Feature Stories

In the fulfilness of time, Madam Amie Jobe received her heart’s desire- a lifesaving COVID-19 vaccine, at Kanifing Hospital on 19 March 2021. She commands a section of women in politics and she is a businesswoman in Bakau area, Western Region.

Abuja, 15 March 2021 – After Yunusa Thairu became one of Nigeria’s earliest vaccination recipients, his mother received a text message that her son had taken the COVID-19 vaccine and something bad might happen to him. 

“She got super worried and gave me a call,” the doctor recalls. “I had to drive down to go see and assure her that I am fine, [that] there is nothing wrong with taking the vaccine. Upon seeing how healthy I was, she agreed to take the vaccine when it is available.”

Accra, 18 March 2021 – COVID-19 vaccination in Africa is gathering pace, with more than 7 million doses so far administered. But the continent received vaccines later than other regions of the world and in limited quantity. A few weeks after launching vaccinations, some countries are nearly exhausting their initial supplies. Professor William Ampofo, chairperson of the African Vaccine Manufacturing Initiative, discusses vaccine manufacturing in Africa.

What is the current vaccine manufacturing capacity in Africa?

Abuja, 15 March 2021 – After Yunusa Thairu became one of Nigeria’s earliest COVID-19 vaccine recipients, his mother received a text message that her son had taken the vaccine and something bad might happen to him.

“She got super worried and gave me a call,” the doctor recalls. “I had to drive down to go see and assure her that I am fine, [that] there is nothing wrong with taking the vaccine. Upon seeing how healthy I was, she agreed to take the vaccine when it is available.”

The Gambia through His Excellence the President recently launched the momentous COVID-19 vaccination campaign. Since the launch on the 10th of March 2021, health workers among other prioritized groups are getting vaccinated.

To rapidly and sustainably stop outbreaks of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) in African countries, a modified vaccine, known as novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV) is now being rolled out.

In Kwa Bada village in north-eastern Tanzania, community health volunteer Sylvia Petro is hunting an ancient, endemic disease and shining a light on the devastating stigma that surrounds it.

At the helm of Tattali Iyali Foundation – a charity organization, Niger’s First Lady, Her Excellency Dr Lalla Malika Issoufou, has supported the country’s efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. She explains the impact the pandemic has had on women and the measures to protect them from further vulnerabilities.

In an incredible scientific feat, COVID-19 vaccines have been developed within less than a year after the virus was first detected. Several vaccines that have become available have shown different levels of efficacy. So what is vaccine efficacy? Dr Lee Hampton, a paediatrician and medical epidemiologist with GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, explains.

Niger has witnessed a decline in COVID-19 cases in recent weeks following a surge. Public Health Minister Hon. Botto Ahmet explains what it took to cut back infections and the efforts being strengthened to curb the spread of the virus.