COVID-19 : Ondo State records 2 new deaths

Gov. Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State says that the state has recorded two new deaths of COVID-19, raising the number of fatalities to four in the state.

Akeredolu confirmed this on Monday on his twitter handle. According to him:

"Today, we recorded three new cases and unprecedented number of deaths from COVID-19 in Ondo state.

Two of the new cases passed on at University of Medical Science Teaching Hospital (UNIMED) in Ondo town this morning.

The 3rd case is currently at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Akure undergoing treatment.” Akeredolu said.

The number of cases in the state has increased to 28 in all, as at June 1, 2020.

FG relaxes restrictions on churches, mosques

The Nigerian Government relaxed the restrictions on religious centres in the country today.

The restrictions were put in place as part of the measures to reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus in the country.

This was announced by Chairman of the presidential task force on covid19, Boss Mustapha.

“Relaxation of restrictions on places of Worship based on guidelines issued by the PTF and Protocols agreed by State Governments,” he said.

“Managed access to markets and locations of economic activity to limit the risk of transmission,” he said.

COVID-19 : Lagos records 4 new deaths

Four new deaths have been recorded in relation to coronavirus-related complications in Lagos State.

This was contained in the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control’s Situation Report 93 published today, Monday.

The four fatalities bring the total number of COVID-19 deaths in the state to 54.

The report noted that 14 COVID-19 deaths were recorded in eight states in the last 24 hours in Nigeria.

Part of the report read, “307 confirmed cases were reported in the last 24 hours in 15 states – Lagos (188), FCT (44), Ogun (19), Kaduna (14), Oyo (12), Bayelsa (9), Gombe (5), Delta (3), Kano (3), Bauchi (2), Imo (2), Niger (2), Rivers (2), Kwara (1) and Plateau (1).

No new state recorded a confirmed COVID-19 case in the last 24 hours.

The total number of states including FCT that have reported at least one confirmed case in Nigeria is still 36 (35 states + FCT).

One hundred and fifty-one (151) cases were discharged in the last 24 hours in eight (8) states – Lagos (59), Kano (40), Jigawa (26), FCT (9), Rivers (7), Bauchi (6), Ogun (3) and Delta (1).

14 deaths were recorded in the last 24 hours in eight (8) states – Lagos (4), FCT (2), Gombe (2), Kano (2), Bauchi (1), Delta (1), Kaduna (1) and Rivers (1).”

COVID-19 shouldn't determine how churches worship - Chris Okotie

Rev Chris Okotie of the Household of God Church, says social distancing in the wake of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, should not be brought anywhere near the Church of God.

Religious places of worship, alongside schools, pubs, nightclubs and entertainment spots have been shut down by state and federal governments since March, as one of the measures to curb the spread of COVID-19.

Last Thursday, CAN issued a 10-point guideline which it intends to present to the federal government for approval.

CAN President, Rev Samson Ayokunle said the guidelines, drafted in compliance with the government’s efforts to tackle COVID-19, would determine the operations of churches when they reopen.

In his reaction, Okotie wonders why anyone should wear a face mask in church and why social distancing should be observed in places of worship.

He considers the protocols non-scriptural.

"Social distancing in the Church of Jesus Christ is tantamount to blasphemous infidelity and an impeachment of the integrity of the word of God,” Okotie said in a statement addressed to Ayokunle.

“Healing is fundamental to the redemptive work of Jesus. To allow the idol of coronavirus to determine the scope of congregational worship in the house of God is an abomination of gargantuan proportions,” he said.

“No true minister of the gospel will succumb to such travesty of the faith. This is a summary of my objections. I have sent this message hoping that you would respond as one who bears the burden of the cross of Jesus.

I have restrained myself from making a public outcry of this desecration and profanation out of respect for you and the CAN hierarchy. But be assured that this position is transient.”

COVID-19 : Doctor dies after treating patient in Jigawa

A medical doctor with the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State, Dr Naseer Adam, is dead.

The deceased died on Saturday of COVID-19-related symptoms.

The Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Kano State, Dr Sanusi Bala, confirmed the death of the deceased today.

“Yes, I know. The late Adam worked with the Federal Medical Centre Birnin Kudu in Jigawa State,” he said.

The deceased was said to have managed a patient with an acute respiratory infection about three weeks ago.

The patient returned to the hospital again due to worsening breathlessness and after isolation, the patient tested positive for COVID-19.

However, four days ago, the doctor started having running nose and dry cough, forcing him to be admitted at the emergency section.

He, however, died on Saturday at the health facility where he was receiving medical attention.

One of his colleagues, Dr Abbas Bello, paid tribute to him on social media, saying, “Truly, one of the darkest moments of a doctor’s life is when they couldn’t help save the life of a colleague, friend and one of their own!

Dr Naseer Adam was one of the most hardworking, humble, kind, generous, industrious, and down to the earth, I have recently come across.

Because of his empathy and generosity, almost all the indigent patients want to see him as he will review them, prescribe, pay for the medication he prescribed and give them transport fare.”

"The world doesn't care about Nigeria" - El Rufai

The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has said that when it comes to the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Nigeria should learn to look after itself.

He made this known on Saturday, May 30, 2020, during his presentation at the first 'Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola Colloquium.’ He said,

“We are on our own. The rest of the world doesn’t care. Nobody cares about Africa. The rest of the world is becoming increasingly nationalistic.”

The virtual conference was put together to commemorate Aregbesola’s 63rd birthday.

Aregbesola is Nigeria’s Interior Minister. He also served as governor of the South West state of Osun for eight years.

El-Rufai who recovered from coronavirus on April 22, added that it’s time for Nigeria to begin fixing its deplorable healthcare system and equip its decrepit hospitals.

“As a state government, we are even trying to get test kits for COVID-19 because America and Europe are buying up everything. Nobody cares about Africa. They only think of us when they want to test vaccines or when something dangerous is to be tried.

So, we must be more nationalistic and try to develop our internal capacity to produce and be self-sufficient. This was what Osun State under Rauf Aregbesola has tried to do and I think this is a lesson for all of us," he said.

COVID-19 : 4-month old child recovers in Kaduna

The Kaduna State Government has discharged a four-month-old baby that recently tested positive for coronavirus in the state.

The state Commissioner for Health, Amina Mohammed Baloni announced this in a statement on Saturday, May 30, 2020.

The child was among the 20 coronavirus cases detected in the state two weeks ago.

The commissioner, however, noted that Kaduna as of Friday, May 29, 2020, had 76 active cases.

According to her, out of “the total number of 232 cases reported, 149 have been discharged, while seven deaths have been recorded.”

Baloni, who said almost 2000 samples have been tested in the city opined that the number of cases is expected to rise due to increased testing. She said, 

“The state has tested almost 2000 samples but case numbers are likely to rise further as more tests are conducted in more places.

COVID-19 cases have been recorded in 33 wards in nine local government areas of the state: Chikun, Giwa, Igabi, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Makarfi, Sabon-Gari, Soba, and Zaria.

The data shows that 80% of the infected persons are male.”

COVID-19 : NMA calls on Buhari to intervene in Kogi

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to intervene in the refusal of the Kogi State Government to accept the positive test results of coronavirus patients in the State.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control had on Wednesday confirmed two COVID-19 cases in the state.

One of the patients, who is reportedly a popular community and religious leader, was referred from the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja and diagnosed with the virus at the National Hospital, Abuja.

But the Kogi State Government rejected the result.

The NMA President, Dr Francis Faduyile, and Secretary General, Dr Odusote Olumuyiwa, in a statement on Friday, said the association was “incredibly disturbed” by the response of the Kogi State Government.

The NMA lamented that the state Commissioner for Information did not only describe the process of arriving at the diagnosis as fraudulent, but allegedly “went on to smear the front-line health workers and the NCDC on live national television.” It said, 

“His use of profane words is capable of demoralising the exemplary gold-winning health workers and the untiring NCDC, which possibly can lead to a national catastrophe. The implied consequences of these unbecoming actions are what the NMA condemns.

The association, therefore, appeals to President Muhammadu Buhari to caution the state governor and his officials immediately.”

COVID-19 patients : Bauchi records two more deaths

Two more COVID-19 patients have died in Bauchi State. This brings the number of coronavirus fatalities in the state to seven.

The state Health Ministry disclosed this in a statement, adding that two more patients have been discharged after testing negative twice for the virus.

“Only 22 patients remain in the hospital’s admission as of 28th May 2020, with 234 total infected confirmed persons in the state where the entire case fatality rate stands at 3.0%.

A total of 1,758 samples had so far been taken and investigated from different persons including our index case, and out of which only 234 people were found to been infected with the virus. Seven people died in the process of treatment due to complications,” the statement read in part.

NCDC - Longest viability period of COVID-19 in patient is 10 days

The longest viability period of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) patient would be 10 days, according to a new study by infectious diseases experts in Singapore.

The Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, disclosed this at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) media briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) reports that the Singapore study shows that COVID-19 patients are no longer infectious after 11 days of getting sick even though some may still test positive.

“A positive test “does not equate to infectiousness or viable virus,” a joint research paper by Singapore’s National Centre for Infectious Diseases and the Academy of Medicine Singapore said.

The virus “could not be isolated or cultured after day 11 of illness.”

The paper was based on a study of 73 patents in the city-state.

The DG said in line with this latest findings, the health agency would release a new case management guidelines for COVID-19 to review criteria for admission and discharge of patients.

He noted that the move would assist in managing challenges faced in isolation centres across the country, particularly with the shortage of bed space.

“We are now relooking our practice in terms of discharge criteria, and even who to keep in hospital, and who can stay at home and for how long.

Right now, the entire case management team which includes our colleagues at the Federal Ministry of Health, NCDC and few clinicians are reviewing our case management guidelines to redefine our approach around admission in terms of who is admitted and duration of admission and when to discharge,” he stated.

Kogi state records first COVID-19 case

Kogi state has joined the list of states with coronavirus cases following the announcement of 389 new cases in Nigeria.

The state recorded its index case three months after the first case was confirmed in Lagos.

The new cases announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) on Wednesday, May 27, 2020, raised the total number of the outbreak in Nigeria to 8,733.

The NCDC in its daily update also announced the release of 166 more patients, who have successfully recovered from the virus.

According to the agency, the new cases were recorded in 22 states.

As usual, the bulk of the cases were detected in Lagos with 256 more cases. This brings the total of coronavirus cases in Nigeria’s economic capital to 4,012.

In Katsina, 23 more cases were confirmed followed by Edo (22), Rivers (14) and Kano (13)

While 11 cases were recorded in Adamawa and Akwa Ibom, seven were detected in Kaduna and six each in Kwara and Nasarawa state.

In Gombe, Plateau, Abia, Delta, Benue, Niger, Kogi, and Oyo state, two cases each were recorded while one each was confirmed in Imo, Borno, Ogun and Anambra.

The NCDC’s updates on Wednesday also showed that five deaths were recorded and that brought the total of coronavirus fatalities in Nigeria to 254.

Also, a total of 2,501 patients have recovered from coronavirus in Nigeria following the announcement of 116 recovery cases on Wednesday.

With Kogi recording its index cases, Cross River is now the only state where a case of the pandemic has not been confirmed.

The Federal Government has said that it would give priority to evacuees in China when evacuation flights eventually resume.

Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama, disclosed this during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

He said that the government was aware of the harsh climate against nationals in China, noting that they would be repatriated as soon as new modalities were put in place. He said, 

“We are very hopeful that maybe by next week, we should be able to commence evacuation. There is a large number of Nigerians still wanting to be evacuated. In addition to the UK, there are Nigerians in China, this is something we are not happy about.

It is a real priority for us to bring all the evacuees back home but we know those in China are facing very essential challenges and as soon this mechanism is put in place, I’d like to assure them that we’ll do everything possible to prioritise their return.

In regards to compensation to Nigerians who were caught up in the crisis in Guangzhou, China due to the discrimination on the basis of nationality and race, I spoke to the Consular General in Guangzhou who was in direct contact with the Nigerians there to provide details of any loss they may have suffered. We will now engage on that basis, with the Chinese Government.

When I summoned the Chinese Ambassador, Mr Zhou Pingjian, he also made these commitments, that they will be very interested to receive the details of any complaints or loss, and I must say to date that nothing has come in formally from our Consulate in Guangzhou.”

Kebbi discharges last two COVID-19 patients

The government of Kebbi State has discharged the last two COVID-19 patients in its isolation centre after their recovery.

This was made known by the Task Force Chairman on COVID-19, who is also the Commissioner for Health, Jafar Muhammed. He stated that the follow up tests conducted on them came back negative.

He said that with the latest discharge, the state no longer had any active case of COVID-19.

"Our two remaining COVID-19 patients at the isolation center in Kebbi Medical Center, Kalgo, are discharged today.

So, by implication, they are free to be integrated back into the mainstream society because their results turned out to be negative after their two weeks stay in the isolation centre," Muhammed said.

Kebbi State recorded 32 cases of persons infected with Coronavirus.

COVID-19 : French Government stops use of hydroxychloriquine

The French government said Wednesday that doctors can no longer treat COVID-19 patients with hydroxychloroquine, a controversial and potentially harmful drug nonetheless being promoted by US President Donald Trump.

The move came after two French advisory bodies and the World Health Organization warned this week that the drug, a treatment for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, had been shown to be potentially dangerous in several studies.

The urgency of the coronavirus outbreak has prompted some doctors to prescribe the drug despite a lack of research to demonstrate its effectiveness against the new coronavirus.

A French infectious disease specialist, in particular, insists he has successfully treated dozens of patients with hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin.

The doctor, Didier Raoult, has caught the ear of Trump, who stunned his own administration last week by revealing he was taking hydroxychloroquine as a preventive measure against COVID-19.

Raoult has already rejected a comprehensive study published last week in The Lancet medical journal, which found that administering hydroxychloroquine or its related compound chloroquine actually increased the risk of dying for many patients.

“How can a messy study done with ‘big data’ change what we see?” Raoult asked in a video posted this week. Here we have had 4,000 people go through our hospital, you don’t think I’m going to change because there are people who do ‘big data,’ which is a kind of completely delusional fantasy,” he said.

Under the new French rules, the drug can be used only in clinical trials — making it unclear if Raoult would be able to continue using it at his hospital in Marseille.

Hydroxychloroquine, also used to treat malaria, is sold under the brand name Plaquenil by French pharma giant Sanofi, which promised to offer governments millions of doses if studies proved it could be safely used in the coronavirus fight.

It has long been known to produce serious side effects, including heart arrhythmia, in some people.

The French government changed the rules in March to let doctors prescribe it for coronavirus infection, hoping to find a treatment quickly since a vaccine is not expected until next year at the earliest.

President Emmanuel Macron travelled to Marseille to meet Raoult, a move critics warned could be interpreted as endorsement of a treatment that has sharply divided medical experts.

A few weeks later, France’s ANSM drugs agency warned of a sharp rise in reports of hydroxychloroquine side effects since the outbreak.

On Tuesday, the agency said it would suspend clinical trials with the drug for COVID-19, in line with a move by the WHO to pause trials for a safety review.

France’s HCSP health advisory council also advised Tuesday against using the drug as a coronavirus treatment.

US regulators have also advised against taking the drug because of health risks, but that has not deterred Trump, who said last week that “I’ve heard a lot of good stories” about its potential in the coronavirus fight.

Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is also promoting hydroxychloroquine, and the country’s health ministry said Monday that it would keep recommending it despite the WHO suspending trials.

China to loosen flight restrictions

After fierce criticism from citizens stranded abroad, China will loosen a cap on flights into the country that was imposed to block coronavirus infections from abroad.

"The country drastically cut international flight routes in March and slapped an entry ban on most foreigners over fears about importing a second wave of infections.

Authorities currently allow domestic and foreign airlines to maintain only one weekly route either to or from China.

But from June, the number of permitted flights will nearly triple to 407 per week", Civil Aviation Administration of China Li Jian said in an interview with state media.

That is still just a fraction of the roughly 9,000 flights a week handled by the country’s airports before the pandemic.

The move comes after thousands of frustrated social media users vented their anger on the CAAC’s official Weibo page, often with expletive-laden comments about the high price of tickets on the limited number of flights.

Some said they had been asked by airlines to pay as much as 30,000 yuan ($4,200) for the few seats available.

“Do you think we’re all money-printing machines?” one user wrote.

Many of the Chinese nationals waiting to return home are among China’s population of 1.6 million students studying abroad.

Beijing arranged emergency flights to repatriate its citizens stranded abroad as the virus spread around the world, but demand has far outstripped supply.

Dozens of people were arrested in Nepal earlier this month after a protest in Kathmandu by stranded Chinese nationals turned violent.

The demonstrators held placards with messages such as “I want to go home!” and threw stones at police, local authorities said.

Friday will see the first mass trip by Europeans to the country in months.

Some 200 people will fly from Frankfurt to the eastern city of Tianjin on Friday, German Chamber of Commerce in North China executive director Jens Hildebrandt told AFP.

A second flight from Frankfurt to Shanghai is scheduled for June 3.

All international arrivals in China are currently required to undergo a COVID-19 test and complete a mandatory quarantine.

COVID-19 : South Korean pupil tests positive

A kindergarten pupil in Seoul has been infected with the coronavirus. The development has led to the shutdown of several education institutes in Gangseo Ward, where the young patient lives.

The news quickly raised fear among parents with young children, just two days ahead of the planned second-phase resumption of schools, including kindergartens.

The six-year-old boy is believed to have contracted the virus from his art teacher at Young Rembrandts, a private art school in Magok of Gangseo on the south side of the Han River.

The teacher, who tested positive on Sunday, had taught 35 students at the institute until Friday and had contact with three other teachers there.

The teachers all wore masks and followed the institute’s quarantine guidelines and social distancing rules, according to the Seoul Metropolitan Office of Education.

The art school’s 91 students, three teachers and two parents have been tested for the virus and are awaiting their results, which will come out today.

The teacher’s 38 contacts have been ordered to self-quarantine for 14 days, and 13 educational institutes in the same building as the art school will be closed for disinfection.

The boy’s kindergarten, 10 nearby kindergartens and five nearby elementary schools, including Gongjin and Gonghang elementary schools, will remain closed for two days for disinfection and other precautionary measures.

Under the government’s phased school reopening plan, schools are scheduled to resume in-person classes for the two lowest grades of elementary school, kindergarten students, middle school seniors and second-year high school students on Wednesday.

High school seniors returned to school last week after more than two months of delay due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The education office is mulling whether to have the boy’s kindergarten offer online classes to prevent the potential spread of the virus. A decision on other affected schools will be determined based on the test results.

School reopening : FG considers morning, afternoon classes

The Federal Government says it is thinking of sectionalising classes for primary, secondary, and tertiary institutions in the country ahead of school reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, stated this on Wednesday during a briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.

The minister, who faulted the reports that schools would reopen in the country on June 8, said the government could not afford to take any costly risk, especially as it regards the safety of pupils and students in the country. He said,

“Until we are sure these children can go to school, return safely and not bring up with them COVID-19 and infect people who are more susceptible than they are, then we are running a huge risk and God forbid, in our hurry, something happens to our children, I am not sure how anybody will be able to retrieve what has been lost.”

Nwajiuba said the ministry is being guided by the advice of experts as well as those of the World Health Organisation, noting that the decision to reopen schools in the country would be carefully arrived at because education is on the concurrent list of the Nigerian Constitution.

He appealed to private owners of schools in the country to co-operate with the government in ensuring the safe reopening of schools in the country.

“We are going to publish a specification on what we expect COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 reopening to look like. We are not talking about coping with COVID-19 but in spite of COVID-19, we expect that we will adapt.

For a country that has over 115,000 primary schools, you will understand that 35,000 of these who are private must agree to set up the same standard in other to allow children to go in.

We may have classes in the morning and classes in the afternoon so that we will have the whole of the infrastructure divided provided they can serve us. I am not sure we will have classes at night. But we can do with morning and afternoon for now,” he explained.

Nwajiuba said aside ensuring that social distancing is observed when schools reopen, said the ministry is working on sanitation in the schools, noting that the government wants to ensure that all schools could deploy pedal-push handwashing machines.

School reopening : FG to release guidelines

The Federal Government has said it would roll out the course of action for the reopening of schools in the country.

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, stated this during a briefing on Wednesday in Abuja.

While congratulating children in the country on the occasion of this year’s Children’s Day, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation urged stakeholders to begin to take steps that would aid the reopening of schools in the country. He said,

“I wish to inform Nigerians that the Federal Ministry of Education will roll out measures for the self-reopening of schools.

The Presidential Task Force wishes to use the occasion of this celebration to congratulate our children and assure them, their parents and all stakeholders alike that all hands are on deck to reopen schools at a safe time.

We, therefore, use this medium to urge states, local governments, proprietors and all other stakeholders to begin to take steps that will facilitate an early and safe reopening.”

COVID-19 brings advanced and developing countries to the same level - Buhari

The President of Nigeria, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), said that he observed the Eid-el-Fitr prayers at his State House residence because of the raging COVID-19 pandemic.

He explained that his decision was in compliance with the measures put in place by the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 which prohibited mass gatherings.

Buhari was joined at the prayers by family members, including his wife, Aisha, and son, Yusuf.

In a brief interview after the session, Buhari urged Muslims to reflect on the lessons of the period. He said,

“I held Eid prayers at home today with my family, in keeping with the protocol of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19 against mass gatherings, as well as the directive of the Sultan of Sokoto and President General of the Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI), Alhaji Sa’ad Abubakar III, suspending Eid congregational prayers across the country.”

Buhari noted that COVID-19 was so devastating that it had reduced developing and developed countries to be on the same level. He stated,

“Nigerians can see that COVID-19 has reduced us, both the developing and developed countries, to the same level. In fact, we have fewer casualties than they we have.”

He called on farmers to double their efforts in producing more food for the country by taking advantage of the rainy season.

“I hope the rainy season would be bountiful so that we get a lot of food.

I wish the farmers will go to farms and save lives so that we can produce what we need in sufficient quantity so that we don’t have to import food.

In any case, we don’t have any money to import food. So we must produce what we are going to eat,” he added.

COVID-19 : 34 new cases in Oyo State, 9 patients discharged

Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State revealed that while 9 patients who have tested negative for the coronavirus disease have been discharged, 34 new cases have been confirmed. He made this known on his twitter handle on Saturday night.

Makinde said the development had brought the number of discharged cases in the state to 58.

The state, however, recorded 34 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the total number in the state to 233.

According to the latest figures released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Saturday night, the 34 cases in Oyo were among the new 265 recorded in 13 states.

Makinde had clarified that 27 out of the new confirmed cases were from iSON Xperiences, a company located in Dugbe area of Ibadan.

The governor urged residents with any symptom of COVID-19 such as cough, fever, tiredness, body ache and shortness of breath to call the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) numbers.

The EOC numbers are 08095394000, 08095863000, 08078288999 and 08078288800.