India’s COVID-19 vaccines is safe and people should not fear them or heed to false information.

Health Minister Harsh Vardhan  said  on Thursday as part of efforts to address what his ministry identified as vaccine hesitancy.

India’s vaccine rollout began on Jan. 16, with 30 million health workers and ancillary personnel to be vaccinated in the initial round, but the going has been slow with less than 60 per cent of the target met over the first five days.

A total 786,842 health workers had been vaccinated as of Wednesday evening, according to the Health Ministry.

Oxford University and Astra Zeneca’s vaccine manufactured by India’s Serum Institute under the name Covishield and Bharat Biotech Limited’s indigenously developed Covaxin are both in use as part of the programme.

Hesitancy to take the vaccine has been ascribed to fears of adverse reactions and the presence of antibodies among health workers, who have been working with COVID-19 patients for many months.

Glitches in an app developed to manage the programme has also slowed it down.

The ministry rolled out social media campaign material urging people to ignore fears, rumours and misinformation regarding the vaccines.

There were several messages from leading medical professionals endorsing the vaccines and saying they had suffered no adverse reactions after taking them.

India has the second largest Coronavirus caseload after the United States, with a total of more than 10.6 million infections and 152,869 related deaths.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the world is facing a severe shortage of vaccines against COVID-19, which has led to inequalities among a number of countries in terms of access to the vaccines.

Representative to Russia, Melita Vujnovic, made the disclosure on Wednesday.

“Of course, the shortage of  COVID-19 vaccines across the world is large … the vaccines are available in high-income countries, which leads to serious inequalities,” Vujnovic said live on the Rossiya 24 Channel.

Earlier in January, WHO Chief Tedros Ghebreyesus slammed high-income countries for scooping up COVID-19 vaccines, and called for equitable distribution of the vaccines.

According to Ghebreyesus, although WHO’s vaccine distribution mechanism, COVAX, secured contracts for two billion doses, better-off countries are draining vaccine supplies by making additional bilateral deals.

So far, there are 96, 741, 757 COVID-19 cases, 2, 068, 733 deaths and 69,431, 809 recoveries, globally.
(Sputnik/NAN)

By Rabiu Sani-Ali

The Kano State has recorded 19 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total active cases in the state to 289.

The Ministry of Health made this known via its verified Twitter handle @KNSMOH on Wednesday in Kano.

It stated that “we recorded 19 new cases from 421 results received on Tuesday from the laboratories.

“62 additional patients were discharged and one additional COVID-19 death recorded.

The ministry disclosed that the state had so far conducted 61,802 COVID-19 sample tests since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country.

It said the state recorded 2,636 cases with 289 active cases, 2,276 patients discharged and 71 deaths.

The ministry urged residents to observe safety protocols, personal hygiene, use face mask, wash their hands frequently and maintain social distance to stem the spread of the pandemic.

It also provided toll free numbers: 0909 399 5333; 0909 399 5444, 0800 268 4356 to call when in need. (NAN)

By Abujah Racheal
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 1,301 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 113,305.

The NCDC disclosed figures on Tuesday on its official website.

The public health agency said that 1,261 patients had been discharged from isolation centres after testing negative to the virus.

The NCDC noted that the discharges included 702 community recoveries in Lagos State, 157 in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and 143 in Plateau.

“So far a total of 91,200 patients have been discharged following their recovery from COVID-19,” NCDC said.

It reported 15 COVID-19-related deaths in the last 24 hours across the country.

The Nigeria’s public health agency said that the new cases were recorded in 21 states and the FCT.

It, however, said that a total of 1,464 patients died from the disease.

NCDC said that Lagos recorded the highest number of new cases with 551, followed by the FCT 209, Oyo State 83 and Plateau State 65.

Other states were Kaduna (64), Enugu (61), Rivers (44), Ondo (39), Benue (37), Akwa Ibom (31), Kano (19), Delta (18), Gombe (18), Ogun (16), Edo (15), Kebbi (10), Ebonyi (nine), Jigawa (four), Osun and Zamfara three each, Borno and Nasarawa, one each.

The NCDC said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated at Level 3, is coordinating response activities nationwide.

Meanwhile, the agency urged the public to stem the rate of infection by avoiding close contact, wearing cloth face masks in public places and practising good hygiene.

“Avoid close contact. This means avoiding close contact within about six feet, or two meters with anyone who is sick or has symptoms.

“ Also, keep distance between yourself and others. This is especially important if you have a higher risk of serious illness.

“Avoid sharing dishes, glasses, bedding and other household items if you are sick. Clean and disinfect high-touch surfaces daily.

“Stay home from work, school and public areas if you are sick, unless you are going to get medical care. Avoid public transportation, taxis and ride-sharing if you are sick.

“If you have a chronic medical condition and may have a higher risk of serious illness, check with your doctor about other ways to protect yourself,” it advised.

By Cecilia Ologunagba
Some experts appointed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) say the global system for pandemic alert and response is “not fit for purpose,”emphasising the need for a new framework in the wake of COVID-19.

The experts, Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, in an interim report presented on Tuesday, said countries should use technology to inform people about the disease.

They found critical elements to be “slow, cumbersome and indecisive” in an era when information about new disease outbreaks was being transmitted faster than countries could formally report on them.

“When there is a potential health threat, countries and the WHO must further use the 21st century digital tools at their disposal to keep pace with news.

“They should keep pace with news that spread instantly on social media and infectious pathogens that spread rapidly through travel,” said Helen Clark, former Prime Minister of New Zealand and Co-Chair of the panel.

“Detection and alert may have been speedy by the standards of earlier novel pathogens, but viruses move in minutes and hours, rather than in days and weeks,” she said.

The panel was established to review lessons learned from international response to COVID-19, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, in Dec. 2019.

Nearly 94 million confirmed cases and more than two million deaths have been reported globally as of Tuesday.

The panel’s second progress report said countries were slow to respond to the new coronavirus disease, noting that there were lost opportunities to apply basic public health measures at the earliest opportunity.

Although WHO declared on Jan. 30, 2020 that COVID-19 was a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC), the panel found many countries took minimal action to prevent spread both within and beyond their borders.

“What is clear to the panel is that public health measures could have been applied more forcefully by local and national health authorities in China in January.

“It is also clear to the panel that there was evidence of cases in a number of countries by the end of Jan. 2020.

“Public health containment measures should have been implemented immediately in any country with a likely case. They were not,” they said.

The report also outlined critical shortcomings at each phase of response, including failure to prepare for a pandemic despite years of warning.

“The sheer toll of this epidemic is prima facie evidence that the world was not prepared for an infectious disease outbreak with global pandemic potential, despite the numerous warnings issued that such an event was probable,” it said.

By Ayodeji Alabi

The Ondo State Government has made the use of facemasks compulsory for civil servants before entering into its offices.

Dr Jibayo Adeyeye, Acting Commissioner for Health, Ondo State, made the pronouncement  during a media briefing after the State Executive Council meeting on Tuesday.

Adeyeye also said that visitors would not be allowed entry into any government office without the use of face masks.

The acting commissioner further disclosed that nine General Hospitals had been assigned as Isolation Centres for COVID-19 patients.

BY Muhammad Adam

Adamawa State Government has made the wearing of face masks mandatory in government offices to stem the spread of the second wave of COVID-19 in the state.

Prof. Abdullahi Isa, the state Commissioner for Health, announced the development at a news conference on Tuesday in Yola.

Isa said that the action was necessary to curtail and prevent the spread of the disease in the state.

“Wearing of face mask now is compulsory for everyone at the state Secretariat, and it will extend to markets, worship places and motor parks.

“And government is making moves for the legislative arm to make a law making the wearing of face mask compulsory across the state,” Isa said.

On diagnosed cases of COVID-19 in the state, he said within the second week of January, about 573 cases were diagnosed and 26 deaths recorded.

He said that on a daily basis, about 100 suspected cases were being recorded from the 21 local government areas of the state.

The commissioner who noted that the wearing of face masks had improved among the public lamented low commitment toward social distancing and regular hand washing by the public.

He urged the public to abide by the non-pharmaceutical methods of COVID-19 prevention that included social distancing, regular hand washing and use of face masks.

Isa said that since the outbreak of the second wave of the disease, over 5,000 people had recovered from the disease in the state.

In his remarks, Dr Umar Pella, Commissioner for Information, said that COVID-19 is real.

Pella stressed the need for strict adherence to all the preventive measures. (NAN)

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Kwara Chapter, has lost a member, Dr Martin Ighodalo of the Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, University of Ilorin, to coronavirus.

Prof. Issa Baba, NMA Chairman, Kwara Chapter, made the disclosure in a statement on Tuesday in Ilorin.

“I want to regrettably inform you about the passing to glory of Martin Ighodalo who was a classmate in the Medical School.

“He was lost to complications of COVID-19.

“May God Almighty repose his soul and give the family the fortitude to bear the loss,” he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the deceased obtained a  Bachelor of Science from the University of Ibadan in 1985 and Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) from University of Ilorin in 1994. (NAN)

By Florence Onuegbu

The Lagos State Government has projected that before the end of January, the demand for Oxygen by Coronavirus patients will increase to 750 of 6-litre cylinder daily.

Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu gave the projection at Lagos House, Ikeja, on Tuesday while addressing State House Correspondents on the management of the second wave of COVID-19 in the state.

Sanwo-Olu said the increase in positive cases necessitated the provision of greater amount of concentrated oxygen for the moderate to severe cases on admission at the isolation centres.

He said that over the last few weeks, the demand for oxygen had risen from 70 of 6-litre cylinders per day to 350 of 6-litre cylinders at the Yaba Mainland Hospital.

“This is projected to more than double to 750 6-litre cylinders before the end of January 2021.

“In addition to providing oxygen at our isolation centres, the Lagos State Government has decentralised the availability of oxygen across the state through the provision of 10 Oxygen and Sampling Kiosks.

“Oxygen therapy and other related services will be provided to patients that require them.

“Five of these 10 centres have been commissioned, while the remaining five will be ready for use within the next four weeks.

“It is our expectation that these sampling kiosks would be easily accessible to residents that require oxygen therapy at the level of Local Government Areas (LGAs) as stabilisation points prior to onward transmission to our isolation centres, if required,” the governor said.

Sanwo-Olu said that the strategy was to further increase the chance of Lagos residents that had contracted the virus and required immediate oxygen therapy.

He said that as a result of the increasing demand for oxygen, the state government had also commissioned an Oxygen Plant at the Yaba Mainland Hospital to mitigate the projected need.

According to him, the second wave of COVID-19 that the state is dealing with, turns out to be far more serious than the first wave.

“We can flatten the curve and defeat this virus but only if we take seriously the advice and guidelines being issued by the authorities, regarding prevention, treatment and general behaviour in this difficult period,” he said.

Speaking on the COVID-19 vaccine, the governor said the state government was closely monitoring ongoing action by the Federal Government to procure the vaccine for use in Nigeria.

He said the state government had also opened discussions with vaccine manufacturers, so that when the vaccine would eventually come, Lagos residents would be catered for.

“In the meantime, we are developing a strategy that will articulate the criteria, guidelines and regulatory framework for providing and monitoring vaccinations in Lagos,” Sanwo-Olu said. (NAN)