Coronavirus Africa news summary: Thursday 16 July
Coronavirus | Africa: live updates - 16/07
Africa Covid-19 update: 07:20 WAT on Friday 17 July (08:20 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 13,808,626 cases have been detected worldwide, with 589,987 deaths and 7,716,636 people recovered.
South Africa: 324,221 cases / 4,669 deaths
Nigeria: 34,854 cases / 769 deaths
Ghana: 26,125 cases / 139 deaths
Latest 'at a glance' map of Africa
Egypt, Nigeria and South Africa remain the three Covid-19 hotspots in the continent.
US order puts Malaysia glove industry under pressure over labour abuses
Malaysia's medical glove industry was under pressure to crack down on labour abuses on Thursday after the United States blocked imports from the world's largest manufacturer, with demand for the product surging due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The United States did not say why it had placed a detention order on imports of products made by subsidiaries of Malaysia's Top Glove, but such orders are used against firms suspected of using forced labour.
Top Glove said it was seeking details on the order, which it said may be related to recruitment fees paid by migrant workers to employment agents. A similar order was imposed on another Malaysian glove maker, WRP Asia Pacific, last year but was lifted in March after remedial action was taken.
African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) laboratory manager, Philomena Eromon (L) and colleague molecular biologists analyse Covid-19 samples in the laboratory located at the Redeemer's University in Ede, southwestern Nigeria, on June 2, 2020.
(Photo by PIUS UTOMI EKPEI / AFP)
The battle to stay financially afloat in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe continued on its march back to hyperinflation in June, adding to the nation’s economic woes.
In Nigeria, African researchers blaze a Covid-19 trail
“Strong people don’t put others down - they lift them up.” So says the discreet sign at the entrance to one of the most remarkable research facilities in Africa.
Run by a Cameroon-raised, Harvard-trained molecular biologist, the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) has been at the forefront in the fight of killer diseases such as Ebola, Lassa fever - and now Covid-19.
The force behind the lab is Professor Christian Happi, who has a steely belief in catapulting young African scientists to the top of scientific research.
An 18-year-old girl living in Bobo Dioulasso in Burkina Faso
"I felt very bad about the fact that the school was closed during Covid-19 because I couldn't go to school anymore and we didn't know if we were going to resume classes.
"At the time I thought my future was uncertain. I was very scared when the school was closed because I'm in an exam class and I was afraid of this year being declared 'blank'."
A week in the coronavirus-life of...
Charmel, 37, and her husband Michael each run their own businesses from home and have two girls, aged six and three.
Charmel founded her business in 2018, providing entrepreneurs with accounting and administrative support services. She only uses cloud accounting via the internet which means she could continue servicing her clients without interruption since the start of the pandemic.
She loves the "magic of baking" - the planning, preparation, presentation and how it brings people together. She says baking, cooking and being in the kitchen is where she finds her happy place.
Lockdown in SA hitting food access for children
The Covid-19 lockdown in South Africa, the country worst hit by the virus on the continent, is raising worries about children getting adequate nutrition.
The malnutrition of children has long been a problem in South Africa, but measures to control the pandemic have cut off some of the vulnerable from government meals programs.
Covid-19 catch up
Here are some of the coronavirus-related stories that have been making the headlines in the last 24 hours:
- South Africa's cases of Covid-19 crossed 300,000 on Wednesday, the most in Africa and among the 10 highest in the world
- Morocco re-opens 5,000 mosques as lockdown gradually eases
- Senegal resumes international flights after four months
- Covid-19 kills 4 Kenyan health workers, infections at maternity hospital rise
- Oxford’s Covid-19 vaccine, devised by Sarah Gilbert, is months ahead of the competition
- Ethiopia has started filling Grand Renaissance dam on Blue Nile
Africa Covid-19 update: 06:30 WAT on Thursday 16 July (07:30 CEST)
According to the latest figures published by Johns Hopkins University, 13,554,477 cases have been detected worldwide, with 584,124 deaths and 7,559,252 people recovered.
South Africa: 311,049 cases / 4,453 deaths
Nigeria: 34,259 cases / 760 deaths
Ghana: 25,430 cases / 139 deaths
Coronavirus live Africa updates: welcome
Good morning and welcome to our live, Africa-focused coverage of the coronavirus pandemic, which has now registered over 13.5 million cases and 584,000 deaths worldwide, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University