Monday
Kebbi discharges four coronavirus patients, total recoveries now five
Kebbi State has discharged four COVID-19 patients from its isolation centre in Kebbi Medical Centre, Kalgo, after they have recovered fully from the virus. The Special Adviser on Media to the State Governor, Yahaya Sarki, disclosed this in a statement made available to journalists on Wednesday. The development brought the number of patients that have fully recovered in the state to five. Sarki quoted the chairman of the state task force on COVID-19, Alhaji Jafar Muhammed, as having confirmed the development on Tuesday. He quoted Muhammed as saying that the patients were discharged after they have fully recovered from the virus and had tested negative twice. He explained that their recovery came after they were isolated and treated for two weeks. The statement read, “Muhammed commended all ...
Nigeria increases coronavirus testing above 27, 000
The Federal Government on Monday said the country has ramped up testing for the coronavirus to 27,078. Osagie Ehanire, the Minister of Health, disclosed this in Abuja at the Presidential Taskforce (PTF) briefing on COVID-19 in the country. Ehanire said this has yielded about 4,399 cases in 35 states with a gender ratio of 30 per cent to 70 per cent of men and women. He said 778 persons have been discharged with 143 deaths. The minister added that personnel in federal hospitals participated in a multi-national teleconference with medical and academic experts in Beijing on the COVID-19 treatment strategy of China. “Our COVID-19 response must become a concerted national collaborative drive to become more effective. “This requires synergies across all tiers of government levels which should be...
Akwa Ibom bans cattle, goats transported from other states
In some new measures to halt the spread of the coronavirus, Governor Udom Emmanuel has banned cattle, goats, and rams from being brought into Akwa Ibom from other Nigerian states. Emmanuel also announced the shutting down of all livestock markets in the state throughout the month of May. “Livestock sellers are advised to sell off their stock and proceed to shut down,” the Secretary to the Akwa Ibom State Government, Emmanuel Ekuwem, said on Monday in a statement issued in Uyo. “Security agencies have been directed to monitor and ensure full compliance. Defaulters will be prosecuted.” Akwa Ibom, like most Nigerian states, has barred people and vehicles from entering the state from other states in order to halt the spread of the novel coronavirus. The security agencies in Akwa Ibom have, how...
Abuja doctor explains coronavirus treatment regimen
The COVID-19 Team Leader at the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital, Dr. Yunusa Thairu, has given a rare insight into the treatment regimen for the COVID-19, explaining how a cocktail of an anti-retroviral drug, Aluvia, as well as Zinc and Vitamin C tablets are deployed. Dr. Thairu disclosed this on Monday, while answering questions after the official opening of the 506-bed space COVID-19 Isolation and Treatment Centre in Idu, Abuja. According to him, the regimen was adopted at a meeting with the World Health Organisation, WHO, and the United Nations, UN, alongside with some other unnamed stakeholders. The meeting, according to him, resolved to use Chloroquine or Aluvia which is a combination of antiviral therapy and other management techniques that can be used to make COVID-19 patients ...
Nigeria records 242 new coronavirus cases, total now 4,641
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Monday, confirmed 242 new COVID-19 cases bringing the total confirmed cases to 4,641. The centre made this known via its verified Twitter handle on Monday night. It tweeted: “242 new cases of #COVID19; 88-Lagos 64-Kano 49-Katsina 13-Kaduna 9-Ogun 6-Gombe 4-Adamawa 3-FCT 1-Ondo 1-Oyo 1–Rivers 1-Zamfara 1-Borno 1-Bauchi.” 242 new cases of #COVID19; 88-Lagos64-Kano49-Katsina13-Kaduna9-Ogun6-Gombe4-Adamawa3-FCT1-Ondo1-Oyo1–Rivers1-Zamfara1-Borno1-Bauchi 4641 cases of #COVID19 in NigeriaDischarged: 902Deaths: 150 pic.twitter.com/2eK1cRJeH0 — NCDC (@NCDCgov) May 11, 2020 Get more stories like this on Twitter
Borno discharges four coronavirus patients
The Borno State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Salisu Kwaya-Bura, on Monday, said four more COVID-19 patients have been treated and discharged, bringing the number of those so far discharged to 18 in the state. Kwaya-Bura, who is also the Secretary of the State High Powered Response Team on COVID-19, made this known while briefing newsmen in Maiduguri on Monday. He said the state had also set up an additional 500-bed capacity Isolation Centre to contain any increase in the number of cases. According to him, the initiative was to forestall any development that could overwhelm the already existing 100-bed capacity Isolation Centres at the Brigadier Abba Kyari Memorial Hospital and the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital. “The 500-bed capacity isolation Centre will be put to function in p...
Ekiti discharges five patients, expands isolation centre
Ekiti State Government on Monday disclosed that five patients of the deadly coronavirus pandemic have been discharged from the Isolation Centre in Ekiti on Monday. This is just as the government revealed it’s a plan to expand the Isolation Centre to 100-bed space capacity for more preparation on the Pandemic. Governor Kayode Fayemi had on Saturday evening broke the news on his Twitter handle that the state recorded new three cases. According to the tweet from the Governor, “We got information from NCDC tonight that three more persons tested positive to COVID-19 virus. Two are contacts of the medical doctor still in our care and another person who sneaked into the state before he was quarantined. This underscores the need for extra vigilance. ” With the development so far, Ekiti has 15 conf...
New Zealand further relaxes coronavirus lockdown measures
New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has announced a gradual easing of the country’s lockdown measures. However, the government said the country’s border will remain closed. At a news conference on Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the easing will begin starting on Thursday, meaning most businesses and public spaces could reopen. “But everyone would need to play it safe. We must continue to behave as if the virus is still amongst us,’’ Ardern cautioned. According to her, schools will re-open from May 18, while bars will be able to re-open on May 21. “We may have won a few battles, but we have not won the war,’’ the prime minister said. She said that gatherings at home for weddings, funerals and tangihanga (Maori funeral rites) would be capped at 10 people, while all other social events, ...
Another Premier League player tests positive for novel coronavirus
A third first-team player from Brighton & Hove Albion tested positive for COVID-19 on Saturday, the Premier League club’s chief executive Paul Barber has confirmed. Two Brighton players had contracted the novel coronavirus in March and April and the latest positive result could cast doubts on the Premier League’s plans to resume the season that has been suspended due to the pandemic. Clubs are due to meet on Monday to further discuss “Project Restart” which envisages a return to play in June once given the green light from government, with the remaining 92 matches held behind closed doors at neutral venues. “It is a concern. Unfortunately we’ve had a third player test positive yesterday,” Barber told Sky Sports on Sunday. “So despite all of the measures that we’ve been taking over the ...
EU, Britain to start third push on post-Brexit ties
Britain and Brussels embark on a fresh round of trade talks Monday that downbeat EU officials say show little promise of advancing amid the added turmoil of the coronavirus outbreak. The UK left the European Union on January 31 and both sides have until the end of the year to forge a new basis for relations, barring an optional extension that London refuses to contemplate. The new talks round will begin with a virtual head-to-head between Michel Barnier, the EU’s chief negotiator, and his UK counterpart, David Frost — both of whom have recovered from a bout with the virus. That will be followed by videoconferences involving hundreds of officials throughout the week. The previous round of UK-EU talks broke up on April 24 with little or no progress. European officials accuse Britain of focus...
La Liga congratulates Bundesliga ahead football league return
The Spanish La Liga has congratulated Germany’s Bundesliga for announcing its imminent return as Spain’s top-flight stepped up its own comeback preparations. The Bundesliga was given the green light to resume later this month when chancellor Angela Merkel made the announcement during a news conference on Wednesday. Strict testing and matchday procedures will be put in place by the German government, with football seemingly set to resume on May 15 having been paused in mid-March. LaLiga outlined its own plan for a staggered return to training on Monday, with teams set to begin individual work this week before gradually moving to group sessions, the ultimate aim being to re-commence the 2019-20 season in June. Spanish clubs began testing players for COVID-19 on Tuesday and LaLiga sees the Bu...
