Researchers say they have learned a lot of valuable lessons during the Covid-19 pandemic which can be used to better fight the future spread of HIV and Aids.

Director of Training at the Columbia University in the United States, Dr. Andrea Howard says the test-and-treatment protocols, used for for Covid-19, could also be an effective tool to test for and immediately start anti-retroviral treatments in HIV patients.

Howard says they also found that providing HIV treatment at the site of testing increases treatment initiation and uptake.

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The co-chair of the AU’s African Vaccine Delivery Alliance, Dr. Ayoade Alakija, says the occurrence of the Omicron variant was inevitable and says it was brought about by the vaccine inequity that is still being perpetuated globally.

Speaking to BBC this week Dr. Alakija said if the Covid-19 pandemic had originated in Africa, the continent would have been even worse off.

She criticized overseas countries for imposing travel restrictions, on especially southern African countries, after the news of the discovery of the new variant.

Listen to the full interview here:

Read more here.

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President Cyril Ramaphosa says there should be greater cooperation between African countries to boost trade on the continent.

He says this will also ensure faster growth of the African economy, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Ramaphosa was addressing delegates at this year’s Intra-African Trade Fair.

The trade fair focuses on discussions around the recently-launched African Continental Free Trade Area.

Ramaphosa says African economies are some of the worst affected by the covid-19 pandemic.

Read the President’s full address here.

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With the third wave of Covid-19 now pushing Africa’s cumulative infections to a record 6-million, the continent is still months away from any form of normalcy.

This according to the World Health Organization which says that more vaccines are urgently needed for Africa to stave off a devastating wave of Covid-related deaths.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti says over the past month alone, the continent recorded an additional 1-million new Covid-infections.

She says oxygen-supply on the continent is also now under severe strain.

Read the full briefing here.

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