Botswana: Country's Dilemma - To Reveal or Not to Reveal Omicron Origins
[VOA] Gaborone, Botswana -- World health experts are still searching the origins of the omicron variant of the coronavirus. But in Botswana, where the variant was first reported, officials say what matters is that it was discovered, not where it came from. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - December 6, 2021 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Botswana: Botswana Gets WHO Award for Mother-to-Child HIV Prevention Milestone
[VOA] Gaborone, Botswana -- The World Health Organization has recognized Botswana for its efforts to prevent the transmission of HIV from expectant mothers to unborn children. Officials say no children born to HIV-positive mothers this year had the virus. (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)
Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs - December 6, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
Dealing with uncertainty about the Omicron variant | David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters
Caution is sensible when so much is unknownThe race is on to understand the new variant identified by scientists inSouth Africa and Botswana, dubbedOmicron (the next Greek letter was “nu”, but this could have been mistaken for “new”). Fears include greater spread, worse disease or reduced effectiveness of treatments and vaccines.Increased transmission can arise from two factors. First, there is an intrinsic advantage, with a heightened “basic reproduction number” R0; in a susceptible population, that is the average number of people each case infects, although after 20 months of pandemic this has become a notion...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - December 5, 2021 Category: Science Authors: David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters Tags: Coronavirus South Africa Infectious diseases Science World news Source Type: news
Botswana: Botswana Is First Country With Severe HIV Epidemic to Reach Key Milestone in the Elimination of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission
[WHO-AFRO] Brazzaville, Geneva, Nairobi -- Botswana has become the first high-burden country to be certified for achieving an important milestone on the path to eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV by the World Health Organization (WHO). (Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs)
Source: AllAfrica News: HIV-Aids and STDs - December 3, 2021 Category: Infectious Diseases Source Type: news
WHO: Most Omicron cases are 'mild' or symptomless and existing vaccines should provide protection
A World Health Organization official said early evidence suggests most people who become infected with the strain, which may have emerged in Botswana, only suffer 'mild' symptoms. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - December 1, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
South Africa: Covid-19 - South Africa, Botswana Fight Travel Restrictions
[East African] South Africa has said it is being punished for being efficient in detecting new Covid-19 variants, while Botswana claims the Omicron variant was brought into their country by diplomats. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - November 30, 2021 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Africa: Southern Africa Should Be Thanked, Not Punished for Detecting New Variant - WHO, UN
[allAfrica] Geneva -- The World Health Organization says that South Africa and Botswana should be thanked for detecting, sequencing, and reporting the new Covid-19 variant, known as Omicron and not penalized. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - November 30, 2021 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Here ’s What COVID-19 Vaccine Makers Are Doing to Fight Omicron
On Nov. 26, the World Health Organization declared Omicron the latest COVID-19 variant of concern, and vaccine makers jumped on the news. Moderna quickly announced that it was developing an Omicron-specific vaccine, while continuing to study both a higher dose of its currently authorized shot, and a combination vaccine that protects against one of the previous SARS-CoV-2 variants. BioNTech, which developed its vaccine with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, began studying whether its existing two-dose shot continues to protect against Omicron, and a company spokesperson said those results could be available in about two weeks. I...
Source: TIME: Health - November 29, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Alice Park Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 healthscienceclimate Source Type: news
Quarantine arrangements for exempt nurses arriving from overseas, DHSC (updated 28th November 2021)
What NHS trusts must do to provide managed quarantine accommodation for nurses arriving in England to work for the NHS if they ' ve passed through red-list countries.
28 November 2021Added content about changes to restrictions as a result of the SARS-COV-2 OMCIRON variant. Four more countries have been added to the red list.
26 November 2021Added content explaining that South Africa, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia and Zimbabwe moved onto the red list at midday on Friday 26 November. A temporary flight ban is now in place and all travellers who have been in these countries must quarantine and take tests. (Source...
Source: Current Awareness Service for Health (CASH) - November 29, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Valneva vaccines cancelled by UK just TWO MONTHS ago could be key to beating Omicron strain
Jabs produced by French firm Valneva could have an advantage over the 'monster' Botswana strain, experts have suggested. The UK cancelled a 100 million dose contract with the supplier in September. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - November 27, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Early action against Omicron is imperative to avoid devastating consequences | Ewan Birney
Scientists have sprung into action to identify the new Covid variant. We don ’t yet know if it is a major threat - but we should not take any chancesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt wasonly a matter of time before a new Sars-CoV-2 variant of concern emerged, requiring an urgent global response. It would seem thatthe Omicron variant, identified by scientists across Africa, including the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD), poses the next major threat in the course of the pandemic. Early evidence from their genomic surveillance suggests that this new variant isa serious cause...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - November 27, 2021 Category: Science Authors: Ewan Birney Tags: Coronavirus Infectious diseases Science World news Medical research Microbiology Source Type: news
Biden to restrict travel from South Africa and 7 other countries
Acting on advice from Dr. Anthony Fauci and the CDC, the Biden administration will restrict travel from South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini, Mozambique and... (Source: Reuters: Health)
Source: Reuters: Health - November 27, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Kenya: Kenya On High Alert As New Coronavirus Variant Emerges
[VOA] Nairobi -- Kenya has not banned travel to southern Africa but its Ministry of Health says it will carefully screen people arriving from South Africa, Botswana, and Hong Kong for the new COVID variant discovered in South Africa. (Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine)
Source: AllAfrica News: Health and Medicine - November 27, 2021 Category: African Health Source Type: news
Covid super-mutant fears spread across Europe: Belgium has two confirmed cases
Restrictions will apply to Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe, European Commission spokesperson Eric Mamer said. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - November 26, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
Botswana Covid variant has twice as many mutations as Delta - what we know so far
Scientists believe that its extensive mutations mean it must have originated in a severely immunocompromised patient, possibly an undiagnosed person with AIDS. (Source: the Mail online | Health)
Source: the Mail online | Health - November 26, 2021 Category: Consumer Health News Source Type: news
