Up to 70 per cent of adults in the European Union (EU) should be vaccinated against the coronavirus by summer, according to the European Commission.

The Brussels-based body plans to publish a corresponding proposal on Tuesday, dpa learned in advance.

By March, the commission wants an interim goal of 80 per cent of people over 80 and of health workers to be reached.

The targets are part of a discussion paper for the EU video summit on Thursday, which will focus on vaccination as the key topic as the 27 EU states work to coordinate their efforts to fight the pandemic.

EU heads of state and government will also debate whether there should be an EU vaccine passport and other associated privileges for people who have had a coronavirus jab.

According to dpa sources, the EU Commission is in favour of a document that is as precise as possible and recognized in all EU states.

It should make clear who received which vaccine in which country and when and it should also help to track any side effects.

The commission will however argue that whether those who have been vaccinated should be allowed certain privileges.

Such privileges may include going to restaurants and cinemas or easier access to holiday travel, which should be up to the EU states.

The commission also plans to urge member states to do more to detect new virus strains, which requires sequencing of virus samples taken during tests. (dpa/NAN)

By Abujah Racheal

Dr Faisal Shuaib, the Executive Director,  National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), has dismissed speculations that the expected COVID-19 vaccines in the country contained microchips and would alter human genetic  information.

Shuaib gave the assurance on Monday in Abuja at the  Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 national briefing.

While encouraging Nigerians to take the vaccines once available, he said it would not only protect people but would trigger an immune response that would protect the body against the virus, if encountered.

“We encourage all Nigerians to get vaccinated when vaccines become accessible as the benefits of the vaccines far outweighs the potential side effects.

“The chances of spreading the disease is significantly reduced once community members are vaccinated and protected, owing to the fact that the vaccines trigger an immune response that will protect your body against the virus if encountered.

“Please note that taking the vaccine will not only protect you, it will protect your loved ones and community members  against the COVID-19 disease as we work toward developing health immunity.

“There currently seems to be growing vaccines hesitancy and this is largely caused by misinformation leading  to mistrust, doubts, suspicions and conspiracy theories.

“We urge the public to disregard such representation from unverified sources and listen to the medical experts for confirmed information,” he advised. 

He said it was important to note that vaccines, including COVID-19 vaccines, were manufactured under strict compliance with World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines, therefore COVID-19 vaccines do not contain any harmful substance, microchip and does not altar human genetic information.

“Furthermore, any vaccine coming to Nigeria will be tested by NAFDAC and certified safe for human use before it is administered.

“We will like to assure all Nigerians that this verification exercise will also be applicable to the COVID-19 vaccine and NAFDAC will continue to monitor the efficacy of the vaccine even after its administration to ensure proper documentation of any side effect.

“I want to reiterate that the first set of vaccine is that of Pfizer-Biotech and nRA vaccines and the equipment that are required to store them – that is the ultra-cold chain equipment for storage are available at the National Strategic Cold Store of NPHCDA.

“I will invite members of the media to go and take a look at the National Strategic Cold Store along Airport Road, those equipment are available.

“We have over 2,100 liters capacity. The requirement for the 100,000 doses of Pfizer vaccines that will be available by the end of January/February is 500 liters, so we have enough capacity for the 100,000 doses.

“I make particular reference to those reports that claimed that we are going to waste the 100,000 doses because we do not have any ultra cold chain equipment.

“Pfizer has also informed us that the COVID-19 vaccine can be stored for five days at plus two to eight degrees outside of ultra cold chain, which is suitable especially at low level.

“This means that the ultra cold chain storage is only required at the national level and six zonal stores where the vaccines can be stored for longer period, the vaccines then will be transferred to lower levels using dry ices in isolated dry thermals when they are ready to be deployed.

“I want to emphasis that the PTF, Ministry of Health intend to invest too heavily in the ultra cold chain equipment because of the logistical challenges.

“We already have thousands of refrigerators and freezers that we use for our routine immunisation vaccines available all over Nigeria. So we will  prioritise the  storage for those vaccines that are plus two and plus eight degrees Celsius,” he said. (NAN)

By Abujah Racheal

The Ministry of Finance has released N10 billion to support domestic vaccines production to tackle COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, made the disclosure at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) COVID-19 briefing on Monday in Abuja.
Ehanire said: “The Ministry of Finance has released N10 billion to support domestic vaccine production.

“While we are working to develop our own vaccines, Nigeria is exploring options for licensed production, in collaboration with recognised institutions. We are also exploring the option of local production of the vaccines in the country.”

He urged Nigerians to ignore claims by some people that they had COVID-19 vaccines for sale in the country.

“I advise all citizens to disregard these claims, as they are criminal. There are procedures for vaccine acquisition and use, which include appropriate regulations and certification by National Agency for Food and Drug and Administration and Control (NAFDAC).

“I advise against fake vaccines, as there is no one approved for use in the country. The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) is the only authorised vaccine administrator in Nigeria,” he said.

Ehanire stated that the number of new COVID-19 cases had continued to rise in the country, such that 10,300 confirmed cases were reported from just 50,750 samples tested in one week, translating into 20 percent positivity rate.

“It means one out of every five persons tested in the last one week turned out positive, compared with the previous week which recorded a positivity rate of 14 percent.

“Nigeria’s total number of confirmed cases is 110,387 out of a total of 1,172,234 samples tested, with a cumulative positivity rate of 9.4 percent. 1,444 cases were recorded in the past 24 hours, with sadly 77 deaths in the past week and total fatality of 1,435.

“It is instructive of the second wave that all cases recorded so far this January is more than 20 percent of all confirmed cases in Nigeria, more than the whole of December, barely halfway through the month.

“There is no doubting the fact that we are deeply into the second wave of the pandemic which requires that PTF and FMoH review our strategies to respond to the challenge.

“The federal ministry of health has outlined three approaches to confront the pandemic. These are: infection mitigation, therapeutics and vaccines,” he said.

Ehanire reiterated that reducing infection rate for COVID-19 remained the easiest and cheapest objective of the government.

According to him, government’s main effort is to ensure social mobilisation for testing, strengthening surveillance activities for early detection, active contact tracing, isolation and treatment.

He, however, added that implementation of critical non-pharmaceutical measures required the cooperation of the public.

“This includes much more adherence to wearing masks, social distancing, use of sanitiser, etc. than we are seeing today. Of special concern are the so-called “super spreader activities” that involve congregational settings, which must be reduced, restricted or prohibited in the interest of the common good.

“With regards to therapeutics, we must strive to reduce mortality from this disease by ensuring adequate stock of supplies and strengthening our case management capacity.

“In this regard, the ministry of health is working to expand oxygen availability across the country to address shortages, which have been a challenge globally, and also to review the value of various pharmaceuticals and protocols proposed for COVID-19 treatment.

“Clinicians are also urged to work out guidelines for participating in clinical studies,” the minister said. (NAN)

By Abujah Racheal

The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) on Monday called on the private-owned laboratories in Nigeria to support the country’s testing capacity for the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19).

The NCDC Director-General, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, made the call  at the Presidential Tasks Force (PTF) on COVID-19 national briefing in Abuja.

Ihekweazu said Nigeria, unlike other countries, places more burdens on the public laboratories.

He said: “From January 2020 to January 2021, we have activated 112 laboratories with the capacity to test for COVID-19 in the country.

“Seventy-four are public sector laboratories, 33 for private of which Lagos alone has 18 laboratories; Abuja has nine and five in other states, while the rest are corporate laboratories, serving the community around them.

“Unfortunately, we have not fully optimised the capacity of the private laboratories yet.

“If you look at South Africa, 60 per cent of all the tests done are from the private laboratories.

“In Nigeria, 30 per cent of the over one million tests that had been done is by the private sector. The public sector still bears the burden of being tested.”

Ihekweazu said that the rising numbers of COVID-19 cases and the need for testing provides an opportunity for the private sector to get more involved.

He said a framework had been developed for the private sector participation.

The NCDC director-general promised to send a team of supporters for the activation of private laboratory in any part of the country.

He said that in spite of the drive for vaccines in the country, testing remain relevant even, in times to come.

On schools resumption, the NCDC director-general urged both the parents and teachers to take collective responsibility in ensuring compliance to safety protocols.

He also said that the agency had published a new guidance for State Governments, public and private institutions on the use of approved Antigen (Ag) based Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDT) for Coronavirus disease.

“In September 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced the Emergency Use Authorisation (EUA) of two Ag RDTs, manufactured by SD Biosensor and Abbott for COVID-19 testing.

“Following this, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, in collaboration with other stakeholders, carried out a national validation of these RDTs.

“The validation, which was carried out during the screening held at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) camps, showed that the RDTs meet minimal standards for sensitivity and specificity of COVID 19 diagnostic tests.

“As more Ag RDTs gain EUA from WHO, we will consider their use in Nigeria.

“This new guidance published by NCDC is to guide the use of RDTs in Nigeria. We are recommending its use, primarily in congregate settings.

“These include settings such as schools, hospitals for the testing of patients with symptoms of COVID-19 presenting in hospital triage areas and periodic testing of health care workers, as well as prisons, among others.

“While RDTs provide a faster turnaround time compared to the molecular Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) method, there are limitations with this test.

“For example, the currently available Ag-RDTs have a lower sensitivity compared to PCR tests.

“The test can, therefore, present false negative results in people who have been infected with the virus.

“This is why the molecular PCR method remains the gold standard for testing.

“An algorithm has been included in the guidance to ensure that cases such as this are not missed,” he explained.

The NCDC boss said the agency was introducing the use of these rapid antigen tests to contribute to Nigeria’s overall COVID-19 testing capacity.

He said: “The Ag-RDTs provide significant advantages over other available testing methods, especially in terms of shorter turnaround times and reduced costs.

“The correct use of Ag-RDTs will also enable the Government of Nigeria to increase the pace of testing, tracing and providing care for people with COVID-19.

“The Ag-RDTs developed by Abbott and SD Biosensor are highly portable and easy to administer.

“However, infection prevention and control measures must be adhered to by trained health workers administering the test.

“Further information on this is contained in the guidance published by NCDC.

“Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, NCDC has continued to lead Nigeria’s public health response activities.

“As part of this, the agency has been leading the expansion of testing capacity across the country. Till date, 112 public and private testing laboratories have been activated across all states and the Federal Capital Territory,” he said. (NAN)

By Abujah Racheal
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 1,444 new cases of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country

The NCDC disclosed this on its official website late on Sunday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the country has tested 1,154,138 people since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was recorded on Feb. 27, 2020.

According to the public health agency, the new infections has taken the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases to 110,387, which includes 89,317 discharged cases and 1,435 deaths.

The agency said the 1,444 new cases were registered from 20 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in the past 24 hours.

The health agency reported 15 COVID-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours.

According to it, Lagos, Plateau, and Kaduna recorded the highest number of COVID-19 infections on Sunday, with 901, 136, and 57 cases respectively.

Other states with new cases were, FCT-54, Ebonyi-53, Akwa Ibom-52, Nasarawa-32, Osun-29, Ogun-28, Imo-16, Oyo-16, Edo-15, Kano-14, Rivers-10, Ekiti-7, Borno-6, Abia-f5, Benue-4, Yobe-4, Kebbi-3, and Anambra-2.

The NCDC disclosed that 3,950 patients were discharged from isolation centres across the country after the second test result returned negative.

It added that the discharge included 717 community recoveries in Lagos State and a backlog of 2,825 community recoveries in FCT managed in line with guidelines.

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

By Abujah Racheal

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Saturday reported 1,598 new cases of COVID-19 with seven deaths.

The NCDC said on its official Twitter handle that the total infection in the country is now 108,943 with 22,156 active cases and 1,420 fatalities.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the country has so far tested 1,147, 523 people since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 on Feb. 27, 2020.

The Nigeria’s public health institute said that the new infections were reported from 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

It stated that Lagos state topped the list with 461 infections, FCT 206, Plateau 197, Rivers 167, Kaduna state-116, Anambra-53, Ogun-49, Ebonyi-47, Edo-42, Sokoto state-32 and Imo-31 cases.

Katsina state-31, Oyo state-30, Akwa Ibom-27, Delta-16, Kano state-16, Abia-15, Niger-15, Ondo-11, Bayelsa-10, Borno-9, Kebbi-8, Ekiti-7 and Jigawa-1 cases.

The agency further disclosed that 832 patients recovered and had been discharged from various isolation centres across the country.

It added that this indicated 85,367 recoveries from the total 108,943 infections.

According to it, discharges for Saturday includes 430 community recoveries in Lagos State managed in line with guidelines.

NAN recalls that there is a drop in infections compared with Friday’s 1,867 cases, which is the highest so far in a single day.

Lagos state also recorded substantial drop in cases with 461 new infections far lesser than 713 cases reported on Friday.

The FCT’s 206 new cases represent a slight increase compared to the 199 cases on Friday.

Plateau state recorded a drop in infections with 197 cases against its Friday’s 273. (NAN)

By Abujah Racheal

 Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) registered 1,867 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in Nigeria to 107,345.

The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday.

It noted that eight people also died from the virus in the last 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 1,413.

The centre added that the new cases were reported from 23 states of the federation and the  Federal  Capital Territory (FCT).

The public health agency said that Lagos State reported 713 infections, Plateau, 273; FCT, 199; Kaduna, 117; and Oyo, 79.

Other were Enugu-58, Ondo-53, Kano-49, Sokoto-43, Ogun-37, Osun-37, Nasarawa-36, Rivers-28, Benue-24, Delta-24, Niger-24, Gombe-18, Edo-15, Taraba-12, Bayelsa-10, Ekiti-9, Borno-6, Zamfara-2 and Jigawa-1.

It stated that 705 patients across the nation had been treated successfully and recovered from the virus in the last 24 hours, adding that the number of recovered patients had risen to 84,535.

It noted that “our discharges today include 277 community recoveries in Lagos State, 150 in Kaduna and 78 in Plateau,  managed in line with guidelines.”

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

Meanwhile, it declared that the new highly transmittable variant of the COVID-19 had not been detected in the country.

It explained that the centre was able to determine the absence of the new COVID-19 variant in the country through genomic sequencing it conducted in partnership with African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases and the Reedemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.

“Viruses mutate, emergence of new variant strains of COVID-19 isn’t news.

“Genomic sequencing in Nigeria shows no evidence yet of variants associated with increased transmission, but we’re looking,” it said.

The NCDC, however, said it would not relent in its disease surveillance efforts.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the 1,867 new infections recorded in the last 24 hours was the highest single day rise since the index case was confirmed on Feb. 27, 2020.

Last week, the country surpassed its existing highest weekly record of COVID-19 infections by recording over 9,800 cases in seven days.

An analysis showed that between Jan. 3 and Jan. 9, the country recorded 9,833 cases, a sharp increase from the 5,681 cases recorded in the previous week — Dec. 27, 2020 to Jan. 2, 2021. (NAN)

By Harrisson Arubu

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres says while science is succeeding against COVID-19 lack of global solidarity is worsening the pandemic.

Guterres stated this in a video message as the global death toll from the pandemic crossed a new milestone of two million on Friday.

According to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University, total global cases and fatalities stood at 93.5 million and 2,002,468 refectory as of Friday.

The UN chief noted that although safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines were being rolled out, disparity continued between nations.

“Our world has reached a heart-wrenching milestone:  the COVID-19 pandemic has now claimed two million lives. 

“Sadly, the deadly impact of the pandemic has been made worse by the absence of a global coordinated effort.

“Vaccines are reaching high income countries quickly, while the world’s poorest have none at all.

“Science is succeeding, but solidarity is failing. Some countries are pursuing side deals, even procuring beyond need. 

“Governments have a responsibility to protect their populations, but “vaccinationalism” is self-defeating and will delay a global recovery.

“COVID-19 cannot be beaten one country at a time,” the UN chief said.

According to him, the world must act in greater solidarity and coordination in memory of the over two million souls now lost to the virus.

He said the UN was assisting countries to “mobilise the largest global immunisation effort in history” in line with its commitment to ensure vaccines were seen as global public goods.

To this end, he called for full funding of the UN-led Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and its COVAX facility, both aimed at making vaccines available and affordable to all.  

Guterres urged the world’s leading economies to be alive to their “special responsibility” in this regard.

He also called for more commitment from vaccine manufacturers to the organisation’s efforts at ensuring fair supply and distribution of vaccines worldwide.

“We need countries to commit now to sharing excess doses of vaccines.

“This will help vaccinate all health care workers around the world on an urgent basis and protect health systems from collapse.

“Others on the frontline, including humanitarian workers and high-risk populations must be prioritised.

“To gain public trust, we must boost vaccine confidence and knowledge with effective communication grounded in facts,” Guterres said.

While science continues to record gains against the pandemic, people must remember and practice the “simple and proven” steps to keep each other safe.

“Our world can only get ahead of this virus one way: together.

“Global solidarity will save lives, protect people and help defeat this vicious virus,”  he noted.