Covid-19 cases on the rise in Oyo

  Oyo State has recorded six new confirmed cases of Covid-19, bringing the total number recorded in the state to 143. According to the latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Tuesday night, the six cases in Oyo were among the new 226 recorded in 16 states.

The state government had repeatedly called on residents who believe they had come in contact with Covid-19 cases to come forward for a test.

The government had also admonished people with Covid-19 symptoms such as cough, fever, tiredness, body ache and shortness of breath as well as health workers who had been in contact with high-risk groups to present themselves for a test.

Experts had attributed the recent increase in Covid-19 cases in the state to the high number of people that were responding to the call for testing.

Woman who smuggled her husband's corpse into Enugu state tests positive for Coronavirus

 

   The Enugu state government has confirmed three new cases of Coronavirus in the state. The State’s Commissioner for Health Obi Emmanuel Ikechukwu who lamented over the continous violation of the interstate travel ban, said the new cases include a widow from Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area of the State who smuggled her late husband’s corpse into Enugu State from Lagos for burial.

   Ikechukwu also revealed that two Coronavirus patients have tested negative for the virus after undergoing successful treatment.  He said; 

  “ 2 more COVID-19 patients in Enugu test negative, as State records 3 new positive cases with travel history

“The Enugu State Ministry of Health wishes to announce that 2 more cases out of the previously active COVID-19 cases undergoing treatment in Enugu State have tested negative and are being assessed for discharge from the isolation and treatment centre.

“However, the state has unfortunately received 3 new results of persons who have tested positive for the virus.

“This means that Enugu State has had 15 cases in all, with 9 active cases and 6 cases discharged after testing negative.

“The two cases that have tested negative are case number 5 and her daughter who is case number 9.

“The 3 new positive cases, who entered Enugu State illegally during this ban on inter-state transportation, are as follows:

“Case 13 is a 25-year-old man from Ondo State who lives in Lagos and made his way first to Akwa Ibom, then to Rivers State and finally to Obollo Afor in Udenu LGA of Enugu State, all within the period of closure of all land boundaries and inter-state movement. He developed symptoms while at Obollo Afor, the health authorities were alerted, he was tested and his result came out positive.

“Case 14 is a 38 year old male, from Okpuje in Nsukka LGA, who lives in Nasarawa State, and found his way back to Enugu State during the same period of lockdown.

“On suspecting he may have contacted the virus, he initially went into self-quarantine in a hotel at Nsukka. He subsequently developed symptoms and alerted the health authorities. He was tested and his test result also came back positive.

“Case 15 is a 28 year old female and a widow who hails from Igbo-Etiti Local Government Area, Enugu State and lives in Lagos State with her husband. She recently lost her husband in Lagos and was able to smuggle her husbands corpse back to Enugu State for burial, despite the lockdown in Lagos State and the national ban on inter-state movement . Her actions raised suspicion and the health authorities were alerted. She was subsequently tested and her result came back positive.

“These unfortunate figures are coming up as a result of individuals who have deliberately disobeyed the lockdown order and inter-state transportation as ordered by the Federal and State governments.

“In these times, we all need to comply strictly with all measures and regulations and exercise restraint from behaviours that will put others at risk.

“The good people of Enugu State are still encouraged to continue to comply with the directives of the Federal and Enugu State governments on containment of the spread of COVID-19 as well as the precautionary measures in the public health advisory of the Federal Ministry of Health, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, and the Enugu State Ministry of Health.”

 

Nurse quarantined for 14days after sneaking out to visit boyfriend

 

 

   A Kenyan nurse has been quarantined after travelling from the capital, Nairobi, to Nakuru town in the Rift Valley region to visit her boyfriend under the pretext of going to offer essential services.

  The government has restricted travel in and out of Nairobi except for cargo trucks to curb the spread of coronavirus. Health workers are among essential service providers allowed to travel out of the capital and to operate past curfew hours.

  Neighbours alerted police of the nurse’s presence. Police visited the house in the company of health officials who said the nurse’s temperature was higher than normal and took her for 14-days mandatory quarantine. The nurse reportedly identified herself to police manning roadblocks and told them she was going to offer essential services.

Hospitals in Brazil’s largest city ‘near collapse’ as Covid-19 cases soar

 

   The mayor of Brazil’s largest city, São Paulo, has said its health system could collapse as demand grows for emergency beds to deal with coronavirus cases.

  Bruno Covas said the city’s public hospitals had reached 90% capacity and could run out of space in two weeks. He accused those who flouted lockdown rules of playing “Russian roulette” with people’s lives.

 São Paulo is one of the country’s worst-hit regions, with almost 3,000 deaths so far. On Saturday, Brazil overtook Spain and Italy to become the nation with the fourth largest number of infections. The health ministry reported 7,938 new cases in the past 24 hours, taking the total above 241,000. Only the US, Russia and the UK have higher numbers.

   The death toll in the Latin American nation over 24 hours was 485, meaning that the total number of deaths is 16,118 – the world’s fifth-highest figure. Health experts in Brazil have warned that the real number of confirmed infections in the country may be far higher than the official records, due to a lack of testing.

   Brazil’s far-right president Jair Bolsonaro has been strongly criticised both at home and abroad for his handling of the country’s escalating coronavirus crisis. He defied global health advice on social distancing on Sunday when he posed for photographs with supporters and children in the capital, Brasília.

Nigeria Records 216 New Cases Of COVID-19, Total Infections Exceed 6,000

 

Nigeria has recorded 216 new cases of the novel coronavirus, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control confirmed on Monday.

In a tweet via its official handle, the NCDC said 74 new cases were found in Lagos, 33 in Katsina, 19 in Oyo, and 17 in Kano.

Other states with new cases include Edo with 13, Zamfara 10, the trio of Ogun, Gombe and Borno with eight each, the duo of Bauchi and Kwara with seven each, the FCT with four, Kaduna and Enugu with three each and Rivers state with two new cases.

The health agency also reported that 1,644 cases have now been successfully treated and discharged, while 191 persons have died.

 

216 new cases of #COVID19;

74-Lagos

33-Katsina

19-Oyo

17-Kano

13-Edo

10-Zamfara

8-Ogun

8-Gombe

8-Borno

7-Bauchi

7-Kwara

4-FCT

3-Kaduna

3-Enugu

2-Rivers

6175 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria

Discharged: 1644

Deaths: 191 pic.twitter.com/FbcGTJ06iE

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) May 18, 2020

 

Eight members of an organization test positive for COVID-19 in Oyo

  

   8 staff members of a company located in Ibadan South West local government area in Oyo state have tested positive for COVID19.

   This is coming barely two days after 30 workers in the same organisation tested positive for the virus, bringing the total number of Coronavirus cases in the said company to 38. The state governor, Seyi Makinde disclosed this via his Twitter handle on Monday morning, May 18.

''The COVID-19 confirmation tests for eleven suspected cases came back POSITIVE. Eight of these cases are from the same organisation in Ibadan South West Local Government Area referred to in the update of May 16, 2020. One case is from Oluyole Local Government Area.'' the governor tweeted

   The governor also disclosed that two more COVID-19 deaths have been recorded in the state bringing the total number of deaths from the novel virus to four.

''Furthermore, the test results of two suspected cases from the University College Hospital, Ibadan, who passed away and have been buried also came back POSITIVE. So, the total number of confirmed cases in Oyo State is 118 and the total number of COVID-19 related deaths is four.'' he tweeted

   Governor Seyi however added that eighteen more COVID19 patients have recovered and have been discharged.

'' Eighteen confirmed COVID-19 patients have received their second NEGATIVE test results and have been discharged. This brings the number of discharged cases in Oyo State to forty-six.'' he tweeted

Chief Superintendent of Police on the run after testing positive for coronavirus in Abuja

 

   Police authorities and officials of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) are looking for a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP) who tested positive for Covid-19 but fled when a team came to evacuate him on Friday afternoon, The Nation has learnt. It was gathered the CSP (names withheld) attached to 21 Police Mobile Force (PMF) Nyanya, Abuja, was billed to be evacuated from his residence at Garki Barracks around 2pm on Friday.

   The officer was said to have been under quarantine and treatment at the National Hospital Abuja Isolation Centre after he tested positive. It was however not clear how and why the senior officer left the hospital and returned to his home where he was said to have continued self- treatment with the help of his friends and colleagues until NCDC officials came for him.

    Sources said the health workers were led by policemen from Garki Division to the officer’s residence but he refused all entreaties to open the door and follow them. It was gathered the officer and his family members were seen peeping through the window while the evacuators made unsuccessful efforts to convince him to follow them.

  “He was later seen driving out of the barracks in his car to an unknown destination. His mobile phone has remained unreachable. “Surveillance teams have been set up to trail and take him into custody. Police medical team have been alerted and on standby,” said a source.

US biotech company claims it has discovered cure for coronavirus

 

   Scientists at a California biotech company have found an antibody that completely blocks coronavirus in a discovery they called a 'cure,' Fox News reports.

  Sorrento Therapeutics, based in San Diego, claims its STI-1499 antibody stopped coronavirus from entering 100 percent of healthy human cells in petri dish experiments. It's one of several antibodies planned to be combined for a drug 'cocktail' Sorrento is developing in collaboration with Mt Sinai School of Medicine in New York.

   In a press release, Sorrento said it could produce up to 200,000 doses of the antibody a month - a production timeline that would likely make the drug available months sooner than a COVID-19 vaccine is expected. The company has filed for emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but has not yet received the green light. Stocks for Sorrento soared by nearly 220 percent on the heels of the announcement.

   'We want to emphasize there is a cure,' Sorrento's CEO, Dr Henry Ji, told Fox. 'There is a solution that works 100 percent. 'If we have the neutralizing antibody in your body, you don't need the social distancing. You can open up a society without fear.'

COVID-19: Madagascar demands 170,000 Euros from Fed Govt for herbal drugs

 

  REPUBLIC of Madagascar has asked Nigeria to pay 170,000 Euros for the quantity of its COVID-19 cure drugs sent to the Federal Government, it was learnt at the weekend.

The quantity of the consignment sent to Nigeria through Guinea Bissau could not be ascertained yesterday. Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, who visited President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House in Abuja on Saturday, brought the drugs allocated to Nigeria by Madagascar.

   President Buhari said Nigeria would take the drug through intensive test to determine its suitability. A source on Sunday said: “For our consignments in Guinea Bissau, Madagascar has asked Nigeria to pay over €170,000 (N78, 200,000). We have received the invoice because the African country has made us to realise that the drugs are not being given out free.

  “We are being asked to pay for the drugs yet to be validated. Since the AU directed the supply of the drugs to African countries, we may have no choice than to pay for it. “This payment may, however, be one-off because mass importation of the drugs from Madagascar will not be cost effective. By the time we take into account the cost of freight, the amount will be too high.

THE NATION

COVID-19: President Buhari To Address The Nation Today

President Muhammadu Buhari will address Nigerians on Monday, even as the first phase of the gradual easing of the COVID-19 lockdown comes to an end.

This is according to Aliyu Sani, the national coordinator of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. Mr. Aliyu made this disclosure when he appeared on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics.

Nigeria Records 338 New COVID-19 Cases, Total Infections Near 6,000

Nigeria has recorded 338 new cases of the novel coronavirus, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

In a tweet on its official handle late Sunday, the NCDC said Lagos had recorded 177 new cases, while Kano posted 64 cases.

Other regions with new cases include the FCT with 21, Rivers with 16, Plateau with 14, Oyo 11, Katsina nine, Jigawa and Kaduna with four each, and three cases from the trio of Abia, Bauchi, and Borno.

Gombe, Akwa Ibom, and Delta states also recorded two new cases each, while Kebbi and Sokoto shared two cases between them.

338 new cases of #COVID19;

177-Lagos

64-Kano

21-FCT

16-Rivers

14-Plateau

11-Oyo

9-Katsina

4-Jigawa

4-Kaduna

3-Abia

3-Bauchi

3-Borno

2-Gombe

2-Akwa Ibom

2-Delta

1-Ondo

1-Kebbi

1-Sokoto

5959 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria

Discharged: 1594

Deaths: 182 pic.twitter.com/1nC9HjskN3

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) May 17, 2020

Burundi expels four WHO officials over coronavirus warning

 

 

  Burundi government has kicked out the national head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and three members of his team during a presidential election campaign despite health risks from the coronavirus pandemic.

  The government confirmed on Thursday that a May 12 letter from the foreign ministry was sent to WHO country head Walter Kazadi Mulombo and three others of the U.N. body’s health experts, ordering them out by Friday.

  An election is due on May 20, to vote for a successor to President Pierre Nkurunziza, whose government has been repeatedly accused of rights violations. Bernard Ntahiraja, the foreign affairs assistant minister, confirmed the WHO officials had been declared “persona non grata” but did not give reasons.

Nigeria records 193 new cases of COVID-19

   

   Nigeria has recorded 193 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections to 5162. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control confirmed the new figures in a tweet late Thursday. According to the NCDC, 58 of the new cases were in Lagos, 46 were recorded in Kano, 35in Jigawa and 12 in Yobe state.

   Nine cases were recorded in the FCT while 7 others were recorded in Ogun. Plateau and Gombe had five new cases each, four cases were recorded in Imo state while three new cases each were discovered in Edo, Kwara and Borno state.

   One case each was recorded in Bauchi, Nasarawa and Ondo. The total number of active cases in the country now sits at 3,815 while 1,180 persons have been discharged. As at the early hours of Friday, May 15th, the total number of fatalities recorded is 167.

98 years old COVID-19 patient recovers in Lagos

   

  A 98-year-old female, the oldest COVID-19 patient in Lagos, has been discharged from one of the isolation centres in the state.

Kwara state Governor orders sack of COVID-19 driver, issues query to top officers

 

   Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has directed the sack of a government driver that unilaterally attended to an unkempt person who was evacuated with a COVID-19 ambulance in Ilorin.

He also directed the issuance of queries to top officials of the state ministry of health for failing to act with necessary caution and expertise in the handling of the incident that was recorded in a video footage that has since gone viral.

In a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, the Governor totally condemned the shoddy handling of the gentleman in the video who was clearly going through a hard time.

Nigeria Records 184 New Cases Of COVID-19

 

   Nigeria has recorded 184 new cases of the novel coronavirus, bringing its total infections to 4,971. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control confirmed the new figures in a tweet late Wednesday.

‘Spain oldest woman’ recovers from COVID-19 at 113

  

 

  Maria Branyas, a 113-year-old believed to be the oldest woman in Spain, has recovered from COVID-19 after being diagnosed with the disease in March.

  Branyas was said to have tested negative weeks after she suffered mild symptoms of the ailment, making her the oldest reported person in Spain, and possibly the world to survive COVID-19. She was said to have tested positive for the disease and later got isolated at her care home in Olot, Catalonia, which has reported the deaths of several people suffering from the disease.

China puts a second city under lockdown in the space of four days

 

   A second Chinese city has gone into lockdown today amid growing fears of a second wave of infections in China.  The north-eastern city of Jilin, with a population of more than four million, shut down its borders and suspended public transport on Wednesday, with all residents not allowed to enter or leave their residential compounds unless it is necessary.

    All cinemas, indoor gyms, internet cafes and other enclosed entertainment venues in Jilin must shut immediately, and pharmacies must report all sales of fever and antiviral medicines, the Jilin government said in a statement. It was also stated that residents are only allowed to leave the city if they obtain reports to prove that they have tested negative for COVID-19 in the past 48 hours and complete an unspecified period of 'strict self-isolation'. 

    This comes four days after a neighbouring city Shulan, a city of 600,000 people, was put under lockdown after 12 COVID-19 cases were recorded in the space of two days, all linked to the same source. Jilin city reported six new confirmed cases on Wednesday, all linked to the Shulan cluster, bringing the total number of returned cases linked to a local laundry worker to 21.

Lawmakers Resolve To Probe Controversy Surrounding Benue State COVID-19 Index Case

  The House of Representatives has resolved to investigate the case involving Mrs Susan Idoko, the index case of coronavirus (COVID-19) in Benue State who was transferred to Abuja.

The matter was raised on Tuesday as a motion of urgent public importance by a member of the House from Benue State, Blessing Onuh, during plenary at the lower chamber of the National Assembly in Abuja. Onuh, who represents Otukpo/Ohimini Federal Constituency, said Idoko was quarantined by the government following misinformation and diagnoses.

According to her, the 56-year-old woman who is an indigene of Benue State with dual citizenship from the United Kingdom flew into Nigeria on March 22 for her mother‘s funeral. The lawmaker added that Idoko, unfortunately, got quarantined by the government for COVID-19, saying it was an assertion backed by discrepancies in the laboratory results.

She noted that Idoko had a long flight following her departure from the United Kingdom and must have had jetlag – a common occurrence that necessitated her presentation to the hospital where she was primarily managed.

Onuh decried that the details of Idoko were not consistent with that of the lady who was referred from Benue State Teaching Hospital, Makurdi to Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital, Abuja.

She added that the personal information on the laboratory result from the NCDC did not tally with Idoko’s personal details.

According to the lawmaker, COVID-19 is real but not a death sentence or a yardstick for discrimination, and human rights infringement or violation, and Idoko’s case should not be different.

While commending the measures put in place by the government to tackle the disease, she said Idoko has begun to deteriorate psychologically and already having suicidal thoughts.

Onuh claimed that Idoko has been in isolation for about 50 days and has been forced to take treatment for COVID-19 even in her asymptomatic state.

Following contributions from other lawmakers, the House resolved to mandate the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), through the Federal Ministry of Health to critically evaluate Idoko as a matter of urgency and if proven otherwise, she should be allowed to go home.

It also resolved to carry out quality contact tracing and urge persons who are symptomatic to go for proper clinical evaluation and management with prompt release when they return to their premorbid state.

The lawmakers condemned the stigmatisation, inhumane treatment, and violation of the human rights of the people.

Nigeria Records 146 New COVID-19 Cases

 

  The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in a tweet late Tuesday confirmed the new cases. Of the 146 cases, the health agency said 57 were from Lagos, 27 from Kano, 10 in Kwara, nine in Edo, eight in Bauchi, seven in Yobe, and four each in Kebbi and Oyo states.

Other states with new cases include Katsina and Niger, each with three cases, the quartet of Plateau, Borno, Sokoto, and Benue, with two cases each; posting one case each were Gombe, Enugu, Ebonyi, Ogun, FCT, and Rivers states.

146 new cases of #COVID19;

57-Lagos

27-Kano

10-Kwara

9-Edo

8-Bauchi

7-Yobe

4-Kebbi

4-Oyo

3-Katsina

3-Niger

2-Plateau

2-Borno

2-Sokoto

2-Benue

1-Gombe

1-Enugu

1-Ebonyi

1-Ogun

1-FCT

1-Rivers

4787 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria

Discharged: 959

Deaths: 158 pic.twitter.com/vlqzSxqacq

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) May 12, 2020

 CHANNELS