COVID-19
Innovative Tech Critical in Vaccinating South Africa’s Rural and Remote Areas
/* custom css */ .tdi_4_9b2.td-a-rec-img{ text-align: left; }.tdi_4_9b2.td-a-rec-img img{ margin: 0 auto 0 0; } As South Africa’s COVID-19 vaccination programme ramps up, with a target to vaccinate 41-million people by the end of March next year, health NGO Right to Care is deploying teams to vaccinate South Africans living in hard-to-reach places in remote parts of the country. Dr Ntombi Sigwebela, chief of party for vaccinations at health NGO Right to Care, says that “No-one should be left out of the vaccine programme, including people living in far-flung areas. There is an urgency to vaccinate as variants may emerge and spread. We need to achieve herd or population immunity to break the chain of transmission as quickly as possible.” Right to Care is supporting the National Department of...
Concerts Get the Green Light in the Netherlands Ahead of Amsterdam Dance Event, Lowlands
Now more than a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the light at the end of the tunnel is shining brighter than ever as countries gradually decrease their lockdown restrictions. The Netherlands, for example, has now announced its third wave of rule relaxations, with the country’s latest round of updates including a green light for ticketed concerts and festivals to return on June 5th, the NL Times reports. The news is especially promising for electronic music staples scheduled for this summer, such as Amsterdam Dance Event and Lowlands. The Netherlands’ annual three-day music and performing arts festival, Lowlands. Bart Heemskerk According to Dutch Health Minister Hugo de Jonge, contact tracing app Coronamelder will be a key element for safely ushering in the return of ...
Punk Show Promoter Charges $18 for Fans Who Are Vaccinated, $1,000 for Those Who Are Not
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-29T14:59:29+00:00“>May 29, 2021 | 10:59am ET A Florida concert promoter has come up with a way to ensure that most, if not all, people attending an upcoming punk show will be vaccinated. He has instituted a price of $18 per ticket for those who have fully received the COVID-19 vaccination, and $999.99 for those who have not. Promoter Paul Williams of Leadfoot Productions is putting on a June 26th punk show at VFW Post #39 in St. Petersburg, Florida. The lineup features the bands Teenage Bottlerocket, MakeWar, and Rutterkin. In explaining the ticket price disparity, Williams told local ABC affiliate WFTS in Tampa Bay, “We’re just trying to do a show safely. And they should go out ...
Nigeria records 63 new coronavirus cases
Nigeria on Friday recorded 63 new coronavirus infections in seven states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The new figure raised the total number of infections in the country to 166,254, an update published by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Friday night indicates. According to the update, no new death was recorded from the virus, which has already claimed 2,071 lives in the country. The data shows that the new COVID-19 cases were reported in seven states and Abuja. Lagos recorded 25 cases, closely followed by Ondo with 22. Rivers State reported six while Akwa Ibom and Kaduna reported three each. Also, Kwara State reported two while Ebonyi and FCT reported one each. A breakdown of the data shows that 11 people were discharged on Friday after testing negative for the vi...
An Urgent Call for Harm Reduction in EDM: How to Keep You and the Rave Alive Post-Pandemic
“Nightlife always survives.” “It survived the great depression, and it survived the AIDs pandemic in the 80s,” Joseph J. Palamar, Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health at New York University Langone Medical Center, tells EDM.com. “Nightlife will always come back.” The terms of the world opening up after more than a year of isolation, loneliness, and tragedy are uncertain. But there’s something we know for sure: we love to dance with our friends. And for the first time in more than a year, that feels like a genuine—and imminent—possibility. As we write this piece, 39% of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19. It feels a bit easier every day to imagine that someday soon some of us will once again be sa...
Singer Who Really Sang Milli Vanilli Songs John Davis Dies Of COVID
HipHopWired Featured Video Source: picture alliance / Getty One of the most important voices of the late 80’s and early 90’s has passed away. John Davis, the real singer of Milli Vanilli’s hits, has passed on. As spotted on TMZ the voice behind one of the notorious groups ever to make it big in the music industry has left us. According to the report his daughter Jasmin confirmed his death via a social media post. “My dad passed away this evening through the coronavirus.” She continued, “He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music. He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.” Milli Vanilli was a German-French R&B duo from Munich. The grou...
R.I.P. John Davis, Vocalist Behind Milli Vanilli Dead at 66 Due to COVID-19
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-27T15:57:30+00:00“>May 27, 2021 | 11:57am ET John Davis, a session musician who provided vocals for Milli Vanilli, has died at 66. As his daughter Jasmin confirmed in a Facebook post, the cause was COVID-19. “This is Jasmin, Johns daughter,” she wrote. “[U]nfortunately my dad passed away this evening through the coronavirus. He made a lot of people happy with his laughter and smile, his happy spirit, love and especially through his music. He gave so much to the world! Please give him the last round of applause. We will miss him dearly.” Alongside Brad Howell, Charles Shaw, Jodie Rocco, and Linda Rocco, Davis was recruited by German producer Frank Farian in the late ’80s to sing o...
Veld Music Festival Moves to 2022, Announces Headliners Martin Garrix and Marshmello
As North American music festivals return at a dizzying pace, Toronto’s Veld Music Festival has sadly met a different fate. Organizers today announced that the 2021 edition of Veld has been moved to 2022, citing the uncertainty of the pandemic. The silver lining for fans, however, is the fact that EDM superstars Martin Garrix and Marshmello have been confirmed as headliners for the new dates. “Due to continuing COVID-19 restrictions and our commitment to the safety of our fans and staff, Veld Music Festival will be postponed until 2022,” reads the statement before announcing the event’s headliners. Veld Music Festival (via Twitter) CTV Toronto reports that over 65% of Toronto residents have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine as of May 2...
$16 Billion Save Our Stages Relief Fund Has Distributed $0
<span class="localtime" data-ltformat="F j, Y | g:ia" data-lttime="2021-05-25T15:31:01+00:00“>May 25, 2021 | 11:31am ET When is $16 billion equal to $0? It’s not a riddle, but rather the reality facing America’s independent venues, as more than five months after Congress passed the $16 billion Save Our Stages Act, not a single dime has been distributed in relief. As Variety reports, a pandemic crisis has been compounded by a crisis of bureaucracy. The bipartisan SOS Act was signed by Donald Trump last December, and its passage was hailed by artists including Dave Grohl. But while other programs targeting small business, such as the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), saw relatively quick rollouts, the Small Business Administration’s implementat...
South Sudan to return 72 000 coronavirus vaccines to Covax
South Sudan will return 72 000 doses of donated Covid-19 vaccines after concluding it cannot administer the jabs before they expire, a health ministry official told AFP on Tuesday. The country received 132 000 doses of the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine in late March from Covax, the global initiative to ensure lower-income countries receive jabs, but so far has administered less than 8 000 shots. The rollout has been hampered by vaccine hesitancy and major logistical hurdles in the vast and underdeveloped country of 12 million, which, apart from the pandemic, faces an emergency food crisis and widespread armed insecurity. “There’s a plan to deliver back 72 000 doses to Covax,” Angelo Goup Thon, the head of Covid-19 operations at the health ministry, told AFP. He said the decision was made late...
New York Venues Receive Green Light to Open at Capacity—But Must Ask for Proof of Vaccination
In a wide-ranging speech from the stage at Radio City Music Hall, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo explained that within the next month venues will begin operating at full capacity provided they request proof of vaccination from attendees. IQ reports that on June 19th, Radio City will open at full capacity and attendees will be required to present a vaccine passport—likely New York’s Excelsior Pass—in order to enter the venue. Cuomo explained his view that attendance scalability is predicated upon the amount of tickets allocated to vaccinated patrons. “I encourage [private venues] to have a high percentage available for vaccinated people,” he said. “Radio City is going to be 100%, I encourage that, because that’s an incentive for people to get vaccina...
Hollywood Bowl to Prioritize Fully Vaccinated Attendees Under New 67% Capacity Cap
Nearly 40% of adults in the United States have now been fully vaccinated, paving the way to a promising future of live events in 2021. And, with the CDC’s recent announcement that these individuals no longer need to wear masks outdoors, venues are adjusting their COVID-19 safety measures to match. Leading the way is the Hollywood Bowl after releasing an updated Safety Information breakdown on May 20th. According to these new protocols, fully vaccinated event attendees will be given priority access to seating at the venue, which will operate at 67% of its usual capacity. To be considered “fully vaccinated,” patrons must be two weeks past their final dose of the vaccine and be able to present either physical or digital documentation, the Bowl’s website stat...
