Tag: Rwanda

Rwanda partners IFC to develop vaccine manufacturing capacity

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RWANDA – Rwanda has joined forces with the International Finance Corporation (IFC) to develop the nation’s capacity to produce essential vaccines for the African continent. IFC will assist the fast-developing nation to conduct diagnostic and feasibility studies needed to create a world-class vaccine manufacturing supply chain in Rwanda. Rwanda recently revealed its partnership with the leading biotechnology company, BioNTech, and the kENUP Foundation to develop a holistic manufacturing capability for mRNA vaccines. The partnership will also lead to the creation of facilities for the production of other vaccines and pharmaceutical…

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BioNTech looking to take vaccine production know-how to Africa

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AFRICA – BioNTech, now a global household name thanks to its work to produce the first COVID-19 vaccine to win full approval from the U.S. FDA, wants to take its know-how to Africa and manufacture vaccines for a host of other diseases that are also affecting local populations on the continent, most notably malaria and tuberculosis. The German company said it was examining the establishment of sustainable production facilities in Rwanda and Senegal. “Our goal is to develop vaccines in Africa and to establish sustainable production capacities for vaccines in…

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East Africa sees telehealth boom amid Covid-19 pandemic

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AFRICA – The pandemic has accelerated the pace of technological advances in health care, from video consultations to artificial intelligence-powered triage, and medically underserved East Africa is catching on fast. With some of the worst doctor-patient ratios in the world, Africa is proving fertile ground for telehealth providers. Babyl, the Rwandan arm of UK-based Babylon Healthcare Services, said daily consultations went from about 3,000 in March 2020 to more than 5,000 now. Rocket Health, a Ugandan provider, saw a 500 per cent increase in phone and video consultations in the…

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Rwandese government to rollout mass basic childhood vaccination

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RWANDA – The Ministry of Health, through Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC), will carry out an extensive catch-up immunization campaign targeting children who have missed out on basic childhood vaccinations during lockdown. Due to Covid-19 related restrictions that affected mobility, the number of children vaccinated for BCG, Penta3 and Polio3 was lower than expected in 2020 according to a report by World Group Bank on Rwanda economic update of January 2021. According to figures from RBC, uptake of Penta3 and Polio3 vaccines experienced a decline of 10 per cent in May,…

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Zimbabwe registers over 3,000 new COVID-19 cases as more people rush to be immunized

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ZIMBABWE – Zimbabwe has registered 3,110 new COVID-19 cases today, its highest daily figure since the onset of the pandemic last year. According to the Ministry of Health and Child Care, the record number of new cases has accelerated the country’s cumulative COVID-19 cases to 76,381, as the nation battles a third wave of the pandemic. The ministry said 58 new deaths were recorded, raising the nation’s death toll to 2,332. The number of people who have recovered stands at 49,053 after 951 people were reported to have recovered from…

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Africa nears 6 million confirmed Covid-19 cases as fatalities hit 151,775

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AFRICA — As of today, there are 5,949,740 confirmed cases of Covid-19 from 55 African countries while over 37,004,431 vaccinations have been administered across the continent. Reported deaths in Africa stand at 151,775 and 5,140,313 people have recovered. South Africa has the most reported cases 2,179,297 and 64,138 mortality cases. Other most-affected countries are Morocco (541,405), Tunisia (491,021), Egypt (282,985), Ethiopia (276,984), Libya (201,236) and Kenya (188,513). Many countries in Africa have rolled out mass vaccination drives to contain the spread of the virus, even though the uptake of the…

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Rwanda imports more medical oxygen plants to boost production and capacity

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RWANDA – Rwandese government has committed over Rwf4 billion (approximately US$4 million) to import oxygen plants to increase local production as the country battles a spike in coronavirus infections leading to increased hospitalization. Pie Harerimana, the Chief Executive Officer of Rwanda Medical Supplies (RMS), says the current oxygen supply is sufficient, the additional oxygen will just act as a buffer incase cases continue rising resulting in shortages. “The plan is that if, for example, a hospital caring for critical coronavirus cases uses 200 oxygen cylinders per day, we at least…

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Rwanda secures US$3.6m from EU to revamp labs for Covid jab production

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RWANDA – Rwanda is planning to start manufacturing coronavirus vaccines using mRNA technology after it secured international backing to build local capacity in the coming months. Rwanda has signed a Rwf 3.6 billion (US$3.6 million) partnership with the European Union to help upgrade the country’s laboratory capacity to help it attract investors to manufacture Covid-19 vaccines. The funds will be used to strengthen the Foods and Drugs Authority’s quality control for medical products, to enable the regulator acquire necessary certification from the World Health Organisation (WHO). “What we signed is…

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Rwanda tightens restriction measures, including school closure, as Uganda approves Covidex

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RWANDA – Rwanda has announced a review of COVID-19 restriction measures due to a surge in cases and the emergence of new variants globally. Schools and higher education institutions in the country will be closed. Provisions for students sitting national exams in July 2021 will be communicated by the ministry of education. Movements in some parts of the country has also prohibited between 6 pm-4 am and businesses conditioned to close by 5 pm. Social gatherings including gatherings held in homes and family visits are prohibited. All meetings have The…

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Egypt announces health projects and agreements with South Sudan, Djibouti and Rwanda

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EGYPT – The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced the establishment of a malaria control project in South Sudan to be funded by the ministry’s Agency of Partnership for Development. The announcement came after Egypt’s ambassador to Rwanda, Ahmed El Ansary, signed a memorandum of understanding to build an Egyptian center for heart surgeries in the Rwandan capital, Kigali. The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that the center, which is the first of its kind in East Africa, would provide treatment for cardiovascular diseases, especially among children, training for medical…

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