Italy reported 459 coronavirus-related deaths on Friday against 505 the day before, the health ministry said. The daily tally of new infections increased by 19,037 from 18,040 the day before, taking the total number of cases since Italy’s epidemic began to 2.02 million. Italy on Thursday became the eighth country in the world to exceed 2 million officially recorded cases. The number of swab tests carried out in the past day was 152,334 from a previous 193,777, the health ministry said. The first Western country hit by the virus, Italy has reported 71,359 deaths since its outbreak came to light on Feb. 21, the highest toll in Europe and the fifth highest in the world. Patients in hospital with COVID-19 stood at 23,402, down by 668 from the day before. The current number of intensive care pa...
The Senate has been told that the Federal Capital Territory Administration, FCTA spent a total sum of N28.5billion on some activities within the Federal Capital Territory, FCT during the outbreak of the Coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, especially during the lockdown. Speaking yesterday in Abuja when he presented the revised 2020 budget before the Senator Abubakar Kyari, All Progressives Congress, APC, Borno North led Senate Committee on FCT, Minister of the FCT, Mallam Mohammed Musa Bello explained to the Committee that the fund was spent on provision of security services, provision of palliatives for indigent residents, as well as assisting neighbouring States who were distressed. According to him, the FCT health facility supported residents from States where the level of government assista...
As the probe into the shooting at the Lekki Toll Gate continues, the panel set up by the state government to look into the incident has been told by Mr Abayomi Omomuwa, managing director, Lekki Concession Company, operator of the tollgate, that he could not quantify the losses when the toll gate was occupied by #EndSARS protesters in October. Omomuwa also told the panel that contrary to insinuations, the toll gate was owned by private investors until 2014 when the Lagos State Government acquired it 100 per cent. Omomuwa who disclosed this while under cross-examination by a counsel for some #EndSARS protesters, Mr Adesina Ogunlana, said, “I believe that is the business of the company, not something to discuss in public.” When pressed further by Ogunlana, the LCC MD said, “It is obvious, whe...
The Lagos State government said it would investigate reports of shootings at the Lekki Toll plaza, which followed the 24-hour curfew imposed to stop criminals hiding under the #ENDSARS protests to unleash mayhem on innocent citizens. Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotoso, gave the assurance in series of tweets on Tuesday evening. According to him, the government has ordered investigation into the incident. He added Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has advised security agents not to arrest anyone as a result of the curfew. “Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has advised the security agents not to arrest anyone on account of the curfew, which he urges residents to observe for the peaceful atmosphere we all cherish. “He advises Lagosians to remain calm and not allow criminals, who hav...
The coronavirus death toll in the United States surpassed 90,000 on Monday as the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases exceeded 1.5 million across the country, according to the Johns Hopkins University tally. The grim milestones came as President Donald Trump tweeted to “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!” and the White House attempted to shift blame, including onto its own scientists, for the high number of deaths. On Sunday, members of Trump administration disagreed on whether the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) let the country down with testing efforts. “Early on in this crisis, the CDC, which really had the most trusted brand around the world in this space, really let the country down with the testing,” Peter Navarro, Trump’s trade adviser, told NBC’s Meet the Press programme....