Health

China’s President Xi promises Africa one bln COVID-19 vaccine doses

China’s President Xi Jinping on Monday pledged to offer one billion COVID-19 vaccine doses to Africa, in a speech made via videolink to a China-Africa summit near Senegal’s capital Dakar.

The Chinese leader said that his country would donate 600 million doses directly. A further 400 million doses would come from other sources, such as investments in production sites.

Read the latest updates in our dedicated coronavirus section.

Xi’s promise comes as part of forum between China and African states with an emphasis on trade and security, held in the city of Diamniadio near Senegal’s seaside capital.

China invests heavily in Africa, and is the continent’s largest trading partner with direct trade worth over $200 billion in 2019, according to the Chinese embassy in Dakar.

For the latest headlines, follow our Google News channel online or via the app.

Vaccination rates in Africa are low compared to the rest of the world, with many states at the mercy of foreign donations due to the lack of local production facilities and prohibitive costs of mass purchases.

“We must continue to fight together against COVID,” Xi told the summit. “We must prioritize the protection of our people and close the vaccination gap.”

South Africa’s President calls for urgent reversal of travel bans over Omicron

First image of Omicron shows many more mutations than Delta variant

Health

‘Just in case’ use of antibiotics was rife during COVID-19, says UN health agency

Antibiotics saw “extensive overuse” globally among hospitalized COVID-19 patients during the pandemic without improving clinical outcomes, while also potentially exacerbating the already serious and growing threat of antimicrobial resistance, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Health

Teen alcohol and nicotine use in Europe is up, WHO urges preventive measures

Substance use is on the rise among teenagers in Europe, Central Asia and Canada and girls now match or even exceed boys when it comes to smoking and drinking, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a new report on Thursday.

Health

Gender therapy review reveals devastating impacts on teens

A top Human Rights Council-appointed expert has welcomed the decision by all health authorities in the United Kingdom to halt the routine use of puberty-blockers offered to children as part of gender transition services, amid a sharp increase more widely in the number of teenage girls seeking such treatment and concerns that it might disrupt brain development.