Feature Stories

6 October 2021 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

How Nigeria is tackling COVID-19 variants

As COVID-19 continues to spread, the higher the chances of more variants emerging. Since the onset of the pandemic, four variants of concern have been identified, with the Delta—first detected in India—being the most transmissible currently and dominant in many countries. In Nigeria, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, explains how the country is responding to the pandemic in the wake of the more infectious variants.

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4 October 2021 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Why genomic sequencing is crucial in COVID-19 response

In December 2020, South Africa detected the Beta variant and in May 2021 the Delta variant, thanks to robust genomic surveillance. Professor Tulio De Oliveira, a renowned bioinformatician who identified the Beta variant, explains the criticality of genomic sequencing. Professor De Oliveira is the Director of the KwaZulu-Natal Research Innovation and Sequencing Platform (KRISP) and Centre for Epidemic Response and Innovation (CERI) based in South Africa.

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30 September 2021 | Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Scaling up genomic sequencing in Africa

COVID-19 has had a catastrophic impact on lives and livelihoods. But it has also spurred impactful scientific research that gave the world a vaccine in record time and thrust genomic sequencing at the centre of pandemic response.

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17 September 2021 | Vaccines Coronavirus (COVID-19)

Towards Africa’s first mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub

The World Health Organization (WHO), a South African consortium and partners from COVAX, are working to set-up a technology transfer hub for mRNA vaccines in South Africa to help boost and scale up vaccine production in Africa.

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17 September 2021 | Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines

Cameroon's community leaders drive demand for COVID-19 vaccines

Local leaders, working with over 2300 community mobilizers and 1450 vaccination teams, were crucial to the success of a rapid COVID-19 vaccination drive that saw 52 000 people vaccinated across Cameroon in just five days in July.

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17 September 2021 | Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines

Raising faith in COVID-19 vaccines in Lesotho

Myths and misinformation around COVID-19 vaccines are rife in Lesotho, where over 85% of nearly 500 health workers surveyed recently report widespread misconceptions.

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17 September 2021

Meet team WHO: Dr Carolina Leite, Disease Prevention & Control Advisor, Cape Verde

A Medical Doctor with an MSc in Public Health and over 20 years of experience, Dr Carolina Leite led Cabo Verde’s programme to fight malaria and waterborne diseases and served as Director of Patient Management, Medical Records and Statistics at the Agostinho Neto Central Hospital in Praia before joining the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009.

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2 September 2021 | Coronavirus (COVID-19) Vaccines

AFRO-MoVE Network helps track COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness

As COVID-19 vaccines are rolled out in Africa, understanding the effectiveness of these vaccines in real world settings is crucial for countries to plan and refine their vaccination programmes and other public health measures.

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