Tag Archive for: Coronavirus

Sisipho Ntsabo
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EU and ACP seal a new agreement: Post-Cotonou Agreement

European Union (EU) and Organisation African, Caribbean and Pacific States (ACP) have sealed a new agreement.

The EU and ACP (which consists of 79 states) have both come to the end of negotiations for a new treaty that will replace the current legal framework – the Cotonou agreement. The Cotonou Agreement is a treaty between the EU and ACP that provides several innovative approaches to cooperation, all of which aim to address more effectively the pressing and varying challenges in the development of ACP countries.

The EU-ACP partnership focuses on the eradication of poverty and sustainable development. The new post-Cotonou agreement includes a broader range of policy areas such as democracy and human rights, sustainable economic growth and development, climate change, human and social development etc. The agreement will include three regional protocols for Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific concentrating on the individual regions’ specific needs.

Photo Source: European Union, 2018

The negotiators of the deal reported that brokering the deal was a long process, and not an easy one.  “We mainly disagreed on migration, human rights issues and sexual orientation,” said Negotiator Robert Dussey. The reason for the long process was due to trying to reconcile the EU and ACP countries and their individual perspectives on this matter.

The EU and the ACP hope that the new agreement would strengthen the cooperation on an international field. The OACPS and the EU represent over 1.5 billion people and more than half of the seats at the United Nations. As the protocol of negotiations of the agreement lists migration management as a high priority area, there sets to be a promotion of legal migration.

 

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Sisipho Ntsabo
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India COVID-19 Crisis: A Wake-Up Call for Africa

India COVID-19 Crisis: A Wake-Up Call for Africa

Africa’s top health officials and the African Union have deemed the Indian COVID-19 crisis as a wake-up call for Africa. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), the public health agency of the African Union has issued a warning to African governments and citizens to be cautious.

The resurgence in India’s COVID-19 cases is particularly concerning as India and Africa have roughly the same population. Furthermore, the fragile health systems of Africa could ultimately result in the same scenario as in India. Director of Africa CDC, John Nkengasong, warns that the African continent must be very, very prepared. He further highlights the lack of health care workers and oxygen in the continent. Nkengasong urges African countries to avoid mass gatherings.

Africa’s vaccine supply is heavily dependent on India as the AstraZeneca vaccines that are distributed by the global COVAX, is manufactured by the Serum Institute in India. This will adversely affect the rollout of vaccination programs in Africa. Africa has already suffered a setback as India decided to cut back on supply and reduced exports to address domestic needs.

As the world watches the COVID-19 crisis in Indian in disbelief, the Africa CDC has convened with the African Union an emergency meeting on May 8 to devise a collective action plan.

 

 

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Sisipho Ntsabo
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Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 Vaccinations Halted After Cases of Blood Clotting Emerge

The injections of the single-dose Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine has come to a sudden halt in various countries across the continent due to rare blood-clotting syndrome emerging in six recipients.

The six recipients were all women between the ages of 18 and 48, and all developed the illness within one to three weeks of being vaccinated. All the six women who suffered what is called ‘cerebral venous sinus thrombosis’ are reported to have had low platelet counts. Frontline experts hypothesize that the vaccine activates platelets and leads to blood clots in channels that help transmit blood away from the brain. The blood clots can cause strokes or damage to the brain.

Action taken by European and Northern American states                                                                                                 

On the 9th of April 2021, the European Medicine Agency (EMA) announced its Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) were reviewing the Janssen COVID-10 vaccine safety signals, following reports of blood-clotting occurrences in four recipients of the Janssen vaccine in the USA. On 13th April 2021, due to concerns over the Janssen vaccine, the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recommended a halt in the administering of the COVID-19 vaccine.

The Janssen COVID-19 vaccine in African states

In a statement to African Union (AU) Member States, the African Centre for Disease Control and Preparation (Africa CDC) issued a statement consolidating the J&J vaccine predicament in Africa. The Africa Regulatory Taskforce has endorsed the Emergency Use Authorization for the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine.

At present, South Africa is the only member state permitting the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. Registered by the South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), over 290 000 doses have been administered. On 13th April 2021, South African Health Minister, Dr Zweli Mkhize announced that the country had no reports of any blood clots following the administering of the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine. As a precautionary measure, South Africa has announced that the rollout of the vaccine will be halted to review and assess the situation alongside global regulatory authorities.

Recommendations from the Africa CDC to the AU Member States

The Africa CDC states, “As such rapid access to safe and effective vaccines is paramount to the African Union vaccination strategy to achieve control of the pandemic. Africa CDC will continue to monitor reports of adverse events following immunization, for all COVID-19 vaccines, including the Janssen COVID-19 vaccine, and will provide further guidance to Member States.”

 

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16 April 2021| by Sisipho Ntsabo                                                                   Relocation Africa

Andrew Stegmann
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Nigeria Places Travel Restrictions on South Africans to Curb New COVID Variant

Passengers travelling from South Africa to Nigeria will be subject to strict regulations effective from Monday 28 December 2020. The latest travel restrictions follow the discovery of 501.V2, a mutation of Covid-19 which is more contagious than the original virus.

While several countries have announced outright travel bans prohibiting the entry of passengers departing, or transiting through, South Africa, Nigeria has opted for a monitored approach.

Passengers from the UK and South Africa will be allowed to enter Nigeria on the condition that they present two documents. Travellers will need to obtain a pre-departure permit to fly – in the form of a unique QR code – from the Nigeria International Travel Portal. Additionally, visitors are required to submit proof of a negative Covid-19 PCR test, obtained within 96 hours of the scheduled departure time.

Incoming passengers will be received and processed separately when disembarking from their flights. Nigeria’s Public Health Authority will oversee the arrival of passengers from both the UK and South Africa, with stringent isolated screening processes in place to prevent Covid-19 transmission within the confines of the airport.

Even with a negative Covid-19 test result, all passengers arriving from South Africa will be subjected to a mandatory seven-day quarantine period. Travellers will again be tested on the seventh day of self-isolation. A negative result will allow travellers to exit quarantine while a positive PCR test will require further isolation for a period prescribed by the Public Health Authority.

Incoming travellers will be monitored closely throughout their quarantine stay and have been urged to comply with all restrictions imposed by the Public Health Authority.

The government has also issued a stern warning to airlines which fail to follow protocols. Penalties include a fine of $3,500 (R51,000) for each defaulting passenger. Airlines may also be expected to return non-Nigerian defaulting passengers. Repeated non-compliance by any airline will lead to the suspension of the Airline`s Approval/Permit to fly into the country.

The announcement comes just days after the African Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) revealed that a new Covid-19 variant had been discovered in Nigeria. “It’s a separate lineage from the UK and the South African lineages,” said John Nkengasong, director of the African CDC.

Nkengasong added that it was still too early to tell if the new variant discovered in Nigeria was more contagious.

 

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Sources: [1], [2]. Image sources: [1], [2].