Covid-19: USA donates over 800,000 doses of Pfizer to Angola

Luanda - Angola Saturday received a batch of 801,425 doses of vaccines from Pfizer, donated by the United States of America (USA), to contribute to the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

With this donation, it rises to more than six million doses that the government of the United States of America gave to the African country.

At the occasion, the Secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda, reaffirmed that at this moment the country has a stock of about 26 million doses of all types of vaccines validated by the World Health Organization (WHO).

The next challenge of the Ministry of Health is to vaccinate, with the second dose, more than seven million people nationwide, through mobile brigades, health units and High Performance Vaccination Posts, in all municipalities.

"Now our eligible population is 12 years and above of this age. We appeal for the correct use of the mask, frequent hand washing with water or disinfection with alcohol and physical distancing between people," he reiterated.

Besides the Secretary of State for Public Health, Franco Mufinda, the ceremony of delivery of the donation coming via the Covax initiative, was attended by UNICEF's Deputy Representative in Angola, Kateryna Lytvynenko.

Angolan president calls for mass vaccination

Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, on Friday called on Angolans to take the spread of the recent variant of the SARS virus COV-2 seriously and encouraged for mass vaccination.

Speaking to the nation on the occasion of the Christmas festivities, the Angolan Head of State said that the " sharp increase" of the number of cases of Covid-19, in the last few days, had led the authorities to introduce preventive measures.

According to João Lourenço, these are measures that, if they count on the cooperation of citizens, may ensure a smooth start of the year.

The Head of State reinforced that, besides the restrictive and biosecurity measures, the mass vaccination continues to be the most effective measure in the fight against the pandemic.

The Head of the Executive Power assured that the country has enough vaccines, to be administered free of charge to all Angolan residents.

He appealed again to the citizens to go to the vaccination posts, to complete the dose within the deadlines defined by the health authorities.

"Get vaccinated to protect yourself, to protect those you love, to protect your neighbour, to protect humanity", he stressed.

The Head of State also highlighted the fact that, in two years, the pandemic has damaged the lives of individuals, families, businesses and the world economy.

João Lourenço recalled that the pandemic had also reduced production, the supply of goods and services, increased the price of sea freight and strangled the logistics chain of world trade.

In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has contributed negatively to the increase of unemployment, poverty and hunger.

Covid-19: Angola detects 1,859 new cases, 39 recoveries

Luanda - In the last 24 hours Angola registered 1,859 positive cases, 3 deaths and 39 patients recovered.

Of the new cases, according to health minister, Silvia Lutucuta, 1,712 were diagnosed in Luanda, 45 in Malanje, 27 in Cabinda, 22 in Huíla, 10 in Zaire, 9 in Uíge, 7 in Namibe, 6 in Lunda Sul, 5 in Huambo, 3 in Moxico, 2 in Cuando Cubango and 1 in Bié.

Of the list, whose patients are aged between 9 days and 82 years, 989 are male and 870 are female.

In the last 24 hours, the laboratories processed 6,551 samples.

The deaths, according to the minister, were registered in Luanda.

Among those recovered, 31 reside in Luanda, four in Uige, two in Cunene and two in Huila.

Angola has 70,221 confirmed cases, of which 63,962 have been recovered, 1,746 deaths and 4,515 active.

João Lourenço visits former president José Eduardo dos Santos

Luanda - The President of the Republic, João Lourenço, went Friday to the Miramar district, in Luanda, to pay a courtesy visit to former President José Eduardo dos Santos.

The meeting, according to a note issued by the Secretariat for Communication and Press Affairs of the President of the Republic, was a "gesture in the spirit of the Christmas celebration.

In September, the two entities held a telephone conversation in which they greeted each other.

The former Angolan head of state returned to the country in September, after having spent two years in Barcelona, Spain.

José Eduardo dos Santos, 79, came to power as President of the Republic in September 1979, following the death of António Agostinho Neto, Angola's first president, and was in office for 38 years, September 2017, until he was succeeded by João Lourenço.

IMF disburses USD 748 million to Angola

Luanda - The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday in Washington D.C concluded the sixth review of Angola's economic programme, supported by the extended arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), ending the Article IV consultation with the country.

Following this, the Bretton Woods institution decided on the immediate disbursement of Special Drawing Rights (SDR) 535.1 million (about USD 748 million), bringing total financing under the agreement to SDR 3.2134 billion (about USD 4.5 billion).

In the note on the conclusion of the review, to which Angop had access from its official website, the IMF Executive Board also approved waivers of the non-observance of the performance criterion on the net international reserves of the National Bank of Angola.

Angola's extended agreement for three years was approved by the Executive Board on 7 December 2018, in the amount of SDR 2.673 billion (about US$3.7 billion, at the time of approval).

Its aim, according to the document, is to restore external and fiscal sustainability, improve governance and diversify the economy to promote sustainable economic growth led by the private sector.

HMP Hewell death: Inmate’s Birmingham transfer probed

A failure to alert a prison about a transferring inmate’s mental health may have contributed to his death, a coroner has said.

Saul Thomas died at HMP Hewell, Worcestershire, after being transferred from HMP Birmingham where he was undergoing psychiatric assessment.

The coroner said HMP Birmingham’s handover was “unsatisfactory”, and it had failed to put a care plan in place.

The Prison Service said it was considering the coroner’s findings.

In a report to prevent future deaths, Coroner David Reid said Mr Thomas, 42, was found dead in his HMP Hewell cell on 19 May 2019.

The month before, he had arrived at HMP Birmingham where he was sent to the mental health ward for formal assessment.

During his time there, Mr Thomas “continued to express paranoid thoughts”, the report said. He was moved to HMP Hewell on 16 May.

Image caption,

Mr Thomas died at HMP Hewell in May 2019

An inquest into Mr Thomas’s death concluded on 10 December, having looked at circumstances surrounding an Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) plan – the care-planning process for prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm.

The report said that jurors found an ACCT should have been opened for Mr Thomas at HMP Birmingham. It added failure to do so “probably” caused or contributed to his death.

Jury members also found an “unsatisfactory handover” provided by HMP Birmingham “possibly” caused or contributed to his death, the report stated.

The report does not give the cause of death. The coroner’s office has been contacted for clarification.

In his report, Mr Reid asks HMP Birmingham to conduct an investigation into failings and ensure staff are appropriately trained.

A Prison Service spokesperson said: “We will consider the coroner’s findings and respond in due course.

“We have trained more than 25,000 staff in suicide and self-harm prevention as part of our drive to tackle these issues, and the number of self-inflicted deaths has fallen across the prison estate over the last year.”

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E-fit appeal over Sheffield indecent exposure

Do you recognise this man? Police have issued this e-fit image after a man exposed himself to two women in Sheffield:

It happened on Thursday 2 December at about 21:50 as the women were walking along Shore Lane near the Wimberry University Building, according to South Yorkshire Police.

The suspect is described as between 55-65, with grey, with balding hair, a flat nose and wrinkles.

Anyone who recognises the man in the image has been asked to contact police.

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Afcon 2021: Mane, Mendy, Koulibaly all in Senegal squad for Cameroon

Napoli defender Kalidou Koulibaly has been named in the Senegal squad for the Africa Cup of Nations as he returns from injury.

The 30-year-old had been a doubt for the tournament after picking up a thigh strain in a match against Sassuolo on 1 December.

He has not played for his Italian club since then but is in Senegal coach Aliou Cisse’s 27-man squad for the finals that kick-off on 9 January in Cameroon.

The 2019 runners up are in Group B alongside Guinea and Malawi and Zimbabwe, as they seek a first ever continental title.

Africa Cup of Nations squads in full

As expected the squad does include English Premier League stars Sadio Mane (Liverpool, goalkeeper Edouard Mendy (Chelsea), Cheickou Kouyate (Crystal Palace), Ismailia Sarr (Watford) and Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City).

Seny Dieng, who plays in the Championship in England for Queens Park Rangers, is named as one of the reserve goalkeepers alongside first-choice Mendy.

Injury means that Monaco’s Krepin Diatta will miss the tournament.

Senegal squad for Afcon 2021

Goalkeepers: Edouard Mendy (Chelsea, England), Alfred Gomis (Rennes, France), Seny Dieng (Queens Park Rangers, England).

Defenders: Bouna Sarr (Bayern Munich, Germany), Saliou Ciss (Nancy, France), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli, Italy), Pape Abou Cisse (Olympiakos, Greece), Abdoulaye Seck (Royal Antwerp, Belgium), Abdou Diallo (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Ibrahima Mbaye (Bologna, Italy), Fode Ballo-Toure (AC Milan, Italy), Cheikhou Kouyate (Crystal Palace, England).

Midfielders: Pape Matar Sarr (Metz, France), Pape Gueye (Marseille, France), Nampalys Mendy (Leicester City, England), Idrissa Gana Gueye (Paris Saint-Germain, France), Moustapha Name (Paris FC, France), Mamadou Loum (Alaves, Spain), Joseph Lopy (Sochaux, France).

Forwards: Boulaye Dia (Villarreal, Spain), Sadio Mane (Liverpool, England), Habib Diallo (Strasbourg, France), Bamba Dieng (Marseille, France), Ismaila Sarr (Watford, England), Famara Diedhiou (Alanyaspor, Turkey), Mame Baba Thiam (Kayserispor,Turkey), Keita Balde (Cagliari, Italy).

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Covid-19: Remembering our most memorable Christmas. Africa Educates Her part 2

December 25, 2020

 Our girls back to school campaign is ongoing

 

Last year, due to COVID-19, it was difficult to meet our loved ones on a day like this. But that didn't take away the joy of this festival.

Here are some lovely Christmas wishes from Fernanda. She shared with us her academic experience during the pandemic.

Merry Christmas, Merry Christmas!!!

My name is Fernanda Oscar Andre, I am 10 years old and I study in the fourth class.

Fernanda are you studying this year?

No

Why?

Because of the coronavirus

Now that the schools have reopened, have you gone back to school?

Schools reopened but I didn't go back to school because my parents don't have the money to pay my tuition.

Fernanda next year would you like to go back to school?

Yes, I would like to go back to school

Have you complied with the coronavirus prevention measures?

Yes I have been fulfilling it. By using mask, washing my hands with soap and water and disinfecting them with gel alcohol.

One of the first cutbacks that many poor families consider during tough financial times is education for their daughters. During the pandemic with in-class learning shuttered, some girls from poor family are being pushed to drop out.

“When families can’t afford school and have to choose, they will often send boys”. Financial hardships and cultural stereotypes about gender roles play a major part in keeping girls in less-developed countries from completing their education.

Click here to see the entire program: https://sofoniedala.blogspot.com/2020/12/africa-educates-her-campaign-angola_25.html