TheNewsGuru

Tag: CORONA VIRUS

  • India tops a million coronavirus cases as pandemic hits villages

    India tops a million coronavirus cases as pandemic hits villages

    India on Friday became the third country in the world to record more than one million coronavirus cases, behind only the United States and Brazil.

    This is as infections spread further out into the countryside and smaller towns.

    For India’s population of around 1.3 billion, experts say a million cases are still low and the number will rise significantly in the coming months as testing is expanded.

    India recorded 34,956 new infections on Friday, taking the total so far to 1.004 million, with 25,602 deaths from COVID-19, Federal Health Ministry data showed.

    That compares to some 3.6 million cases in the U.S. and two million in Brazil – both countries with populations under 400 million.

    Epidemiologists say India is still likely months away from hitting its peak of cases, suggesting the country’s already overburdened healthcare system will come under further strain.

    “In the coming months, we are bound to see more and more cases, and that is the natural progression of any pandemic,’’ said Giridhar Babu, epidemiologist at the non-profit Public Health Foundation of India.

    “As we move forward, the goal has to be lower mortality… a critical challenge states will face is how to rationally allocate hospital beds,’’ he said.

    The last four months of the pandemic sweeping India have exposed severe gaps in the country’s healthcare system, which is one of the most poorly funded and has for years lacked enough doctors or hospital beds.

    The Indian government has defended a strict lockdown it imposed in March to contain the virus spread, saying it helped keep death rates low and allowed time to beef up the healthcare infrastructure.

    But public health experts say shortages remain, and could hit hard in the coming months.

    “As a public health measure, I don’t think the lockdown had much impact.

    “It just delayed the virus spread,’’ said Dr Kapil Yadav, Assistant Professor of Community Medicine at New Delhi’s Premier All India Institute of Medical Sciences.

    The million cases so far recorded likely left out many asymptomatic ones, he said.

    “It’s a gross underestimate.’’

    Millions of migrant workers, left stranded in the cities by the lockdown in March, took long journeys home on foot, some dying on the way while others left without work or wages.

    Several states, including Bihar in the east, to which many of the migrants returned, have witnessed a surge in cases in recent weeks as the lockdown has been eased to salvage a sagging economy.

    Babu estimates India won’t see a single nationwide peak.

    “The surges are shifting from one place to another, so we cannot say there will be one peak for the whole country.

    “In India, it’s going to be a sustained plateau for some time and then it will go down.’’

  • [Trending Video] Emir flogs Imam for conducting prayers

    [Trending Video] Emir flogs Imam for conducting prayers

    The Emir of Azare in Bauchi state ordered his guards to flog an Imam who held prayers in his mosque amidst coronavirus pandemic.

    In a video shared online, the Imam was beaten by a palace guard.

  • Coronavirus punishment from God- Keyamo

    Coronavirus punishment from God- Keyamo

    Festus Keyamo, minister of state, labour and employment, has averred that God allowed coronavirus to afflict humans so they can retrace their steps back to Him.

     

    In a tweet on Thursday, the minister said Nigerians should ask for forgiveness and also follow the directives of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

    “God has allowed COVID-19 to afflict the human race only to redirect our steps back to Him,” he tweeted.

     

     

     

    “Aside the spiritual angle to this scourge, we must all work and pray; God can only help those who help themselves. Those our recalcitrant Pastors must realise this. All the directives of
    @NCDCgov must be followed to the letter by all and sundry before it can quickly end in praise.”

     

    Some Twitter users who responded to the minister’s tweet said beyond seeking God’s intervention, the government must also do the needful.

    “Not only asking for forgiveness, but also doing the needful. Pay workers (ASUU and others) their entitlements, provide basic amenities, build infrastructures and protect our territories just like the way Americans do,” Amid Adetayo tweeted.

     

    Oreofeka wrote: “Did China ask for forgiveness before tackling the issue. You guys should get to work and make Nigeria better. Enough of bringing God to your ineptitude governance.”

    Did China ask for forgiveness before tackling the issue. You guys should get to work and make Nigeria better. Enough of bringing God to your ineptitude governance

    — @dspiritual (@oreofekan) March 25, 2020

     

    Disagreeing with the minister’s stance, Oluwagbenga Ajogbonlo, said: “What y’all distorted is our patrimony, our commonwealth, our funds and our sense of belonging. What you and your brothers in Abuja need is to go back to the people and seek for forgiveness.What we need now is a functional healthcare not some bible references.”

    What y’all distorted is our patrimony, our commonwealth, our funds and our sense of belonging. What you and your brothers in Abuja need is to go back to the people and seek for forgiveness.

    What we need now is a functional healthcare not some bible references.

    — Oluwagbenga Ajongbolo (@arakunrinajos) March 25, 2020

     

    Globally, there are 471,820 coronavirus cases with 21,297 deaths.

    US President Donald Trump had announced several measures to curb the spread of the disease.

    On March 12, Trump announced a suspension of travel from Europe to the US in a bid to fight the spread of coronavirus.

     

     

  • Two test positive for Coronavirus at conference attended by Pence, Pompeo

    Two test positive for Coronavirus at conference attended by Pence, Pompeo

    Two people have tested positive for the new coronavirus after taking part in a pro-Israel lobby group’s conference in Washington which Vice President Mike Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and dozens of lawmakers also attended.

    The influential American Israel Public Affairs Committee said in an email to attendees, speakers and congressional offices that the infected pair had travelled from New York to go to the March 1-3 event.

    “We have confirmed that at least two Policy Conference attendees from New York have tested positive for the Coronavirus,” AIPAC said in the message, posted to its Twitter account.

    Officials said on Friday that 22 new cases had been confirmed in New York state, mostly in a Westchester County cluster north of New York City, bringing the total to 44.

    “We have continued to remain in constant communication with the Westchester County Health Department and the DC Health Department which is coordinating with the New York Health Department, and national health authorities,” AIPAC added.

    AIPAC circulated a statement later Friday it attributed to Washington health authorities saying no immediate risk to attendees had been identified. DC Public Health was unavailable for comment.

    The event attracted several high-profile attendees including Pence, Pompeo, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, and Democratic former White House hopeful Mike Bloomberg.

    Pence is leading the US response to the novel coronavirus.

    Lawmakers from all political stripes make an annual pilgrimage of sorts to AIPAC to pledge their support for the state of Israel on a grand stage.

    About 18,000 people had been expected to travel from across the US to attend the conference, which typically attracts around two-thirds of the members of Congress.

    Attendees swamped Capitol Hill in their hundreds during the event.

    “If you test positive for Coronavirus, we urge you to inform your local health authorities so they can properly coordinate the response to this situation with the appropriate health authorities,” AIPAC said.

    The virus has now killed more than 3,450 people and infected more than 100,000 across 92 nations since the outbreak first emerged in China in December. Over 3,000 of those deaths have been in China.

  • Saudi Arabia suspends Umrah pilgrimage for citizens, residents

    Saudi Arabia yesterday temporarily stopped citizens and foreign residents from carrying out the Umrah pilgrimage in Makkah to prevent coronavirus spread, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.

     

    According to SPA, the suspension is part of the protective measures the government has taken to reduce the spread of the infection.

    The measure is coming after Riyadh banned people from travelling to Saudi Arabia to complete the Umrah pilgrimage to Makkah or to visit the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

    Millions travel to Saudi Arabia every year to perform Umrah, a smaller pilgrimage than the Hajj, and it could be undertaken at any time during the year.

    However, the 2020 bigger Hajj was expected to commence in July.

    A total of 94 countries and territories were imposing entry restrictions or stricter quarantine procedures on people from South Korea over coronavirus concerns, Seoul’s foreign ministry said on yesterday.

    As of 2 p.m., 33 countries and territories imposed an outright entry ban for travellers who have visited Korea in the past two weeks, according to the ministry website.

    Qatar began to enforce an entry ban starting Monday on foreigners with a record of visits to South Korea, China, Iran, Italy or Egypt over the past month.

    Foreigners who have residential permits in the Middle Eastern country will face a 14-day quarantine at a designated facility.

    Five other countries, the Maldives, Vietnam, Japan, Fiji and the Philippines were barring the entry of those with a record of visits to South Korea’s Daegu city and nearby North Gyeongsang Province, the main clusters of COVID-19 infections.

    Including 15 provinces in China, 22 countries and regions were imposing a mandatory 14-day quarantine for travellers from Korea. The Chinese island province of Hainan was added to the list.

    Italy prepared new emergency measures yesterday to try to slow the spread of coronavirus in Europe’s worst hit country, including the possible closure of all schools, universities, cinemas, theaters and most public events.

    Seventy-nine people had died of the new coronavirus in Italy as of Tuesday, with more than 2,500 confirmed cases since the outbreak surfaced 13 days ago.

    Costa Rica now requires all passengers from Korea, China, Italy and Iran to undergo separate health screenings inside the airport.

    Denmark recommends a two-week home quarantine for those who came from Daegu and North Gyeongsang Province, as well as a few other virus-affected locations.

    Venezuela has been moved to the list of those requiring foreigners from Korea, China, Japan, and Singapore to be quarantined at a facility if they are suspected of infection.

    The South American nation had been carrying out temperature checks upon arrival and monitoring thereafter.

    That puts the number of countries with less strict quarantine procedures or quarantine recommendations at 34, including Nepal, which has announced a halt to issuing arrival visas for foreigners from virus affected countries starting next Tuesday.

    The U.S. is yet to implement entry restrictions.

    But U.S. President, Donald Trump said Tuesday (U.S. time) that Washington is looking closely at South Korea over the coronavirus outbreak and will decide whether to impose travel restrictions on its Asian ally at the right time.

    All South Korean passengers on flights bound for the U.S. currently undergo temperature checks before boarding.

     

  • Coronavirus patient has been moved to better facility now – Lagos govt

    Coronavirus patient has been moved to better facility now – Lagos govt

    The Lagos State Government on Saturday said it had moved the coronavirus patient to a better facility where he would be comfortable.

    TheNewsGuru had reported earlier that the patient was very dismayed about where he was secluded and had threatened to flee.

    The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who made the latest revelation, said the Italian was currently receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease facility at the Mainland Hospital in Yaba area of the state.

    He said, “We were renovating part of the facilities, so we kept him in a single isolation room for his privacy but we’ve subsequently moved him to one of our completed wards which were recently renovated with the full complement of facilities.

    “He is there now and he is comfortable.

    “As of this morning, his condition has improved, he hasn’t developed any new symptoms but he still got a mild fever and we would be running tests to see what the situation is with the virus in his body.”

    Abayomi, who spoke during a visit to the centre on Saturday, said the patient would be discharged when he has been certified to be okay.

    He said, “The patient has been with us for two days now. He arrived here on Thursday and he has been on supportive treatment and he is actually doing very well.

    “As soon as we get a negative screening, then we will keep him for another two or three days and repeat the test to make sure there are no more virus particles in his saliva and that means he will not be contagious again, then we will release him back into the community.”

     

  • Coronavirus: I can’t breathe well again – Mimi Orijekwe laments

    Coronavirus: I can’t breathe well again – Mimi Orijekwe laments

    Sensational actress, Mimi Orijiekwe has stated that wearing a double face mask as a preventive measure against coronavirus is preventing her from breathing well.

     

    TheNewsGuru recalls that Nigeria had confirmed its first case of coronavirus after an Italian man visited the country on a business trip.
    The man was said to have also made a trip to Ogun State where he fell ill and rushed to Lagos where he was confirmed to have the virus.
    Expressing her anxiety, Mimi Orijekwe got herself face mask and gloves for protection.
    “This is not even funny .. am wearing a double mask. Can’t breathe well again.. ps: let’s protect ourselves”, she wrote.

     

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9HFV_KAUGH/

    A follower identified as cryptz_jeokay opined: “Please don’t pick no offense. I would strongly advice that the mask and the gloves are of no protection for the virus, it’s only by regularly washing your hands with soap and water or alcohol disinfectant. Because it’s a respiratory virus and one can contract it through the nose, mouth or the eyes, so if your hands come across the droplets of the COVID-19 and you try to touch your face or adjust your face mask, there a chance of getting infected. The mask is for this you have the virus so when the cough, sneeze or talk the droplets will be contained and not affect people unknowingly. Please note, 80% of people with the virus will not sure symptoms for as long as 20 to 41 days after being infected. Please be safe and may GOD help us all”.
  • Coronavirus test on Chinese national negative – Lagos govt

    Coronavirus test on Chinese national negative – Lagos govt

    The Lagos State Government has confirmed that the Chinese citizen presented at the Reddington Hospital, Ikeja on Wednesday on suspicion of being infected with Coronavirus has tested negative.

    Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, made this known through a press statement on Thursday, noting that “the likelihood of COVID-19 infection in this particular patient was very low and the conclusion of investigations and sophisticated testing confirmed that no case of Coronavirus exists in Lagos State till date.”

    “I would like to reassure Lagosians that our vigilance levels are very high and we are putting more measures in place to safeguard the state,” he said.

    Giving information about the investigations, Abayomi explained that “the Ministry of Health’s attention was drawn to a suspected case of Coronavirus at Reddington Hospital, a private health facility located at Ikeja but from our investigations, we gathered that a Chinese citizen who arrived Nigeria from China seven weeks ago was presented at Reddington Hospital yesterday (Wednesday) complaining about fever. The hospital, in keeping with the advisory we earlier issued, correctly maintained a high index of suspicion, isolated the patient and reported the case to the Ministry.

    “We took up the case, transferred the patient to the State Isolation Unit at the Mainland hospital which is our specialised infectious disease hospital. His blood samples were taken to the Virology laboratory for analysis and it came out negative.”

    Abayomi appealed to citizens to refrain from posting unverified news that could cause unnecessary anxiety in the community and urged residents to disregard any information about the novel Coronavirus that does not emanate from official communication channels of the Ministry of Health or his office.

     

  • Coronavirus: Health Minister Ehanire inspects UATH Isolation Centre

    Coronavirus: Health Minister Ehanire inspects UATH Isolation Centre

    Dr Osagie Ehanire, Minister of Health on Tuesday inspected an Isolation Centre under construction at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital (UATH) Gwagwalada as part of the precautionary measures to prevent importation of coronavirus.

    Ehanire in a statement by the Head Media and Public Relations in the ministry, Mrs Enefaa Bob- Manuel, said the Federal Government had adopted the measure in the event that the disease is imported.

    “We must not allow it enters our country through any of the entry points.

    “ As such, if any passenger should test positive at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Abuja, he or she will need to be isolated, thus, the need to have an isolation centre at UATH,” he said

    Ehanire said there was need for a facility where diagnosis could be carried out by staff to be trained by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and Port Health Services Division of the Ministry.

    According to him, the training will equip health workers to build their capacity to treat Lassa fever so that patients will not need to travel as far as Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, in Edo.

    The minister, therefore, solicited the support of UATH to enable the health sector tackle the disease in case of its importation.

    In his response, the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of UATH, Prof. Bissallah Ekele pledged his support to provide necessary facility for the centre.

    “I will not only make the yet to be completed Isolation Centre available but also to offer the newly completed Accident and Emergency department for temporary use until the completion of the Isolation centre,’’ he said

  • Just in: Trouble looming as Coronavirus hits another African country

    Just in: Trouble looming as Coronavirus hits another African country

    Botswana Government says on Friday that the country has registered its first-ever suspected case of the deadly Coronavirus.

    A statement on its twitter handle and signed by the nation’s Director, Health Services, Malaki Tshipayagae said the suspected case was registered on Thursday.

    It said the suspected case was registered at Sir Seretse Khama International Airport upon arrival using Ethiopian Airways from China.

    “The suspect case is still under isolation at Block 8. Clinic and investigations are on-going,” it said.

    Recall that Health authorities in Ivory Coast are investigating a suspected case of Wuhan coronavirus in a female student who arrived from China, officials have said.

    The student, whom authorities have not named, is the first person to be tested for the virus on the continent.

    The statement in full: