Brazzaville, 18 March 2021 – Nearly 7 million COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in Africa, where after months of waiting on the side-lines for vaccines, many of the first wave of countries to start campaigns are rapidly vaccinating high-risk groups.

Juba - to improve reporting performance and capacity to detect outbreaks, the World Health Organization (WHO) supported the Ministry of Health (MoH) to review the progress and achievements of the integrated disease surveillance and response (IDSR) program in South Sudan during 2020, with the aim of developing tailored strategies to improve program performance in 2021.

17 March 2021 — Sixty-eight (68) new COVID-19 cases were identified out of 3814 samples tested today. This brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases twenty thousand, four hundred, and eighty (20480). To date, eighteen thousand, nine hundred, and six (18906) patients have recovered, including one hundred and two (102) in the past 24 hours. The number of active cases is one thousand, three hundred, and ninety-one (1291) and two hundred, and eighty-three (283) deaths. 

Maiduguri, 18 March, 2021 - When Bako Ibrahim, a 25 years old taxi driver resident in Gima village, Konduga Local Government Area (LGA), Borno State, first noticed the sore on his left hand, he treated it with levity thinking he must have injured himself unknowingly. However, when the wound failed to  heal and later affected both hands, he decided to seek medical intervention. He was diagnosed with Cutaneous Leishmaniasis, a Neglected Tropical Disease.  
 

16 March 2021 — One hundred and ten (110) new COVID-19 cases were identified out of 4281 samples tested today. This brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases twenty thousand, four hundred, and twelve (20412). To date, eighteen thousand, eight hundred, and four (18804) patients have recovered, including one hundred and sixty-nine (169) in the past 24 hours. The number of active cases is one thousand, three hundred, and twenty-six (1326) and two hundred, and eighty-two (282) deaths. 

15 March 2021 — One hundred and sixteen (116) new COVID-19 cases were identified out of 2822 samples tested today. This brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases twenty thousand, three hundred, and two (20302). To date, eighteen thousand, six hundred, and thirty-five (18635) patients have recovered, including sixty-nine (69) in the past 24 hours. The number of active cases is one thousand, three hundred, and eighty-five (1385) and two hundred, and eighty-two (282) deaths. 

On Saturday 13 March, the Kingdom of Eswatini had become one of the African countries that received the COVID 19 vaccine through the COVAX facility. This is indeed a major milestone in the fight against COVID 19. It is also a major step towards ensuring equitable access to COVID 19 vaccine in the country.

As the consequences of COVID-19 become more tangible, WFP, WHO and UNICEF are working together to protect children and families in Angola from catastrophic levels of deprivation through strengthening essential services, including health, food security, nutrition, hygiene, and education.

LUANDA, 16 March 2021 – The World Food Programme (WFP), World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) welcome a contribution of US$ one million from the Government of Japan to support various interventions in Angola.

WHO wishes to clarify on an article that appeared in The Observer Newspaper and on its online platform https://observer.ug/news/headlines/68815-allergic-persons-advised-not-t… under the title: “Allergic person advised not to take COVID-19 vaccination”.  

WHO is aware that a small fraction of people – around one person in every one million people vaccinated— may have a severe allergic reaction to the COVID-19 vaccines, known as anaphylaxis.