TheNewsGuru

Tag: COVID-19

  • NYSC opens up on Corps member, official contracting COVID-19 in camp

    After the shutdown of orientation camps across the country, there have been insinuations that either a Corps member or a camp official had contracted the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in camp, but management of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has come out to state the contrary.

    Following shutdown of the NYSC orientation camps across the country, insinuations were that either a Corps member or a camp official had contracted COVID-19 as reason the camps were shutdown, but management of NYSC has stated that “no Corps Member or Camp Official has contracted the virus” as reason camps were shutdown.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) exclusively reported in the early hours of Wednesday the FG ordering immediate closure of all orientation camps in the country where 2020 Batch “A” Stream 1 Corps Members were undergoing the three weeks compulsory orientation course.

    In a statement NYSC published on its official Facebook page following the order, management of the scheme said shutting down of camps across the country was similar to the step the federal government (FG) took a few years ago when the nation was confronted by the Ebola virus threat.

    NYSC revealed in the statement the 2020 Batch “A” Stream 1 Corps Members “shall be posted to commence their primary assignments forthwith, while they shall be invited back to the Orientation Camps when the situation improves, just like it happened a few years ago when the Nation was confronted by the Ebola virus threat”.

    Recall that NYSC recently mobilized graduates for the 2020 Batch ‘A’ orientation course. The orientation exercise according to the NYSC calendar started on March 10 and was supposed to end on March 30 when corps members would have been posted to their various places of primary assignment.

    However, due to the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic, the FG was forced to end the orientation course abruptly nationally to contain the spread of the virus since the scheme also accommodates foreign students.

    “To all SCs; I have received instructions to inform you to bring the ongoing Orientation Course to an immediate shutdown; effective tomorrow on account of the rapid-fire spread of COVID-19. Effect Primary Assignment postings this night. All necessary financial entitlements will be settled in the early hours of tomorrow.

    “You are to, by any means, reach Corps Employers on this development; immediately.

    “This obvious course of action is dictated by circumstances far beyond what can be controlled. The rapid changes in very many countries warranting social distancing between persons and isolation of persons on account of COVID-19 present no other option; but to close the camps because of the large aggregation of persons in close social contacts.

    “With the abundance of caution, mitigation of errors is easily achievable. Further information/development shall be conveyed as directed. You’re to act with absolute dispatch, please,” the statement ordering shutdown of all orientation camps across the country read.

  • Liberia suspends top official for violating COVID-19 protocols

    Liberia suspends top official for violating COVID-19 protocols

    The head of the Liberia’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Tuesday was suspended for purposefully violating COVID-19 protocols and endangering public health, on orders from President George Weah.

    EPA executive director Nathaniel Blama was the first person to test positive for the coronavirus in Liberia, three days after his return from a business trip to Switzerland.

    “Blama had refused to undergo health screening upon his arrival at Roberts International Airport in the capital, Monrovia, on Friday, in spite of showing signs of illness,’’ the presidency said in a statement.

    According to the statement, Health officials at the airport tried to usher Blama into an ambulance to be tested for the virus in a nearby hospital.

    “He instead boarded his private car and went home, where he had contact with various family members and personnel.

    “A domestic worker for Blama tested positive for the coronavirus, Liberia’s second case,’’ the acting head of the National Public Health Institute, Masoka Fallah, said.

    Health authorities were in the process of tracing and testing all primary and secondary contacts of Blama.

    Since reporting its first case on Monday, Liberia has imposed a temporary ban on non-citizens arriving from countries that have recorded 200 or more cases of the pandemic.

  • Kenya confirms 4th case of Covid-19

    Kenya confirms 4th case of Covid-19

    Kenya on Tuesday confirmed its fourth case of the novel Coronavirus code named Covid-19.

    In a televised address on Tuesday, Health Minister, Mutahi Kagwe, said the patient—tested at a private hospital in Nairobi—arrived in the country from London on March 9.

    He, however, did not reveal the nationality of the victim, adding that tracing of primary contacts was ongoing.

    Kagwe said thKenya confirms 4th case of Covid-19at a female of Kenyan origin had tested positive for Covid-19 at the Kenyatta National Hospital.

    He said that the woman with the virus had been diagnosed on the night of March 12.

    “The government has taken all the necessary preventive measures and is monitoring the patient who is in stable condition,” the minister said.

    Following the news, the Kenyan Government had banned all major public gatherings, including sporting events and open-air religious meetings.

    On March 11, the World Health Organisation categorised COVID-19 as a global pandemic.

    The announcement came after a spike in the number of cases outside China, where the outbreak was first reported.

    The virus has now spread to more than 150 countries.

  • COVID-19 vaccines ready for trial on humans in China

    Chinese scientists have begun a recruitment drive for volunteers to take part in clinical trials to test the safety and effectiveness of newly developed vaccines for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), an official said.

    Wang Junzhi, a scholar at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, said this during a news conference on Tuesday.

    “There are some work units that made rapid progress in the development (of vaccines) and have submitted applications for clinical trials to the National Medical Products Administration.

    “They began discussions on various clinical trial plans and the recruitment of volunteers. They will move forward upon receiving approval from the National Medical Products Administration,” Wang remarked.

    Research groups across the globe are racing to develop a vaccine against the disease that has already been contacted by more than 180,000 people worldwide.

    On Monday, the U.S. National Institutes of Health announced the start of a clinical trial for a vaccine at the Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute.

    According to a statement, 45 healthy adult volunteers aged 18 to 55 years will be recruited for the trial, and the first participant received an injection earlier in the day.

    The World Health Organisation has registered a total of 41 potential COVID-19 vaccines currently in development across the world, according to a document published on Friday.

    Research groups have received funding both from governments and individuals in the race to develop a safe vaccine.

    Jack Ma, one of the co-founders of Alibaba Group, donated 100 million yuan (14.2 million dollars) through his foundation in late January to support vaccine research.

    In March, Ma also announced a donation of 3.2 million Australian dollars (1.92 million dollars) to an institute in Australia currently working towards developing a vaccine.

  • Minister speaks on community transmission of COVID-19 in Nigeria

    Minister speaks on community transmission of COVID-19 in Nigeria

    The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, says Nigeria is not among the countries that are experiencing community transmission of Coronavirus (COVID-19).

    Community transmission is a situation whereby many people become infected with the virus in an area, including some who are not sure how or where they became infected.

    Ehanire said this while responding to questions from journalists at a news conference on COVID-19 on Tuesday in Abuja.

    The minister told the journalists that the country would not be in a hurry to take decision to ban social activities or shut down schools and offices because of the virus.

    “We are guided by experts, those who understand public health issues so they will guide us appropriately on what to do.

    “We do not have community transmission, we have only three cases, and they are recovering.

    “We can be taking decisions like those countries that have outbreak; we are studying the situation day and night to know what measures to take.

    “Many countries that have taken the decision to shut down schools and offices do so based on the need to do so.”

    According to him, the Ministry will provide update of the meeting of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 later today (Tuesday)

    on decision whether to place ban on flights into Nigeria and social activities.

    The minister said that Nigeria would continue to work on its case definition and screen travellers from those countries that recorded community transmission.

    The countries are China, Japan, Iran, Italy, Republic of Korea, France, Germany and Spain.

    On the contact tracing of the third and latest case, a Nigerian in her 30s, the minister assured Nigerians that it would follow the contacts properly.

    “The individual behaved very well and called the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and she was taken for treatment.

    “It means that our messages have been taken seriously and it is working.

    “The ministry is communicating with passengers who flew into those countries.

    “We carry out further screening on passengers if they meet our case definition, we test them. We do not intend to hide anything from you.

    “We have also told you about a suspected case in Enugu who tested negative.”

    Asked on the status of University of Abuja Teaching Hospital Isolation Centre, he said the centre would be ready for use in April.

    Ehanire, however, said that the ministry had made alternative arrangement by preparing an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) as isolation centre.

    “The isolation centre will be ready next month but meanwhile we are using ICU of the teaching hospital, if we have any case in Abuja,’’ he said.

    He appealed to Nigerians to continue to take precautions to protect themselves and their families, stressing:

    Regular and thorough washing of hands with soap and water, and use of alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

    Maintaining at least 1.5 metres (5 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.

    Persons with persistent cough or sneezing should stay home or keep social distance but not mix in crowd.

    Make sure you and people around you follow good respiratory hygiene, meaning cover your mouth and nose with

    handkerchief or tissue paper or into your sleeve at the bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze, then dispose

    used tissue paper immediately.

    Stay home if you feel unwell with symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. Call NCDC toll free number, which is available day and night for guidance: 0800 970 0000-0010.

    Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has confirmed 273 cases of COVID-19 in 26 countries in Africa and six COVID-19-related deaths.

  • COVID-19: WHO warns against use of one popular drug

    People, who suspect they have caught the novel coronavirus, should not take the popular drug ibuprofen without consulting a doctor, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

    WHO gave the warning, on Tuesday, pointing to the ongoing research into possible negative effects.

    WHO’s spokesman, Christian Lindmeier, told a Geneva news conference that there are no recent studies that link the anti-inflammatory drug with increased mortality rates, but he added that experts are currently investigating the matter.

    “We recommend paracetamol, not ibuprofen in self-medication,’’ Lindmeier said.

    The UN agency’s comments came after leading French health officials warned against using nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) against the coronavirus disease.

    This group of pharmaceuticals includes ibuprofen, aspirin and other drugs.

    A recent article in the medical journal “The Lancet” put forward the hypothesis that some drugs including ibuprofen might pose a risk for COVID-19 patients, who also suffer from high blood pressure or diabetes.

    Lindmeier also reported that two WHO staff members have been infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes COVID-19 respiratory disease.

    Several hundred WHO staffers started working remotely from home on Tuesday.

    The UN health agency no longer invites journalists to its premises to update them on the coronavirus pandemic, but broadcasts its briefings on social media.

  • BREAKING: Amid COVID-19 red alert, Abuja Doctors down tools

    Amid COVID-19 red alert, members of Association of Resident Doctors, Federal Capital Territory Administration (ARD-FCTA) have embarked on indefinite strike over non-payment of their salaries.

    The President of the FCT chapter of the association, Dr Roland Aigbovo, said at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja that the strike, which started on Monday, was to press home their demand for urgent payment of their salaries..

    He said that the strike would be observed by all members of ARD-FCTA which comprised of all doctors practicing in the 14 districts and

    general hospitals, Department of Public Health and Primary Healthcare Development Board under the FCTA, excluding consultants.

    He added that “our members were thrown into serious financial distress following non-payment of our salaries when due and we waited patiently after the end of year 2019 and new year 2020 celebrations till third week of February, only for us to receive a paltry sum of money as January salary.

    “The money received ranged from one-fifth to one-tenth of our salary with the exclusion of the newly employed members who have not

    been paid for about five to seven months.”

    Aigbovo said that arising from the association’s First Quarter Ordinary General Meeting held on Feb. 24, a 14-day ultimatum was issued to the FCTA management on the demands.

    These, according to him, include payment of the balance skipping arrears, payment of first 28 days already approved by the FCT minister, as well as the payment of 2016, 2017 and 2018 promotion arrears.

    Other issues include the improvement on security situation in hospitals, as well as the provision and maintenance of equipment and

    infrastructure in the various hospitals in the territory.

    Aigbovo said that when the 14-day ultimatum lapsed on March 6, a seven-day extension was also granted by the Congress of the association at an Emergency General Meeting (EGM) with the inclusion of the payment of February 2020 salary.

    “It will interest you to know that on Friday, March 13, FCTA started payment of February 2020 salary with no third-party deductions like

    pension, tax, NHF, association dues, cooperative contributions and others like loans repayment.

    “Our newly employed members were paid only one month out of five to seven months and house officers were paid two months without the consequential adjustment of the new minimum wage and the arrears.

    “An emergency general meeting of our association held yesterday (Monday) and it was unanimously agreed that until all our demands are met, the indefinite strike, which commenced on March 16 will continue.”

    He appealed to the Minister of FCT, Malam Muhammad Bello, to look into the association’s demands with a view to resolving them as soon as possible.

    Nigeria announced the third COVID-19 case in the country on Tuesday, and doctors are critical stakeholders in the health sector. Countries across the globe have been placed on red alert as the disease has grown from being an epidemic to a pandemic.

  • At least 37 suspected COVID-19 patients flee from hospital

    At least 37 suspected COVID-19 patients flee from hospital

    At least 37 patients thought to be suffering from COVID-19, the illness brought on by the novel coronavirus, on Tuesday fled from a hospital in Afghanistan’s Western Herat province, a Health Ministry spokesperson said.

    According to the ministry spokesman Wahidullah Mayar, the people in question are in isolation due to the virus.

    They escaped from the hospital with the help of their relatives after beating up hospital staffers.
    Mayar also criticized the police for not doing anything to control the situation.

    Meanwhile a spokesman for Herat Governor Farhad Jellani, told dpa that a total of 38 people, the 37 mentioned earlier and one virus-infected person, escaped the hospital.

    However, authorities managed to return seven of them back to the hospital. Efforts were ongoing to bring the rest back.

    According to the Afghan Ministry of Health, all those involved in the hospital break-out had recently returned from Iran.

    However, it was not clear why they left the medical facility, but videos on social media suggested they were at odds with the hospital over their treatment.

    The authenticity of the videos could not be verified independently.

    The Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, said the group was ready to fully cooperate with the Afghanistan Government and the international health organisations in preventing the spread of the virus corona pandemic.

  • How third COVID-19 case in Nigeria turned in self to health workers

    How third COVID-19 case in Nigeria turned in self to health workers

    The Federal Ministry of Health on Tuesday announced a new case of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria, being the third COVID-19 case to be reported in the country since the spread of the pandemic.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) gathered that this case, according to the ministry, was confirmed on the 16th of March in Lagos State, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 3.

    CASE SUMMARY IN NIGERIA AS AT MARCH 16TH, 2020

    On how the third COVID-19 case in Nigeria turned in herself to health workers, the Federal Ministry of Health said the new case is a Nigerian national who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom on the 13th of March after a brief visit.

    “On return to Nigeria, the case decided to go into self-isolation and subsequently developed symptoms, at which point, the case called the NCDC toll-free line to report symptoms.

    “Officials from the Lagos State COVID-19 Emergency Operations Centre were then dispatched to the case’s home to collect a sample. This was tested and positive for COVID-19,” the Ministry revealed in a statement.

    According to the Ministry, the case is currently being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba, Lagos, and TNG learnt that the third COVID-19 case patient is clinically stable and is responding to treatment.

    The Ministry also stated that contact tracing has started to identify all persons who the patient has been in contact with, since her return to Nigeria.

    The Ministry said the Federal Government of Nigeria will continue to assess the situation and review the national response accordingly.

    “We are immediately announcing the following interventions:

    “We strongly discourage any travel to all affected countries except for essential trips;

    “We encourage everyone returning to Nigeria from any country to self-isolate for 14-days

    “All those returning from countries where there is ongoing high community transmission (over 1,000 cases cumulatively), should self-isolate and will be actively followed up for 14 days by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Port Health Services

    “Please continue to maintain hand hygiene and respiratory etiquette,” an advisory by the Ministry read.

    GLOBAL SITUATION REPORT

    “The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Federal Ministry of Health continues to carry out daily risk assessments of the COVID19 situation.

    “The National Emergency Operations Centre led by NCDC and supported partners, will continue to support the Lagos State Ministry of Health in its response.

    “All Nigerians are asked to continue to take all necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families,” the Ministry further stated.

    These measures include taking the following precautions below:

    (1) Wash hands regularly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitiser if no water and soap is available

    (2) Maintain at least 2 metres (5 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing

    (3) Persons with a persistent cough or sneezing, should stay at home until they recover

    (4) Make sure you and people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene, with means covering your mouth and nose with a tissue. If none is available, you can cough into the sleeve of your bent envelope. If using a tissue when you cough or sneeze, dispose of the used tissue properly, into a dustbin

    (5) Stay at home if you feel unwell with symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing and please call NCDCs toll free number 0800 970 000 0010, which is available 24 hours a day, Monday to Sunday for guidance. Do not self-medicate

    (6) Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19 through the official Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Lagos State Ministry of Health and other State health department official channels on TV, radio and social media.

    Also, citizens have been advised not to abuse social media or spread misinformation or disinformation that can cause fear and panic.

    The Federal Ministry of Health through the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control will continue to provide updates as and when they become available, and will put in place all available measures required to control the spread of any infectious disease outbreak in Nigeria.

  • BREAKING: Third case of COVID-19 confirmed in Lagos

    BREAKING: Third case of COVID-19 confirmed in Lagos

    The Lagos State Ministry of Health has announced that another case, the third case of the deadly Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been confirmed in Lagos, Nigeria.

    According to an update made by the Lagos State Ministry of Health, via its official Twitter handle, @LSMOH, the third case patient is said to be an independent case not connected with the index case.

    The carrier, a 30-year-old Nigerian female, who returned from the United Kingdom on Friday, 13 March 2020, observed self-isolation, developed symptoms and has been tested positive.

    She is now receiving care at Mainland General Hospital.