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Covid-19: Africa’s cases surpass 9.14 mln – Africa CDC

ADDIS ABABA— The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Africa has reached 9,143,184 cases as of late Saturday evening, according to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

The specialized healthcare agency of the African Union (AU) said the death toll across the continent stands at 225,890 and some 8,323,377 patients have recovered from the disease so far.

South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, and Ethiopia are among the countries with the most cases on the continent, said the Africa CDC.

South Africa has recorded the most COVID-19 cases in Africa with more than 3.2 million cases, followed by the northern African country Morocco with 952,628 cases as of late Saturday evening, the agency added.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Covid-19: Omicron cases doubling in 1.5 to 3 days in areas with local spread – WHO

GENEVA— The Omicron coronavirus variant has been reported in 89 countries and the number of cases is doubling in one-and-a-half to three days in areas with community transmission, the World Health Organization (WHO) said.

Omicron is spreading rapidly in countries with high levels of population immunity, but it is unclear if this is due to the virus’ ability to evade immunity, its inherent increased transmissibility or a combination of both, the WHO said in an update.

The agency designated Omicron a variant of concern on Nov 26, soon after it was first detected, and much is still not known about it, including the severity of the illness it causes.

“There are still limited data on the clinical severity of Omicron,” the WHO said. “More data are needed to understand the severity profile and how severity is impacted by vaccination and pre-existing immunity.”

It added: “There are still limited available data, and no peer-reviewed evidence, on vaccine efficacy or effectiveness to date for Omicron.”

The WHO warned that with cases rising so rapidly, hospitals could be overwhelmed in some places.

“Hospitalisations in the UK and South Africa continue to rise, and given rapidly increasing case counts, it is possible that many healthcare systems may become quickly overwhelmed.”

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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COVID-19: Twic East County starts vaccinating locals

Local authorities in Twic East County of Jonglei State on Friday launched a Covid-19 vaccination campaign targeting 900 local residents.

The county health director, Chol Leek, told Radio Tamazuj that the drive started after they received 900 doses of COVID-19 vaccines from the state capital, Bor, on Friday, and that it is progressing well.

“We received 900 doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccines today (Friday),” Leek said. “We just launched and now the vaccination process is ongoing. As of this afternoon, 33 people have already been vaccinated.”

He said the turnout among the locals is promising and that they will exhaust the doses they received before the expiry of the vaccines in April next year.

Deng Gak Atem, the county executive director, applauded the state health ministry for extending the Covid-19 vaccination drive to Twic East and called on the locals to get vaccinated, saying he got the jab and felt well.

“I just got vaccinated. I am feeling well. There is no problem. So, I am calling on the residents to get vaccinated,” he said.

A Sudanese businessman, Mohamed Omer Arun, said he feels well after being vaccinated and called on those who have not taken the vaccine to embrace it. He emphasized the importance of the vaccine in providing protection and a travel pass.

Source: Radio Tamazuj

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Japan Seeks Additional Vaccines for COVID-19 Booster Campaign

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said Friday his government is seeking to accelerate its COVID-19 booster shots campaign and has reached out to the head of U.S. pharmaceutical company Pfizer to secure additional vaccines.

Kishida told reporters the government has been negotiating to receive 120 million doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine ahead of schedule. He said during his call with the company’s CEO, Albert Bourla, he also agreed to purchase two million doses of Pfizer’s oral COVID-19 treatment, Paxlovid.

The government started arrangements Thursday to adjust the timeframe for workers and patients in elder-care facilities to receive booster shots to six months after their second shots. Health officials shortened the original eight-month timeline between initial vaccinations and booster shots after the discovery of the new omicron variant of coronavirus, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Japan has confirmed a handful of omicron variant cases. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government confirmed on Friday that a man in his 20s who attended a soccer match near the capital was found positive for omicron.

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno also confirmed 70 coronavirus cases have been found at the U.S. Camp Hansen military base in the southern island prefecture of Okinawa.

Matsuno said the Japanese government has urged U.S. officials there to thoroughly quarantine infected persons, identify close contacts at an early stage, and strengthen measures to prevent the spread of infection.

Source: Voice of America

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Rockettes End Season as New York Tallies Record COVID-19 Cases

NEW YORK —

New York state reported Friday that just over 21,000 people had tested positive for COVID-19 the previous day, the highest single-day total for new cases since testing became widely available.

Just under half of the positive results were in the city, where lines were growing at testing stations, the Rockettes Christmas show was canceled for the season and some Broadway shows nixed performances because of outbreaks among cast members.

One-day snapshots of virus statistics can be an unreliable way to measure trends, but the new record punctuated a steady increase that started in the western part of the state in late October and has taken off in New York City in the past week as the omicron variant spreads.

“This is changing so quickly. The numbers are going up exponentially by day,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said during a Friday appearance on CNN.

The steep rise in infections should be of great concern, but it was inevitable, given the quick spread of the newest variant, said Dr. Denis Nash, the executive director of the Institute for Implementation Science in Population Health at the City University of New York.

“We were already headed for a winter surge with delta, which is a very concerning thing in its own right,” Nash said.

“But then you layer on top of that the new omicron variant, which is more transmissible from an infection standpoint,” he said, noting that current vaccines may be unable to contain the “more invasive” new variant.

Statewide, New York averaged 13,257 positive tests per day over the seven-day period that ended Thursday. That is up 71% from two weeks ago.

The state’s previous one-day high for positive tests came on Jan. 14, 2021, when just under 20,000 people tested positive.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has warned that omicron is in “full force,” but said the city’s hospitals are “very strong and stable right now” and far better able to handle COVID-19 than when the pandemic began. Treatments have improved, and more than 70% of eligible city residents are fully vaccinated, he noted.

Source: Voice of America

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US CDC Recommends ‘Test-to-Stay’ COVID-19 Options to Keep Kids in School

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday issued guidelines for keeping children in school even if they are unvaccinated or partially vaccinated and have been exposed to someone with COVID-19.

During a virtual briefing by the White House COVID-19 response team, CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said the test-to-stay protocol involves testing twice in a seven-day period anyone who has had close contact with someone infected with COVID-19. She said if exposed children meet certain criteria and continue to test negative, they can stay in school instead of quarantining at home.

Walensky said numerous jurisdictions have been experimenting with test-to-stay strategies. Some were testing every day, some every other day, and some twice a week. From those experiments, she said, the CDC will recommend no less than twice-weekly testing to adequately adhere to test-to-stay protocols.

The CDC also published studies conducted in the United States and internationally that looked at how COVID-19 is spread in schools, which helped form the basis for test-to-stay recommendations.

Walensky reported at least 39 U.S. states have more than 75 confirmed cases involving the omicron variant. She said the delta variant continues to circulate widely and remains the dominant strain in the United States, but omicron is spreading rapidly and is expected to become the dominant strain in the coming weeks.

The CDC director said omicron has been found among those who are vaccinated and boosted, and health officials believe these cases are milder or asymptomatic because of vaccine protection. “What we do know is we have the tools to protect ourselves against COVID-19,” she said.

White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator Jeff Zients said the U.S. is fully prepared to confront the variant, with ample supplies of vaccines and boosters.

“This is not a moment to panic, because we know how to protect people,” Zients said. “And we have the tools to do it.”

Source: Voice of America

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Officials: Islamic State Group Plot in Morocco Foiled With US Help

RABAT, MOROCCO —

Moroccan security forces with U.S. support have foiled a suspected bomb plot by the so-called Islamic State group and arrested an alleged supporter of the outlawed organization, counterterror police said Friday.

“This arrest is the culmination of close collaboration between (Moroccan security forces) and U.S. law-enforcement,” Morocco’s Central Bureau of Judicial Investigation (BCIJ) said in a statement without giving further details about the joint operation.

The arrested suspect was “an extremist belonging to the so-called Islamic State” and from the Sala Al-Jadida region north of Rabat, the statement added.

According to preliminary inquiries, the man had allegedly pledged allegiance to the group.

He had planned to join foreign jihadist training camps “before deciding to join a terror plot in Morocco using explosive devices,” the statement added.

The police subsequently seized electronic devices and materials used for the preparation of explosives.

“This security operation highlights the importance and effectiveness of bilateral cooperation between (Moroccan security services) and US intelligence and security agencies in the fight against extremist violence and the threat of international terrorism,” the BCIJ said.

Moroccan outlets reported a vast nationwide counterterror operation on Dec. 8, but official sources did not confirm the crackdown.

On Oct. 6, counterterrorism police announced the dismantling of a “terror cell” in Tangiers and the arrest of five suspects accused of plotting bomb attacks.

In September, a cell affiliated to the Islamic State group was dismantled in south Morocco, and seven people were arrested.

Since 2002, Moroccan police claim to have dismantled 2,000 “terror cells” and arrested some 3,500 people in cases linked to terror, according to BCIJ data published in February.

Source: Voice of America