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Tag: COVID-19

  • Over 103 Premier League players, staff test positive for COVID-19 in six days

    Over 103 Premier League players, staff test positive for COVID-19 in six days

    The Premier League has revealed a record 103 players and staff tested positive for the coronavirus in the period from December 20 to 26.

    Just a week ago, the English top-flight set a new high since testing began in 2020 with 90 positive cases.

    That mark has now been beaten as the Omicron variant takes its toll.

    So far in December, 15 Premier League games have been called off, while the three divisions below the top tier have been decimated by postponements.

    “The League can today confirm between Monday 20 December and Sunday 26 December, 15,186 COVID-19 tests were administered on players and club staff. Of these, there were 103 new positive cases,” a Premier League statement said.

    “The safety of everyone is a priority and the Premier League is taking all precautionary steps in response to the impact of the Omicron variant.”

    Liverpool’s game against Leeds, Watford’s trip to Wolves, and Burnley against Everton were all cancelled before their scheduled Boxing Day fixtures.

    Arsenal’s home match against Wolves on Tuesday was axed on Sunday after an increase in case numbers among Wolves’ squad.

    Leeds’ game with Aston Villa, scheduled for December 28, was also postponed on Sunday due to Leeds’ continued Covid and injury issues.

    Despite the rise in Covid cases and several postponements, Premier League chiefs last week opted against halting the season despite calls from some top-flight bosses for a ‘circuit breaker’

    At the same meeting, clubs were warned that games will go ahead if each team has 13 fit outfield players and a goalkeeper.

    “The League has reverted to its Emergency Measures, and has increased testing of players and club staff to daily Lateral Flow and twice-weekly PCR tests, having previously carried out Lateral Flow testing twice a week,” the statement said.

    “The League is continuing to work with clubs to keep people safe by helping mitigate the risks of COVID-19 within their squads.

    “We are also liaising closely with the Government, local authorities and supporter groups, while being responsive to any future changes to national or local guidance.”

    Six Premier League games did go ahead on Sunday in front of full crowds despite Britain battling a significant rise in positive Covid cases.

    No restrictions have yet been put in place for the size of crowds at matches in England, although supporters do have to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test taken in the previous 48 hours.

    Sport in Wales was forced back behind closed doors from Sunday, while in Scotland a restriction of 500 outdoor public events has seen Scottish Premiership clubs bring forward their winter break by a week.

  • Nigeria records 1,547 COVID-19 infections

    Nigeria records 1,547 COVID-19 infections

    Nigeria recorded 1,547 cases of COVID-19 infections on Sunday bringing the country’s total to 237,561 since the outbreak of the virus on Feb. 27, 2020.

    The virus has also taken 3,022 lives in Nigeria so far.

    Nigeria has treated and discharged 212,550 of those infected. 193 of them were discharged from hospitals on Sunday.

    The National Centre for Disease Control stated on Monday that Sunday’s infections were recorded in nine states and the FCT.

    FCT took over the lead from Lagos State on Sunday as it recorded 806 infections compared to 401 recorded by the latter.

    Borno had 166 infections, Oyo State had 78 infections, Ogun State had 47, and Osun State had 30, while Ekiti State and Katsina State had seven infections each.

    Kano State had four new infections, while Jigawa had one.

    Nigeria has also taken 3,751,696 samples since the outbreak of the virus.

  • Presidency speaks on alleged mass spread of COVID-19 in Aso Villa

    Presidency speaks on alleged mass spread of COVID-19 in Aso Villa

    Presidency has reacted to the report of alleged spread of the COVID-19 in the Presidential Villa, saying presidential aides are also humans.

    Report had emerged on Saturday, listing a number of close aides of President Muhammadu Buhari, who had been diagnosed with the virus and have been asked to self-isolate and stay away from the Villa.

    However, speaking on a monitored Channels Television programme, Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said the fact that aides of the President could fall ill as a result of a pandemic ravaging the entire population means that they are also humans like any other member of the society.

    “Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings, it can also happen to presidential aides. The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us to be immune to certain things. If there is a virus that is ravaging the society, well, it can touch anybody.

    “So, Mallam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive, but he said it’s mild and I believe that by now, because it happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he had not beaten it already. There is no cause for alarm,” he said.

    Asked how he was holding up since he had contact with Shehu, Adesina said: “Well, I also believe God for the best. If it happens, I’ll recover. So, that’s it.”

    Asked how many of the President’s aides in the State House have been infected, Adesina said: “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the Presidential doctor or anybody in the medical side, they will tell you. I wouldn’t know because, it is a private thing. If it happens to anybody is between that person and possibly the doctor. It’s not going to be general knowledge. So, I may not be able to say.”

    Asked if the President was isolating because he had been exposed to those infected, Adesina said: “Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine; he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule.

    “But if anybody close to him test positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he test negative. So, Mr. President is following his normal schedule and routine,” he said

  • Nothing abnormal contracting COVID-19 – Presidency

    Nothing abnormal contracting COVID-19 – Presidency

    The Presidency says nothing abnormal for Presidential aides testing positive to COVID-19, and are now on self isolation in their respective abode.

    Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, who stated this when he appeared on Sunday Politics on Channels Television, said such incidents only confirmed that the presidential aides are human and not immune to happenings around them.

    Reports had earlier on Saturday emerged that some presidential aides had tested positive to Coronavirus.

    It also mentioned the names of some cabinet members including the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    However, the minister dismissed the report that he tested positive to COVID-19 describing the report as fake news.

    Mohammed, therefore, demanded a retraction and an apology from the online newspaper which first published the report that he contracted COVID-19 virus and is receiving treatment in isolation.

    Also commenting on the issue, Malam Garba Shehu, the President’s Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, was quoted as saying: “I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19.

    ”I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.
    “But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay.

    ”Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating, and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill.”

    Also Adesina said: “Well, what I like to say is that presidential aides are just human. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings it can also happen to presidential aides.

    ”The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us to be immune to certain things. If there is a virus that is ravaging society. Well, it can touch anybody.

    ”So Malam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive but he said it’s mild. And I believe that by now, because it’s happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he had not beat it already. There is no cause for alarm.”

    Commenting on his contact with Shehu recently, the media aide said: “Well, I also believe God for the best. If it happens, I’ll recover. So that’s it.”

    Asked how many of the President’s aides in the State House have been infected, Adesina said:

    “No. That will not be within my purview to discuss maybe if you get the Presidential doctor or anybody in the medical side, they will tell you,

    ” I wouldn’t know because, it is a private thing. If it happens to anybody is between that person and possibly the doctor. It’s not going to be general knowledge.

    ”So I may not be able to say.”

    Adesina also dismissed the fear being expressed in some quarters over the president’s health following his exposure to his aides believed to have been infected with the virus.

    He said: “Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine, he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule. But if anybody close to him test positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he test negative.

    ”So, Mr President is following his normal schedule and routine.”

  • Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed does not have COVID-19 – Aide

    Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed does not have COVID-19 – Aide

    The Ministry of Information and Culture has debunked reports in the media that the Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed has Coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

    The ministry in a statement issued on Sunday and signed by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi debunked the story describing the media houses that published it as lapdogs.

    Read full statement below:

    The attention of the office of the Honourable Minister of Information
    and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, has been drawn to a report making
    the rounds that he has contracted the Covid-19 virus and that he is
    now in isolation, where he is receiving treatment.

    For the record, the Minister does not have Covid-19, hence he is
    neither in isolation nor receiving treatment anywhere.

    That report, which was first published by an online newspaper and then
    latched on to by some mainstream lapdog media, once again highlights
    the uphill task we face in our campaign to stamp out fake news and
    misinformation.

    A journalism mantra says ‘when in doubt, leave it out’. Also embedded
    in the code of ethics for journalists are the basic principles of
    truthfulness and accuracy, among others. The report in question did
    not meet those standards.

    The Minister was at the Federal Executive Council meeting on
    Wednesday, an extraordinary FEC meeting on Thursday and also witnessed
    the swearing-in of the Minister of State for Works and Housing on
    Friday. All these events took place at the Villa, where the
    correspondents of many media organizations are deployed. In fact, the
    Minister coordinated the post-FEC press briefing on Wednesday and
    Thursday. Could he have done this from
    the imaginary isolation centre where he was consigned by a mischievous reporter?

    As a member of the Presidential Steering Committee on Covid-19, the
    Minister has the added responsibility of leading by example, hence
    would not have hesitated to publicly announce his Covid-19 status if
    indeed he has contracted the virus. After all, he is not only fully
    vaccinated, he has also taken the booster shot, a situation that
    offers him different layers of protection even if he contracts the
    virus. For those who contract the virus, they deserve our empathy and
    prayers, not stigmatization.

    The media does itself a great disservice by making ‘exclusive news’
    out of beer parlor gist. Sooner or later, the truth will come out and
    a fake-news-peddling-organization will have its credibility dented for
    good.

    In the best tradition of journalism, we expect the online newspaper
    behind this fake news not only to retract the publication but also to
    apologize to the Minister for causing him such embarrassment,
    especially in a season of joy.

    Segun Adeyemi
    Special Assistant To The President (Media)
    Office of the Minister of Information and Culture
    Lagos
    26 Dec. 2021

  • Gerrard to sit out 2 Aston Villa games after positive COVID-19 test

    Gerrard to sit out 2 Aston Villa games after positive COVID-19 test

    Aston Villa manager Steven Gerrard will miss the team’s next two English Premier League (EPL) matches after testing positive for COVID-19, the English club said on Saturday.

    Gerrard, 41, who joined the club last month, will miss both Sunday’s home game against Chelsea and Tuesday’s trip to Leeds United while isolating.

    Former Liverpool and England captain Gerrard has led Aston Villa to four wins in six league games since taking over as the manager after the club sacked Dean Smith.

    Aston Villa are 10th in the league on 22 points after 17 matches.

    “Aston Villa can confirm Head Coach Steven Gerrard will be unable to attend our next two Premier League matches with Chelsea and Leeds United as he will be isolating after testing positive for COVID-19,” the club statement read.

    Aston Villa’s league game at home to Burnley last week was postponed about two hours before kick-off due to a COVID-19 outbreak at the club.

    A record 90 new COVID-19 cases were detected among Premier League players and staff in the past week, while 13 games have been postponed so far due to the virus.

    Britain reported a record 122,186 new daily COVID-19 cases on Friday as it battles a surge in infections fuelled by the Omicron variant.

  • Garba Shehu, others test positive for COVID-19

    Garba Shehu, others test positive for COVID-19

    A number of presidential aides, including the senior special assistant on media and publicity Garba Shehu, have tested positive for COVID-19.

    Although there is no official word on the matter, Premium Times gathered that others who tested positive during the week are the permanent secretary in the State House, Tijani Umar; the president’s aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; and his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa.

    Minister of information and culture Lai Mohammed also tested positive for the virus, the online newspaper reports.

    Mr Shehu confirmed his positive result to the newspaper on Saturday, although he did not confirm those of others.

    He said, “I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19. I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.

    “But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay. Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating, and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill.”

    Sources quoted by the medium said some of the infected officials including Shehu were taken out of the cabinet meeting on Wednesday when the result of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests came back positive.

    The affected officials are currently in isolation and are receiving medical attention.

    It gathered that the high number of officials affected by the virus may have also influenced the first lady Aisha Buhari’s decision to close her office early.

    “Well, I think that is part of the reasons, though it wasn’t stated in the release announcing the closure. But that would be part of the reasons,” special adviser on media to Mrs Buhari Aliyu Abdullahi said.

  • COVID-19: No death from Omicron variant yet in Nigeria, says NCDC

    COVID-19: No death from Omicron variant yet in Nigeria, says NCDC

    The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC), says no person in Nigeria has died of COVID-19 with the B.1.1.529 SARS-CoV-2 lineage, the Omicron variant, in the country, as the variant surges across the country.

    The NCDC Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, disclosed this to newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Data from the African Union (AU) shows that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly across the African continent.

    AU’s Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said as of Thursday, that 22 countries have reported the presence of the Omicron variant.

    “We can see clearly that Omicron is spreading very quickly,” said John Nkengasong of the CDC.

    Around a month after South Africa first discovered the more infectious variant, it has now been detected as far as Egypt, Togo, Morocco, Kenya, Mauritius and Burkina Faso.

    Nkengasong said there are grounds for optimism, pointing to initial findings from South Africa that Omicron posed up to 80 per cent less risk of severe disease compared to the Delta variant.

    However, he cautioned against applying these early findings to other countries.

    Across Africa, 253,000 new coronavirus infections were recorded last week, a 21 per cent increase on the previous week.

    Adetifa noted that Omicron has raised the number of confirmed cases in the country to 500 per cent, and now has become the dominant variants in the country.

    The NCDC boss said that the country has now identified a further 45 cases of the omicron variant, bringing the total number of confirmed infections to 51.

    He added that the 45 additional omicron variants were not cases from travel history, rather they are in country, which suggests that the country is already experiencing a community transmission.

    He said that the six earlier detected Omicron cases were detected in persons with recent travel history to South Africa.

    Adetifa stressed that it was important for Nigerians to maintain physical distance and avoid contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness.

    “We are counting on you to #CelebrateResponsibly and #TakeResponsibility to keep yourself and your loved ones safe from COVID-19,” he urged.

    He advised Nigerians that the further measures to curb the spread of Omicron was by reducing group sizes, increasing physical distancing, reducing duration of contacts and closing high-risk premises.

    He noted that indoor mixing was the “biggest risk factor” for the spread of Omicron, and that large gatherings risked creating “multiple spreading events”.

    Adetifa stressed that Nigerians should take the advisory issued by the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19, adding that it would greatly reduce the effectiveness of such interventions and make it is less likely that these would prevent considerable pressure on health and care settings.

    Meanwhile, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), is insisting that the national booster campaign remains the main tool in the country’s arsenal for curbing the spread of Omicron.

    The agency suggested that all the COVID-19 vaccines in the country offer “significant protection” against the Omicron variant, and that two doses should still ward off severe disease.

    It comes as the EU medicines watchdog said that there were early indications the Omicron variant may cause milder disease than previous strains.

    The suggestion from the European Medicines Agency (EMA) echoed similar findings from the World Health Organization (WHO), which said earlier this week there was some evidence that Omicron causes less severe disease than the dominant Delta strain.

    “Cases appear to be mostly mild, however, we need to gather more evidence to determine whether the spectrum of disease severity caused by Omicron is different from that of all the variants that have been circulating so far,” said Marco Cavaleri, EMA’s head of biological health threats and vaccines strategy.

  • How I tested positive for COVID-19 after full vaccination – Atedo Peterside

    How I tested positive for COVID-19 after full vaccination – Atedo Peterside

    Chairman of Anap Foundation COVID-19 Think Tank, Atedo Peterside, on Tuesday tested positive for COVID-19.

    He said he tested positive despite being double-vaccinated and receiving a booster dose.

    The founder of Stanbic IBTC Bank Plc, however, said he was asymptomatic.

    He said the postive test result vindicated his decision to cancel physical events he was billed to participate in, including one at the Presidency.

    Peterside said in a statement: “There was an outbreak of COVID in my house as last weekend approached and so I told myself that I must do the correct thing.

    “I immediately went into self isolation (because I had been exposed) and started cancelling all physical engagements that I had committed to attend over the course of the next few days.

    “One of the first casualties was a Future Leaders Network event billed for Saturday morning in Ikoyi where I was supposed to be the Keynote Speaker.

    “I contacted them and offered to deliver my Keynote Address virtually instead.

    “Dr Tony Rapu (Medical Doctor & Pastor) was the intermediary for this engagement.

    “He was the one who pressured me to commit to being the Keynote Speaker at this event that was organised by a bunch of highly responsible young men.

    “Tony even held an emergency conference call between the young leaders, himself and myself to help ‘pacify’ them after I cancelled my physical participation.

    “They decided to postpone their event on account of my physical absence; they felt it was too late in the day to hurriedly arrange for my virtual participation instead.

    “I maintained my ground with all and sundry that it would be irresponsible for me to start going around Lagos attending physical functions at a time when there had been an outbreak of COVID in my house.

    “I know a little bit about the Omicron variant and how highly transmissible it is.

    “That I had no symptoms whatsoever was not the issue. The chances were that I could be at the incubation stage.

    “It would suffice to say that I cancelled all physical engagements in Lagos, including weddings, business meetings etc.

    “Then I got a phone call inviting me to go to Aso Rock on Wednesday to attend the launching of the new National Development Plan 2021-25 by Mr President, in my capacity as Co-Chairman (Private Sector) of the National Steering Committee that was set up to produce the Plan.

    “Indeed, my Co-Chairman (Public Sector) called me also i.e. the Finance Minister.

    “I told her that I felt fine and had no symptoms, but that the correct thing to do (as per NCDC protocols) was that I must continue to self-isolate.

    “In any case, my latest COVID test had been taken on Monday morning by 54-Gene and the result was not yet out.

    “The Finance Minister accepted my logic and said she would explain my absence for health reasons and based on a strict adherence to the NCDC safety protocols.

    “We even discussed how long the incubation period could stretch.

    “This morning (Tuesday) I woke up and saw an email that came in overnight containing my COVID test result from Monday (yesterday) morning and it was POSITIVE.

    “I have chosen to tell this story so others can learn from it.

    “If I did not steadfastly cancel all engagements since Friday morning, only God knows how I might have contributed to the spread of COVID in Nigeria simply by being irresponsible and disobedient.

    “I still do not have any COVID symptoms, but in a sense my positive test result was both a relief and a lesson.

    “To all those who felt I was being too strict to the point of being ridiculous, I stand vindicated.

    “I am relieved because some people argued with my stance and felt I was simply overzealous. Now they know different.

    “Apart from using my plight to serve as a lesson to others, my final reason for making this public is to help a few misguided persons who still prefer to stigmatise COVID.

    “There is nothing to be ashamed about if you are the latest person to be caught by a pandemic.

    “Finally, please get your head around this: I had taken two doses of the Astrazeneca Vaccine in early March and late May 2021 and I also took the Pfizer booster shot last week in Victoria Island and yet COVID still knocked on my door.

    “I was well prepared in the sense of taking all the preventive measures which the Nigerian Government placed at my disposal.

    “Perhaps the vaccines help to make me asymptomatic (so far) ? Are you as well prepared as I was? If you are not, what do you intend to do about it?”

  • Deeper Life founder, Kumuyi rejects COVID-19 conspiracy theories, says virus almost killed one of his pastors

    Deeper Life founder, Kumuyi rejects COVID-19 conspiracy theories, says virus almost killed one of his pastors

    The General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church (DLBC), Pastor William F. Kumuyi, has said from his observations, the COVID-19 virus is not fake.

    Kumuyi referred to theories alleging that the virus was fake or politically motivated, but noted that the experiences of some DLBC members in Nigeria and abroad, showed that the virus is real.

    The cleric spoke in Lagos at a meeting with the press ahead of the church’s global crusade which begins on Tuesday.

    The event tagged ‘Great Miracle Explosion’, will run till December 26 at the Deeper Life International Conference Centre, Km 42, Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.

    Responding to a question on the virus, Kumuyi said: “Concerning COVID-19, I want to say that from my observations, from looking at things, I know that COVID-19 is real; it is not fake, it is not a politically arranged thing to do whatever. It’s real.

    “We’ve had people who had real COVID19 situations and they were in isolation.

    “In fact, one of our men, one of our pastors was about passing away.

    “According to him, he had said his last prayer because in that isolation he had seen other people dying, just going like that.

    “I knew about it and I called him on phone and prayed with him.

    “Within, I would say, one hour, he was completely healed.

    “He went to the toilet, got up by himself, came by himself and the Lord brought him back to life.”