The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has raised concern that Nigeria may not be able to produce COVID-19 vaccines and others unless the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari sign the Pharmacy Bill into law.

Speaking at a media briefing on roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine, yesterday, in Lagos, the PSN insisted that the vaccines were safe and should be accepted in Nigeria, even as the group urged caution on the use of Ivermectin for treatment of the pandemic.

A woman died of COVID-19-related causes after undergoing a double lung transplant with organ suspected to have been infected with coronavirus. The woman, who underwent the double lung transplant, had a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had tested negative for the coronavirus 12 hours before surgery.

The organ donor, a woman from the Upper Midwest who had suffered brain death following an auto accident, also had a negative PCR test using a nasopharyngeal swab within 48 hours of when her organs were procured. 

The World Health Organisation has agreed to a no-fault compensation plan for claims of serious side effects in people in 92 poorer countries that are yet to get COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX sharing scheme, resolving a big concern among recipient governments.

This is revealed in a statement posted on the WHO website. According to the statement, the new programme makes compensation available to eligible individuals in 92 low- and middle-income countries without need to resort to law courts, NAN reports.

Phytonutrients in apple help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests. The study notes that the benefits for the brain were observed from apple peel and flesh, but not from juice, indicating that apples should be consumed whole in order to derive the benefits.

Scientists say that the pro-neurogenic compounds in both an apple’s peel and flesh help in improving brain function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease; and that the quercetin and hydroxybenzoic, which are phytonutrients in apple, help boost brain function and reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

Parents of a six-year-old girl who died of COVID-19 have shared what they describe as ‘telltale symptoms’ of the virus in children. According to the Centres for Disease Control, while fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, can get sick from COVID-19, and can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to others.

“Children, like adults, who have COVID-19 but have no symptoms (asymptomatic) can still spread the virus to others,” CDC says. The centre notes that most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all. However, some children can get severely ill from COVID-19.

Preparatory to the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines into the country in a few days, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has rolled out a nationwide training programme for health care workers that will be involved in the COVID-19 vaccination at the national and state levels.

The Executive Director/CEO, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib has enjoined Nigerians, particularly health care workers nationwide to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Federal Government to protect themselves and curb the spread of COVID-19.

A 37-year-old woman who underwent a nose piercing has developed what doctors later diagnosed as Hepatitis B after the process. 

The woman, Dana Smith, a New York resident, said she had the procedure for $60 and that not long after, her health took a drastic turn for the worst as the nose piercing infection led to a life-threatening condition, causing her to need a liver transplant.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency has released guidelines on registering for COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria. Recall that the agency on Sunday said that Nigeria would take delivery of 3.92 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, March 2.

According to the NPHCDA, the delivery would mark the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and make Nigeria the next West African country to benefit from the COVAX Facility after Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

Nigeria has received the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency says. So far, Nigeria is the third country in West Africa to receive the vaccines, coming after Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.

The country took delivery of the 3.92 million doses of vaccines on Tuesday [today] morning via the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja. In a tweet posted by the agency on its Twitter handle @Nphcda on Tuesday, it said “I AM HERE, NIGERIA!!! #YesToCOVID19Vaccine.”

The World Health Organisation Guideline Development Group panel of international experts warns strongly against the use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19. 

Their strong recommendation against the anti-inflammatory drug is based on high certainty evidence from six randomised controlled trials involving over 6,000 participants with and without known exposure to a person with COVID-19 infection, published in the journal, The British Medical Association.