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  • US approves emergency use of Remdesivir to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients

    US approves emergency use of Remdesivir to treat hospitalized COVID-19 patients

    US regulators have allowed the emergency use of the experimental drug remdesivir, which appears to help some coronavirus patients recover faster.

    It is the first drug shown to help fight Covid-19, which has killed more than 230,000 people worldwide.

    President Donald Trump announced the news on Friday at the White House alongside Stephen Hahn, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, who said the drug would be available for patients hospitalized with Covid-19.

    The emergency approval comes days after Dr Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert, expressed cautious optimism about the results of a remdesivir drug trial.

    “The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant, positive effect in diminishing the time to recovery,” Fauci said earlier this week. “What it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.”

    The FDA acted after preliminary results from a government-sponsored study showed that Gilead Sciences’s remdesivir shortened the time to recovery by 31%, or about four days on average, for hospitalized Covid-19 patients.

    The study of 1,063 patients is the largest and most strict test of the drug and included a comparison group that received just usual care so remdesivir’s effects could be rigorously evaluated.

    Those given the drug were able to leave the hospital in 11 days on average versus 15 days for the comparison group. The drug also might be reducing deaths, although that’s not certain from the partial results revealed so far.

    Fauci said the drug would become a new standard of care for severely ill Covid-19 patients like those in this study. The drug has not been tested on people with milder illness, and currently is given through an IV in a hospital.

    The FDA authorized the drug under its emergency powers to quickly speed experimental drugs, tests and other medical products to patients during public health crises.

    In normal times the FDA requires “substantial evidence” of a drug’s safety and effectiveness, usually through one or more large, rigorously controlled patient studies. But during public health emergencies the agency can waive those standards, simply requiring that an experimental drug’s potential benefits outweigh its risks.

    No drugs are approved now for treating the coronavirus, and remdesivir will still need formal approval. The FDA can convert the drug’s status to full approval if Gilead or other researchers provide additional data of remdesivir’s safety and effectiveness.

    Use of the drug will be authorized for adults or children who are hospitalized with suspected or confirmed Covid-19 and whose condition is “severe”, meaning they have low blood oxygen levels, need oxygen therapy or are on a mechanical ventilator, the FDA said.

    “Based on evaluation of the emergency use authorization criteria and the scientific evidence available, it was determined that it is reasonable to believe that remdesivir may be effective in treating Covid-19, and that, given there are no adequate, approved or available alternative treatments, the known and potential benefits to treat this serious or life-threatening virus currently outweigh the known and potential risks of the drug’s use,” the FDA said in its statement.

    The emergency use authorization (EUA) also includes information about possible side effects, which include “increased levels of liver enzymes, which may be a sign of inflammation or damage to cells in the liver; and infusion-related reactions, which may include low blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, sweating and shivering”. It also notes that there may be other serious side effects that have not been discovered yet.

    Patients who receive the drug will be provided with a fact sheet. The drug is administered through an IV once a day for up to 10 days.

    Hahn said the drug’s approval for emergency use represented “an important clinical advance” in the fight against coronavirus.

    Daniel O’Day, the Gilead CEO, said Friday that his company has already ramped up production of the drug and hopes to make millions of treatment courses available by the end of the year.

    “I think it’s important to note that this is a medicine for the most severe patients,” O’Day told the Today show. “What we see here is really, of course, not a cure but a very, very significant and important treatment for patients.”

  • Coronavirus cases in US surpass one million; 57,266 Americans dead

    Coronavirus cases in US surpass one million; 57,266 Americans dead

    Coronavirus cases in the United States have surpassed one million, with 57,266 Americans dead.

    Currently, there are at least 1,002,498 cases of coronavirus in the US, according to Johns Hopkins University’s tally of cases.

    The number of confirmed US coronavirus cases topped 500,000 on April 10, according to Johns Hopkins’ tally.

    New York, with 295,106 Coronavirus infections and 22,668 deaths is the epicentre of the pandemic in the United States.

    New Jersey, the second Coronavirus infected State in the US, has 112,956 infections and 6,442 deaths, while Massachusetts, with 56,462 cases and 3,003 deaths is the third most affected States in the US.

    .According to New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, 402 additional fatalities were recorded, bringing the total to 6,442 deaths related to Covid-19 in the state.

    An additional 2,887 positive cases were reported in New Jersey, pushing the statewide total to 113,856.

  • Jonathan reacts as FG tracks, demands his account statements from 10 US banks

    Jonathan reacts as FG tracks, demands his account statements from 10 US banks

    Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan has reacted to report that the Federal Government has requested his account statements and that of his wife, Patience, from banks in the United States.

    Nigeria is requesting “all documents concerning any transactions to, from, or for the benefit” of Jonathan and his wife between 2009 and the present day.

    Bloomberg had reported that the statement of accounts of Jonathan, his wife; former Ministers of Petroleum, Diezani Alison-Madueke and Rilwanu Lukman, were being demanded from 10 US banks by the Federal Government.

    Court documents quote Abubakar Malami, the attorney-general of the federation, as saying information contained in the document will help an ongoing investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to know individuals in the Process & Industrial Developments Ltd gas deal.

    A statement issued behalf by Jonathan’s spokesman, Ikechukwu Eze said the former President’s attention had been drawn to international media reports to the effect that the Federal Government of Nigeria hada subpoenaed bank records for him and his wife, Dame Patience Jonathan in the United States of America.

    “We aver that the Federal Government of Nigeria did not contact Dr. Jonathan or his wife before issuing these subpoenas. If they had, we would have advised them of the fact that you cannot subpoena what does not exist.

    “We also remind the public that on March 5, 2014, during the swearing in of new ministers, then President Jonathan said “I am loyal to Nigeria’s economy. I don’t have accounts or property abroad.”

    “We are confident in stating that between that time and now, nothing has changed with regards to Dr. Goodluck Jonathan. He has no accounts in the United States of America, and encourages US authorities to cooperate fully with the Federal Government of Nigeria’s subpoena,” the statement said.

    According to the statement, “we would also like to state that during his tenure as President of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan extended every courtesy to former Presidents and Heads of state, because he believed and still believes that promoting, projecting and protecting Nigeria’s sovereignty and image is the paramount duty of her government, because it is not possible to belittle Nigerians without belittling Nigeria.

    “Finally, we state that the signing of the P&ID contracts preceded the Jonathan administration, and that that government gave appropriate counsel to the incoming government in the handover notes of 2015, which advice, if carried out, would have prevented the current unfortunate circumstances.”

  • Five killed, others injured as tornado hits Oklahoma, Texas states in US

    Five killed, others injured as tornado hits Oklahoma, Texas states in US

    At least five people were killed and more than a dozen injured on Wednesday as severe weather hit the U.S. states of Oklahoma and Texas, according to officials.

    A tornado touched down in Marshall County, Oklahoma around 5.00 p.m. local time (2200 GMT), leaving two people dead and another person in critical condition at a hospital, local media reported, quoting Robert Chaney, the county’s Emergency Management Director.

    Several vehicles were thrown into trees and the tornado caused damage to two steel manufacturing companies, Chaney was quoted as saying.

    The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management said the tornado had damaged at least 12 homes, businesses and power lines in Marshall County.

    In Polk County, Texas, at least three people were killed and between 20 and 30 people injured after storms ripped through multiple neighbourhoods in the area around dinnertime, according to the Polk County Office of Emergency Management.

    “A tornado warning went into effect at approximately 5.45 p.m. (2245 GMT).

    At 6.11 p.m., we began receiving reports of storm-related damage,’’ it said, adding that search and rescue is ongoing.

    “The state has already deployed response teams and medical resources to help Texans in need and to provide assistance to these communities,’’ Texas Governor, Greg Abbott, said in a statement.

    “Our hearts are with our fellow Texans tonight and the state will continue to do everything it can to support those affected by this severe weather,’’ he added.

  • JUST IN: Trump suspends immigration to US, gives reasons

    JUST IN: Trump suspends immigration to US, gives reasons

    U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will temporarily suspend immigration into the United States to ‘‘protect the jobs of American citizens’.

    In a tweet early today, Trump said:

    “In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!”

    The immigration ban generated close to 10,000 reactions less than 25 minutes after Trump tweeted it.

    The responses foreshadowed the political fire the idea will ignite on Tuesday across the aisles in the U.S.

    America at the moment has an unprecedented job crisis, with about 22 million workers unemployed.

  • US coronavirus death toll surpasses 41,000

    US coronavirus death toll surpasses 41,000

    The total number of Coronavirus-related deaths in the United States has now surpassed 41,000.

    According to Johns Hopkins University, US now has 41,379 Coronavirus deaths.

    The US university – which has been tracking the outbreak since shortly after it erupted in China late last year – says there are now more than 746,000 confirmed infections across America, with the New York state being the worst-hit.

    On Sunday, protesters took to the streets in states across the US, demanding that governors reopen economies shut by the pandemic.

    But the virus has slowed in New York, the epicentre, according to its governor, Andrew Cuomo on Sunday.

    The downward trend in coronavirus hospitalisations comes as a welcome relief for New York where nearly 14,000 people have died, including 504 people in the last 24 hours.

    “If the data holds and if this trend holds, we are past the high point, and all indications at this point are that we are on a descent,” Cuomo said during his daily news conference.

    Cuomo warned that things in his state will not return quickly to pre-pandemic conditions.

    “The beast is still alive and the beast can rise up again,” he said, cautioning against easing lockdown measures too soon.

    U.S. states are now looking to see when and how they can reopen their economies while preventing a second surge in coronavirus cases.

    Governors in several states are saying they worry about reopening their economies from coronavirus shutdowns if testing is still not at the level needed to ensure early identification of resurgent outbreaks.

    The lack of testing is “probably the number one problem in America, and has been from the beginning of this crisis,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan told CNN on Sunday.

    Deborah Birx, a key public health official, told CBS the federal government was working to expand testing, conceding that researchers from Harvard University are estimating half a million tests a day are needed to correctly deal with the pandemic.

    Vice President Mike Pence said on Fox on Sunday that capacity had reached 150,000 daily tests.

  • 2108 die in US within 24 hours, highest covid 19 deaths globally

    The United States has recorded 2,108 Coronavirus deaths in one day, setting a new world record as the first country to reach that figures.

    According to figures from Johns Hopkins University, 2,108 people died in the past 24 hours while there are now more than half a million confirmed infections.

    The US now has at least 18,693 deaths and 500,399 confirmed cases, according to Johns Hopkins, which is tracking the disease globally. About half of the deaths were recorded in the New York area.

    Italy has reported 18,849 deaths while globally more than 102,000 people have died with the virus.

    The US could soon surpass Italy as the country with the most coronavirus deaths worldwide.

    But experts on the White House Covid-19 task force say the outbreak is starting to level off across the US, according to BBC.

    Dr Deborah Birx said there were good signs the outbreak was stabilising, but cautioned: “As encouraging as they are, we have not reached the peak.”

    President Donald Trump also said he expects the US to see a lower death toll than the initial predictions of 100,000 fatalities, adding: “We’re seeing clear signs that our aggressive strategy is saving countless lives”.

     

  • US Coronavirus deaths surpasses 10,000

    The United States death toll from the novel coronavirus topped 10,000 on Monday, according to Johns Hopkins University statistics.

    The US has the third-highest number of reported deaths from the disease in the world, only exceeded by Italy with 15,887 and Spain with 13,055.

    White House medical experts have forecast that between 100,000 to 240,000 Americans could die as a result of COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, even if sweeping orders to stay home are followed.

    The US had entered what an official called the “peak death week” of the coronavirus on Monday, while a watchdog report said hospitals were struggling to maintain and expand capacity to care for infected patients.

    “It’s going to be the peak hospitalisation, peak ICU [intensive care unit] week and unfortunately, peak death week,” Admiral Brett Giroir, a physician and member of the White House coronavirus task force, told ABC’s Good Morning America programme on Monday.

    He raised the particular alarm for the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and the city of Detroit, Michigan.

  • Tragic! 25-year-old US-based Nigerian dies of coronavirus after being denied test

    Tragic! 25-year-old US-based Nigerian dies of coronavirus after being denied test

    Family and friends of 25 year-old US based Nigerian, Bassey Offiong, have been thrown in mourning after he died of coronavirus.
    The chemical engineering student of Western Michigan University passed away on Saturday. He was expected to complete his degree in a few weeks.
    Detroit News reports that Asari Offiong, Bassey’s sister, noted that her brother had told her that he was experiencing fever, fatigue and shortness of breath which are symptoms of COVID-19.
    Asari stated that her brother also told her that he was turned down several times for the coronavirus test in the Kalamazoo area.
    “I told him to ask them to test him. He said they refused to test him,” she said.
    Although she refused to reveal the hospitals where Bassey was denied test, she said a medical staffer told him he had bronchitis.
    She added that her brother had no prior health conditions. She said he had dreams of starting his own organic makeup line with Loreal that would enhance women’s beauty.
    “I know God has him in his presence. He loved God,” Offiong said.
    Bassey was hospitalised at Beaumont in Royal Oak and spent the last week on a ventilator in their intensive care unit.
    In a statement, Edward Montgomery, Western Michigan University president, said Bassey had “enormous potential.”
    “On behalf of the entire Bronco community, I want to extend my deepest condolences to his entire family, including his sister, Asari, who has been generous in communicating with us regularly,” he said.
    On Friday, the University officials announced that three students had tested positive for the virus.
  • US coronavirus deaths double to over 2,000 people

    US coronavirus deaths double to over 2,000 people

    The United States is advising residents of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut not to travel domestically after the number of reported coronavirus deaths doubled to over 2,000 nationwide within two days.

    It took about a month from the first report of a coronavirus death on February 29 to the number reaching 1,000 on Thursday. By Saturday, the number of reported deaths had doubled to 2,000.

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the travel advisory Saturday, urging residents of the three states to “refrain from nonessential domestic travel for 14 days effective immediately.”

    The states would have “full discretion” on implementing the advisory, which exempts employees in critical fields.

    With more than 121,000 cases and 2,046 deaths nationwide, the three states make up more than half of the cases and nearly half of the deaths.