Frontpage News (3249)
The World Health Organization said on Wednesday it was looking forward to reviewing clinical trials of a potential coronavirus vaccine developed in Russia.
President Vladimir Putin declared Russia the first country to approve a vaccine on Tuesday even though final stage testing involving more than 2,000 people was only due to start on Wednesday. The WHO says 28 of more than 150 potential vaccines are currently being actively tested on humans, among which six have reached Phase 3, the final stage when candidate drugs are tested on large groups of people.
Making personal protective equipment against COVID-19 available in hospitals
Site Admin
In support of the country’s national response to Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), Novo Nordisk Nigeria donated medical supplies containing personal protective equipment (PPE) to 12 tertiary and secondary hospitals in Nigeria.
The protective equipment to support front-line healthcare workers includes 216 boxes of facemasks, 216 boxes of surgical gloves and 180 boxes of surgical head covers. The company’s Country Manager in Nigeria, Mr. Jude Abonu, said the donation is in line with the company’s global resolve to work closely with countries, especially where it operates, as they strive to halt the spread of the virus.
China close to producing COVID 19 vaccine as first patent gets approved
Site Admin
China’s first patent for a COVID-19 vaccine has been granted by the country’s National Intellectual Property Administration. The Daily Times Nigeria learnt that the patent was jointly applied for by a research team with the Academy of Military Sciences and CanSino Biologics Inc., a Chinese high-tech biopharmaceutical company, said a report in People’s Daily.
The team led by Chen Wei, a Researcher at the Institute of Military Medicine under the academy, developed the recombinant COVID-19 vaccine, with the modified defective adenovirus as the vector.
Positive cases dropping in Lagos, Kano, FCT, others, says NCDC
Site Admin
DIRECTOR-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu on Monday claimed that the numbers of COVID-19 positive cases in certain states have started to drop. The states are Lagos, Kano, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Plateau and Borno.
He explained that the reason for the reduction in the positivity rate in those states was the result of consistently testing high numbers of persons. Ihekweazu stated these during a television interview in Abuja.
The number of people in Nigeria infected with the coronavirus exceeded 50,000 on Wednesday, the country’s health authority said, with 593 cases reported in the last 24 hours.
Wednesday’s tally, which would be the first time Nigeria is reporting over 500 cases in about a month, brings the total number of infections in the country to 50,488. A total of 37,304 infected persons have recovered and have been discharged after treatment in the country’s 36 states and federal capital, Abuja. Four deaths were recorded from the virus in the past 24 hours, pushing the total number of confirmed deaths from the virus to 985.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, has said there have been over 25,000 COVID-19 deaths on the African continent. The UN health agency gave the update on its regional official Twitter account @WHOAFRO.
WHO stated on its dashboard that “there are over 1.1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent – with more than 846,000 recoveries and more than 25,000 deaths cumulatively.” It stated that South Africa had 589,886 cases and 11,982 deaths, followed by Nigeria with 49,485 confirmed cases and 977 deaths, while Ghana had 42,653 confirmed cases and 239 deaths.
The Pharmacists Council of Nigeria said it has sealed 268 pharmacies in Lagos for violations that vary from not registering with the authority, not renewing their registration and other infringements. The PCN Registrar, Pharm. Elijah Mohammed, at a briefing in Lagos, condemned the increase in illegal medicine sales outlets in the country.
Mohammed, who was represented by the PCN Director, Inspection and Monitoring, Pharm. Anthonia Arya, said the national enforcement team of the association toured different parts of Lagos State during which it handed out compliance directives to 15 premises for various lapses in professional practice.
Bauchi may prosecute 89 ‘ghost’ doctors, others on payroll
Site Admin
No fewer than 89 ‘ghost’ doctors have been discovered in the payroll of Bauchi State. The Commissioner for Works, Abdulkadir Ibrahim, said this during a press conference shortly after the State Executive Council on Wednesday.
He said the ‘ghost’ doctors were discovered during the ongoing verification of all civil servants in the payroll of the state government. Ibrahim said, “They are collecting salaries from Bauchi State and also collecting salaries elsewhere, they just sit down and get alert without working in Bauchi.
Lassa fever: More deaths in Ondo than COVID-19, as confirmed cases climb
Site Admin
Despite the panic over the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic, the total number of deaths by Lassa fever has silently climbed to 63 in Ondo as of Week 32, dated August 8, 2020. The last death case recorded in the state was in week 31, which brought the tally to 63.
There was no death case in week 32 in the state. Ondo State has witnessed 30 deaths so far from COVID-19, far less when compared to the fatalities from the Lassa fever disease. Even though there are 1,482 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state, with 30 deaths, Lassa fever in the state had been put at 363 confirmed cases with 63 deaths.
COVID-19: Governors say 29 states receive fund to strengthen public health response -NGF
Site Admin
The Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) says 29 states have received funding from the Regional Disease Surveillance Systems Enhancement (REDISSE) project to strengthen their public health response to COVID-19.
The forum announced this in a communiqué signed by the forum Chairman and Governor of Ekiti, Dr Kayode Fayemi on Thursday in Abuja, after the forum’s 15th teleconference meeting held on Wednesday.
More...
World Breastfeeding Week: COVID-19 changing dynamics of nutrition — Experts
Site Admin
Nutrition experts and other stakeholders in the campaign to improve breastfeeding in Nigeria have expressed worry that the COVID-19 pandemic is gradually changing the dynamics of nutrition as well as giving the opportunity to producers of breast Milk substitutes to interfere with optimal breastfeeding practice.
The experts also expressed concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has constituted a public health emergency around the world.
COVID-19: 18 nurses, 7 support staff test positive at UITH
Site Admin
Chairman, University of Ilorin Teaching hospital,(UITH) chapter of Joint Health Sector Union (JOHESU), Comrade Olatunde Olawunmi Tuesday said that no fewer than 18 nurses have tested positive for COVID-19 pandemic at the hospital.
Oluwawumi who told reporters in Ilorin, the state capital at the sideline of a meeting with members added that seven supporting staff (portals) have also tested positive for the novel virus. He also said that UITH is yet to have COVID-19 isolation centre, adding that management had converted one of the ward at the hospital to a centre.
The United Nations has declared 2019 as the most violent for aid workers. It said 483 of them were attacked, 125 killed, 234 wounded and 124 kidnapped in 277 separate incidents. The Humanitarian Outcomes’ Aid Worker Security Database published by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) submitted: “This is an 18 per cent increase in the number of victims compared to 2018.”
The global agency, yesterday, as part of activities to mark the World Humanitarian Day 2020 with the theme, “A tribute to aid workers on the front lines”, condemned the assaults.
COVID-19 Vaccine will be accessible to all countries, says WHO
Site Admin
The World Health Organisation has said it is working to ensure that COVID-19 vaccine is available and accessible to all countries once a proven vaccine is available. The WHO’s Director-General, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said this during a live virtual session of the 70th WHO Regional Committee for Africa.
He said the organisation had been working round the clock since the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic, noting that African countries now have a preparedness and response plan in place. “Our continent is facing a health crisis unlike any we have faced before.
