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News in Brief 20 January 2022

News in Brief 20 January 2022

This is the News in Brief from the United Nations.

Cases drop for first time as Africa’s fourth COVID-19 wave ebbs

For the first time since the Omicron-fuelled fourth COVID wave began, Africa has seen a “significant drop” in new cases, and a promising dip in reported deaths.

That’s the message on Thursday from the UN health agency, which said that cases fell by 20 per cent in the week to 16 January, while deaths dropped by eight per cent.

World Health Organization Regional Director for Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said that there have now been more than 10.4 million cases of COVID-19 on the African continent, and over 234,000 lives lost as a result of the pandemic:

“I take this opportunity to stress that while the impact of this latest peak has been moderate, the continent has yet to turn the tide on this pandemic. So, there is no room for complacency...So long as the virus continues to circulate, further pandemic waves are inevitable. Africa must not only broaden vaccinations, but also gain increased and equitable access to critical COVID-19 therapeutics to save lives and effectively combat this pandemic.”

Dr Moeti said that while four African sub-regions reported a fall in new infections, cases have spiked in North Africa by 55 per cent.

In particular, Tunisia and Morocco have seen “an exponential increase”, overtaking South Africa as the countries with the most cases on the continent.

Rare coral reef discovered near Tahiti is ‘like a work of art’, says diver

One of the largest coral reefs in the world has been discovered by a UN-supported scientific mission off the coast of Tahiti.

Announcing the stunning find on Thursday, UNESCO said that divers had explored large rose-shaped corals spanning some three kilometres at depths of between 30 and 65 metres.

Early indications suggest that its depth has protected it from bleaching caused by global warming.

French lead diver Alexis Rosenfeld and founder of the 1Ocean campaign, described seeing the rose corals stretch “as far as the eye can see. It was like a work of art,” he said.

The reef find is highly unusual because of its deep location, as the vast majority of the world’s known coral reefs only descend to around 25 metres.

It suggests that there are many more large reefs to be found, as only 20 per cent of the entire seabed has been mapped at depths of more than 30 metres, said UNESCO Director General, Audrey Azoulay.

Remarkable land restoration solution in Sahel – FAO

Desertification in Africa is a major headache for farmers, but a state-of-the-art digger could change all that, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) said on Thursday.

To help counter poor soils, erratic rainfall and drought, the FAO is restoring degraded land with the help of the Delfino plough machine in Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal.

It works by creating large half-moon planting areas, boosting rainwater conservation tenfold.

This makes the soil softer and easier to farm than the traditional - and backbreaking – method of digging by hand.

FAO explained that the mechanical plough is also hugely efficient, covering up to 20 hectares a day – a task which would take 100 farmers more than two weeks.

The agency hopes that by bringing degraded agricultural land back to life, farmers will not have to clear forest to turn into cropland for Africa’s rising population, and growing food demands.

Today, the continent loses four million hectares of forest every year as farmers go in search of land to cultivate.

Daniel Johnson, UN News.

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  • COVID-19 cases and deaths dip in Africa
  • Remarkable land restoration solution in Sahel – FAO
  • Coral reef discovery near Tahiti is 'like a work of art': UNESCO
Audio Credit
Daniel Johnson, UN News - Geneva
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3'14"
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© Alexis Rosenfeld