa are testing a new coronavirus variant to determine if it poses a threat. Germany's infection rate has fallen for the first time since early July.
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9 Apr 2022
Most people in Germany support the government's coronavirus policies. But a small, yet vocal, minority rejects vaccinations, masks and distancing rules — and denies the existence of the virus. The conflict has changed Germany's social climate.
28 Apr 2022
The WHO chief has urged countries to ramp up testing to accurately reflect global transmission trends. Meanwhile, Mexico said it is transitioning from pandemic to endemic.
12 May 2022
The World Health Organization and its COVID-19 vaccine partner Gavi have said they are not currently planning to buy shots from South Africa's Aspen - whose CEO is warning a lack of demand threatens local production.
27 May 2022
A robotic “sixth finger”, that can be worn on the hand next to the pinky to move like a real finger, has been created by Japanese researchers studying how brains react to new and independent body parts.
24 Jun 2022
The final instalment of the Zondo Commission into alleged high level corruption under Jacob Zuma was handed to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Wednesday.
16 Jul 2022
The COVID-19 variant Omicron BA.5 has the ability to reinfect people within weeks of contracting the virus, experts have warned. BA.5 is currently outpacing other variants in infection and is the dominant strain in the US and abroad. "What we are seeing is an increasing number of people who have been infected with BA.2 and then becoming infected after four weeks," Andrew Roberston, Chief Health Officer In Western Australia.
22 Jul 2022
Tunisia is gearing up for a referendum that would consolidate powers in the presidency, critics say it is a power grab. Kenya's presidential campaign has been hit by misinformation and fake news on social media. And it's the last days of the Women's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco with the host nation taking on South Africa on Saturday for the title, the run-off for third place takes place on Friday between Nigeria and Zambia.
28 Jul 2022
After some short-lived optimism that the worst of the COVID pandemic might be over, health experts are warning that the peak of the seventh wave has yet to arrive.
28 Aug 2022
Scientists recently discovered a crater off the coast of Guinea. While it was not as impactful as the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs 66 million years ago, its regional consequences would have been huge. Our regional correspondent Sam Bradpiece spoke to one of the researchers involved.
11 Sep 2022
Our current vaccines don't protect well against the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. But scientists say they have produced an antibody in a mouse model that could lead to new vaccines that fight all variants.
29 Oct 2022
Researchers in Botswana and South Africa, who separately identified the COVID-19 omicron variant, are the winners of the 2022 German Africa Award.
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