According to data acquired by Finbold, Nigeria and South Korea top globally among countries that made online purchases via mobile devices, with both accounting for 65% of all e-commerce transactions as of April 2021. Among the top ten countries, Asia is dominating, accounting for 80% of the entrants. China ranks third, tied with Indonesia, representing 64%. The Philippines ranks fifth at 61%.
Other top countries include Thailand (61%), Vietnam (60%), Malaysia (60%), Saudi Arabia (59%), and Hong Kong (59%).
In North America, Mexico tops with 53% of all e-commerce transactions going through mobile devices, ranking 16th overall. The United States ranks second from the region and 35th overall, with a score of 29%.
Role of the pandemic in mobile commerce 
The report highlights the drivers behind the high rate of mobile devices in e-commerce. According to the research report, “In general, mobile commerce and e-commerce received a major boost due to the coronavirus pandemic. As countries imposed lockdowns, more people stayed at home and turned to online shopping for essential goods. However, before the pandemic, online transactions through mobile devices were already soaring."
Elsewhere, free delivery is driving the reason for online purchases at 52.6%, followed by coupons and discounts at 40.3%. Reviews from other customers rank third at 33.8%, followed by easy returning policy at 32.6%. Furthermore, quick and easy check out is motivating 29.6% of online shoppers to buy a product.
Furthermore, the report offers a projection on the future outlook for the mobile commerce sector. The report states that, “The role of mobile devices in online transactions will likely keep soaring. The continued penetration of smartphones and the internet remain to be the key drivers. Furthermore, retailers will potentially win over more customers as they design mobile-centered e-commerce platforms.”
As demand is projected to soar, retailers and developers are focusing on unveiling more user-friendly platforms.

Federal data show that three-fifths of Californians now have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine-this is the latest milestone in the state's launch.
When only looking at people who are currently eligible to roll up their sleeves, the situation is even more optimistic. According to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, at this time, more than 70% of residents 12 years of age and older had been partially vaccinated.
Although the latest data has improved, it shows that Golden State still has a long way to go in terms of vaccination.
Less than half of Californians, and about 57% of those eligible for vaccination, are vaccinated-which means that millions of doses of vaccine will need to be vaccinated before the state reaches the level of vaccine coverage, which is generally considered It is necessary for long-term vaccination to achieve herd immunity to coronavirus.
Although most parts of the state enjoy a certain degree of protection, officials still worry that unvaccinated people may have a sudden outbreak.
Given the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant, these concerns are imminent, and it may be twice as infectious as the traditional strain.
"As I always say, this virus is an opportunist. As long as someone is not vaccinated, COVID-19 will continue to pose a threat," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said this week .

Players in the marketing communications industry have expressed fear that the ban on Twitter may draw back businesses still wriggling out of the challenges posed by the COVID-19.
They also pointed out that the ban may send the wrong signal to foreign investors, thereby causing unemployment and other economic challenges.
To this end, the practitioners, who expressed their views differently, have urged the federal government to rescind the ban on the social media platform in the interest of established and startups.
Speaking on the issue, the president of the Association of Advertising Agencies of Nigeria (AAAN), Steve Babaeko called on the federal government to rescind the ban on twitter, so as to avoid further constraints faced by businesses in the country.
Speaking on a national television, the AAAN President said going by the current unemployment rate in the country, the continuous ban on twitter will exacerbate the unemployment situation as well as reduce investment flow into the ICT value-chain.
Babaeko also said with a chunk of media spend on Twitter, media agencies and digital agencies would continue to lose revenue if the government refuse to lift the ban.
Meanwhile, in an interview with THISDAY, the Chairman, Nigerian Institute of Public Relations, Lagos State chapter, Segun MacMedal, said the timing of the ban on twitter was wrong, given the fact that businesses are just readjusting after over a year of lockdown.
"While I'm not trying to make a case for Twitter, I think the government ought to consider, first, the impact the ban will have on businesses. During the lockdown, smart businesses leveraged social media to deepen penetration.
"For players in the marketing communications industry, twitter and other social media platforms instantly became major vehicles to drive campaigns. After the lockdown, more businesses have incorporated social media into their marketing processes and strategies. The recent ban has thus limited the options and I think this is not the best," he stated.
MacMedal further added that the suspension has sent the bad signal to foreign investors and that small businesses using Twitter as a source of livelihood in Nigeria will be affected.
"Like I said, the federal hovernment ought to consider businesses in the country that are using digital media to reach customers, communicate with various stakeholders and use it to deepen penetration. Ironically, just the way the coronavirus came unexpectedly, Twitter ban was unimaginable until the Presidency wielded the big stick," he stated.

The Federal Government has announced the development of a National Humanitarian Development Peace Framework.
The soon to be launched framework is geared towards making humanitarian interventions in Nigeria timely, effective and coordinated between government, humanitarian and security agencies.
Minister of Humanitarian Affairs Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Umar Farouq, said during a virtual briefing to United Nations Member States on the Humanitarian Situation in Nigeria, yesterday, that the National Humanitarian Coordination Technical Working Group, as directed by the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee (NHCC) came up with the initiative aimed at restoring peace and stability in Nigeria.
“The framework is a national and innovative home-grown approach to proactively address critical humanitarian and development challenges at the community, state, and federal levels.”
Addressing the United Nation member states, Farouq said the framework developed with the support of UNOCHA and other critical international and national humanitarian stakeholders will address root causes of conflict, by coherently addressing socio-economic vulnerabilities, to ensure sustainable peace, stability, and development in the country when launched.
“We will expect that all critical humanitarian, peace and resilience programmes and plans key into or are derived from the National Humanitarian Development Peace Framework and Strategy.”
She said the humanitarian landscape in Nigeria has been impacted by non-state armed groups in the North East region, environmental factors, the farmer-herder conflict, banditry activities in different parts of the country as well as the recent COVID-19 pandemic outbreak which has led to displacement, loss of livelihoods and food insecurity.
She said the Federal Government is determined to keep working with the international humanitarian community to ensure safe and efficient access to humanitarian workers as agreed upon by the National Humanitarian Coordination Committee, chaired by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
With the government of Nigeria focused on early recovery of the North East region, through re-integration and rehabilitation of affected communities, she said other regions will be reintegrated with the aim of developing programmes and interventions to positively engage women and youths who are likely targets for radicalisation or criminal recruitment.

As COVID cases continue to surge in some countries across the world, the World Health Organisation, WHO, has said that a total $15.1 billion is needed to close the funding gap of more than $16 billion of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT-Accelerator) partnership.
Meanwhile, the G7 countries have pledged a total of 870 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries over the next year, of which at least half is to be delivered by the end of 2021.
Making this known at the just concluded G7 summit in UK, the WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus noted that many countries are now facing a surge in new cases without vaccines, even as he commended the G7 countries for their commitment to sharing at least 870 million doses of vaccines.He said ACT-Accelerator was a proven and operational global collaboration to accelerate the development, production and equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines.

T.D. Williamson (TDW), the global solutions provider, completed its first SmartPlug® isolation in offshore Nigeria, working for a major operator through its local partner, Strides Energy & Maritime Ltd. (Strides). Isolating the 267-km (165-mi) natural gas pipeline enabled the safe change-out and leak testing of platform valves without depressurizing the system.
This was the latest in a series of 47 SmartPlug operations TDW has provided for the operator since 2001. The companies have worked together all over the globe, including Bangladesh, Brunei, Malaysia, the Netherlands, Norway, the Philippines, the U.K. and the U.S.
“The first project in Nigeria, amid the pandemic, further extends our shared track record of success and adds to the extensive portfolio of services TDW offers across the African continent,” Vice President, Eastern Hemisphere Jeff Wilson said.
A True Double Block Isolation
SmartPlug non-intrusive isolation technology is designed to minimize production downtime during critical repair and replacement work. For natural gas pipelines, it eliminates the need to flare product. In its typical configuration, the SmartPlug system meets the criteria for a true double block isolation. In this case, two plug modules provided a double barrier to isolate pipeline contents at 80 bar (1160 psi) line pressure; a third module allowed for in-situ pressure testing of the new valves at 132 bar (1915 psi) while the isolation remained undisturbed and in place.
The successful SmartPlug isolation remained in place for 32 days, completing the required work scope within the shutdown period.
Overcoming Pandemic Challenges
Working closely with Strides and the operator, TDW overcame significant pandemic-related mobilization challenges to prepare for and perform the successful isolation within the Operator’s urgent timetable. Using videoconferencing capabilities enabled stakeholders in Nigeria, Norway, The Netherlands and the UK to virtually witness the factory acceptance testing (FAT). These efforts allowed TDW to deliver the equipment in just four weeks.
“This pandemic has forced us all to rethink the traditional ways we go about our business, from communication with our clients as well as within our own organization, and also in the way we utilize remote technologies at our disposal,” TDW Project Manager Morgan Swanlund said.
Once the SmartPlug isolation tool was set, crews performed round-the-clock monitoring, both in person during the day and remotely (via satellite) by teams in Norway and Australia at night, when access to the platform was restricted. Wilson said this provided a foundation for future projects leveraging TDW remote monitoring technologies.

A new kind of COVID-19 vaccine could be available as soon as this summer.
It's what's known as a protein subunit vaccine. It works somewhat differently from the current crop of vaccines authorized for use in the U.S. but is based on a well-understood technology and doesn't require special refrigeration.
In general, vaccines work by showing people's immune systems something that looks like the virus but really isn't. Consider it an advance warning; if the real virus ever turns up, the immune system is ready to try to squelch it.
In the case of the coronavirus, that "something" is one of the proteins in the virus — the spike protein.
The vaccines made by Johnson & Johnson, Moderna and Pfizer contain genetic instructions for the spike protein, and it's up to the cells in our bodies to make the protein itself.
The first protein subunit COVID-19 vaccine to become available will likely come from the biotech company, Novavax. In contrast to the three vaccines already authorized in the U.S., it contains the spike protein itself — no need to make it, it's already made — along with an adjuvant that enhances the immune system's response, to make the vaccine even more protective.
Protein subunit vaccines made this way have been around for a while. There are vaccines on the market for hepatitis B and pertussis based on this technology.
A large test of the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine's effectiveness, conducted in tens of thousands of volunteers in the United States and Mexico, is about to wrap up. Dr. Gregory Glenn, president of research and development for Novavax, told an audience at a recent webinar hosted by the International Society for Vaccines that "we anticipate filing for authorization in the U.K., U.S. and Europe in the third quarter."


New technologies and new vaccines, as long as they are safe enough to ensure people's safety and epidemic prevention, I think they should support.

The Nigerian government’s ban on Twitter Inc. has triggered a wave of defiance among the country’s tech savvy, largely youthful population despite the risk of acquiring a criminal record.
Demand in Africa’s most populous country for virtual private network software, or VPN, that bypasses local internet restrictions soared by 1,409% on June 5, according to Top10VPN, an independent U.K.-based review website. The figure was more than 400% higher the following day as the block extended past 24 hours.
Not everyone disregarding the ban necessarily disagreed with the decision by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration. Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna state and an influential leader in the ruling party, flouted his own government’s prohibition by retweeting an article by Kremlin-funded broadcaster RT saying Nigeria is teaching the U.S. a “lesson in how to handle Big Tech tyranny.”
Read More: Twitter Shuttered in Nigeria After Removing President’s Post
While El-Rufai enjoys immunity under the constitution as long as he’s in office, others choosing to post have no such protection.
Nigeria’s justice minister, Abubakar Malami, has directed law enforcement authorities to “ensure the speedy prosecution” of those that violate the social media giant’s suspension, according to a statement published shortly after the ban was put in place late Friday night.
Yet on Monday, about two dozen Nigerian civil society leaders issued a statement titled “WE WILL KEEP TWEETING,” denouncing the “anti-democratic clampdown on free speech.” Malami’s threat is unconstitutional and “an utter abuse of power,” they said.
Many Nigerians took to their accounts to point out that Twitter court hearings aren’t possible -- for now, at least -- because a nationwide strike has shut down the justice system since early April.

Group of Seven leaders are pledging to donate hundreds of millions of doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poor countries.
Following are the pledges so far:
UNITED STATES
U.S. President Joe Biden plans to buy and donate 500 million doses of the Pfizer Inc coronavirus vaccine to more than 90 countries. He has also called on the world’s democracies to do their part to help end the pandemic.
U.S. drugmaker Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech, will provide 200 million doses in 2021 and 300 million doses in the first half of 2022, which the United States will then distribute to 92 lower-income countries and the African Union.
UNITED KINGDOM
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that “the G7 will pledge to distribute vaccines to inoculate the world by the end of next year, with millions coming from surplus UK stocks.”
Britain says that G7 leaders are expected to agree to provide 1 billion doses via dose sharing and financing to end the pandemic in 2022.
Johnson has pledged to donate at least 100 million surplus coronavirus vaccine doses within the next year, including 5 million beginning in the coming weeks.
EUROPEAN UNION, GERMANY, FRANCE, ITALY
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has said the European Union aims to donate at least 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to low- and middle-income countries by the end of 2021.
That includes a pledge by France and Germany to donate 30 million doses each, with Italy donating 15 million doses.
France has also said it has donated 184,000 doses of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine to Senegal through the COVAX vaccine-sharing programme.
JAPAN
Japan has said it will donate about 30 million doses of vaccines produced within the country through COVAX.
Japan last week delivered to Taiwan 1.24 million doses of AstraZeneca’s vaccine for free. [nL2N2NM03O]
CANADA
Reuters has reported that Canada is in talks to donate excess doses through COVAX, although it has not yet made public any firm commitment of donations, or said how much it plans to donate.
GLOBAL CONTEXT
COVAX, backed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI), aims to secure 2 billion vaccine doses for lower-income countries by the end of 2021.
WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said the pandemic is being perpetuated by a “scandalous inequity” in vaccine distribution.
Before the new pledges this week, some 150 million doses had been pledged to COVAX, far short of the 250 million needed by the end of September, and a target of 1 billion by year-end.
Over 2.2 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine https://graphics.reuters.com/world-coronavirus-tracker-and-maps/vaccination-rollout-and-access have been administered worldwide, and around 560 million of those have been given in G7 countries alone.
The global population is estimated at around 7.8 billion people, about a quarter of whom are younger than 15. Most approved COVID-19 vaccines are two-dose shots.

Summer vacation season is underway without a key element this year: packed flights between the United States and London due to COVID travel restrictions.
Airline and airport executives on both sides of the Atlantic say the lifting of restrictions is overdue given high COVID vaccination rates and what they call low risk of COVID transmission on flights and on Monday pressed President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to take action as early as this week's G7 summit in England.
"These are the poster children of good vaccination programs,'' said John Holland-Kaye, CEO of London's Heathrow Airport. "There needs to be a prize for that.''
The prize: ending what airlines say has effectively been a 15-month travel ban. Most U.S. travelers can't visit London without quarantining for 10 days, and U.K. residents are not allowed to travel to the U.S. under a broad ban on international travelers put in place early in the pandemic. British Airways CEO Sean Doyle noted that the second runway at Heathrow was closed Monday and said the airport hasn't seen such a limited number of flights since World War II. Holland-Kaye said a pact is "absolutely critical to both countries.''
In contrast, some European Union countries, including France and Spain, are already reopening their borders to American vacationers who are vaccinated, even if the United States is not open to travelers from those countries. The United Kingdom left the EU in early 2020.
Have COVID vaccine, will travel: Countries open to vaccinated Americans
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Monday that there is no timetable for lifting restrictions on travel to the United States.
"We have heard very clearly the desire of our friends in Europe and the U.K. to be able to reopen travel across the Atlantic Ocean, and we want to see that happen,'' he said at a White House press briefing. "But we have to follow the science, and we have to follow the guidance of our public health professionals. We're actively engaging them to determine the time frame.''British Health Secretary Matt Hancock said Sunday that the rise in variant cases may delay the government's plan to lift most remaining lockdown restrictions on June 21. Coronavirus infections have doubled in the last week, and there's some concern this could mark the beginning of a third wave of cases, according to the BBC.
Airlines and tourism officials for months have pressed for a travel corridor between the United States and the United Kingdom as the first step toward reopening long-haul international travel to and from the United States.
In May, travel industry leaders urged the creation of a public-private task force by the end of May to develop a "risk-based, data-driven road map for safely reopening international travel,'' but no task force has been created.
On Monday, executives from several U.S. and U.K. airlines offering transatlantic flights held a news conference to press their case for a reopening as soon as possible.
"We are in the peak travel season for travel between the U.S. and U.K.,'' United CEO Scott Kirby said. "Every single day that goes by is a day lost for the recovery.''
The airline and airport executives on the call suggested a reason the restrictions haven't been lifted is because the U.S. and U.K. governments want to reach even higher vaccination levels. Biden's goal is to have 70% of adults with one vaccine dose by July 4.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian and American CEO Doug Parker said opening the borders to vaccinated travelers would encourage more people to get vaccinated.
“One of the reasons why we're having challenges (in the U.S.) getting over this last 20 to 30% percent done is what are the incentives for people being vaccinated other than just simply their own welfare,'' Bastian said. "Well, a great incentive is to be able to travel internationally.''
Sullivan said the final decision on reopening international travel to the U.S. rests with U.S. public health officials.
"At the end of the day this is a process being driven by science and public health guidance,'' he said.
When restrictions are lifted, airlines say they plan to add flights between the U.S. and U.K. faster than they normally would given pent-up travel demand.
Kirby said United can ramp up flights within a month of any reopening date.
Although vaccines are already being promoted, I think it is not time to lift the travel ban. After all, there are still some people who have not been vaccinated, and there are even more terrible mutant strains. The existing vaccines may not be 100% safe.

The Delta State government, through the Primary Healthcare Development Agency, on Thursday announced that it has started the second dose of Phase 1 COVID-19 vaccination exercise.
The State Director of Information, Theresa Oliko, called on people who had received the first dose to check the due date on their vaccination card for the second dose.
“Individuals, who received the first jab over 6-8 weeks interval could present themselves for the second jab. “The people should ensure that the vaccination cards contain the Electronic Management of Immunisation Data (EMID) number as generated by the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) during the first dose administration,” he said.

Here's one (more) sign the COVID-19 pandemic is on the decline in the United States.
NPR's latest survey of state health departments with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security finds many are winding down the contact tracing programs they scrambled to grow last year. More than half of the 36 health departments that responded to the survey in late May had fewer tracers than in December, and the vast majority isn't planning to hire more.

Nigeria can’t afford COVID-19 third wave, Fed Govt warns, deactivates passports of advisory violators

The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 has warned that Nigeria cannot afford a third wave of coronavirus and will do everything to protect its territory.
Speaking yesterday at the briefing of the PSC, the chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, said: “In the next couple of weeks, the PSC will focus on three major things, increase testing especially in the states, increase oxygen reserve capacity in case there is a third wave and increase vaccine acquisition drive.”
On the travel ban against Emirates Airlines, the SGF said: “For some times now, Nigeria has been discussing with the authorities of the United Arab Emirates on the resumption of flights between the two countries.
“The PSC will urge the United Arabs Emirates to remove the country specific and discriminatory practices against Nigeria. Discussions are however on-going and we can assure Nigerians that the outcome will be in the interest of the country.”
The SGF, while speaking on the ban of some Nigerians, who violated COVID-19 travel protocol, said: “Nigerians must eschew sentiments by ensuring that friends, relations and associates arriving from countries of concern and indeed all countries obey the quarantine and post arrival protocols. It is our duty to make sure this occurs.”
The PSC announced that it would proceed to deactivate the international passports of Nigerians who flouted the 2021 Health Safety Regulations as its concerns travel advisory.
The committee had already published the names of 220 violators who evaded prescribed protocols on their return to the country from India, Brazil and Turkey where there are still high cases of confirmed coronavirus.
He stated: “Pursuant to the travel advisory issued, I wish to inform you that the PSC has initiated series of sanctions against those that have violated the 2021 Health Safety Regulations. To this end, the PSC has published the names and particulars of over two hundred violators that evaded the quarantine requirement.
“This is considered a serious infraction and the PSC will proceed to do the following: deactivate the passports of Nigerians involved, for a period of not less than one year; revoke the visas of foreigners that have abused our hospitality; and prosecute the violators where necessary.”

The year 2020 was a year the entire world will not forget very easily. The entire year became identified, to a large extent, with the COVID-19 global pandemic. No country was spares the harrowing experience that took millions of lives around the world and devastated the economies of countries in the world including Nigeria. Although the outbreak of the pandemic was reported by the end of 2019 in China, most countries failed to pay attention to the information with the believe that the pandemic was an Asian medical challenge that will be restricted to that part of the world, not knowing that in a matter of weeks it was going to affect the entire universe.
Incidentally, Nigeria was one of the countries that reacted late to the COVID-19 epidemic challenge. It took the first COVID-19 reported case in Lagos in March, 2020 for the Federal Government to actually rise up to the occasion by putting necessary machinery in place to fight the scourge.
While the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has been in charge of Nigeria’s Coronavirus response in the areas of testing, communication, and surveillance, the task of coordinating vaccination rests squarely on the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA).
To demonstrate seriousness and commitment to the fight against the disease, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was established by President Muhammadu Buhari on March 9, 2020, to coordinate and oversee Nigeria’s multi-sectoral inter-governmental efforts to contain the spread and mitigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha heads the PTF.
Earlier this year, the Federal Government announced that the COVID-19 vaccine will arrive by March, which is exactly one year after the disease was reported in Nigeria..
The Government of Nigeria through the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) is leading Nigeria’s efforts to access safe, effective and efficacious COVID-19 vaccines.
NPHCDA shared a link to a website where citizens were expected to book their vaccination appointments. Despite the outlined phases, it was discovered that there are no restrictions around the vaccination dates available to different population groups or around who is able to register.
The registration process also does not provide any means for the government to verify those claiming to be front-line workers. As at now , a greater number of the populace are yet to get the first jab of the vaccination but there are assurances that more vaccine will be imported to take care of the demands while those who have gotten the first jabs are also waiting in the wings for the second jab.
Only about 10 percent pf Nigeria’s population have been vaccinated. At the weekend, President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo received the second dose of vaccination.
A few states have stated clearly that they cannot continue to bear the cost of vaccination for citizens, therefore the fate of many is hanging in the balance.
With this apparent uncertainty in many states of the country, many have criticised the federal and state governments for giving the vaccine free to wealthy Nigerians and politicians who can afford to pay for it, while having no plans for the poor and the vulnerable. The way things are going, the government’s plans to inoculate 40 percent of Nigeria’s 200 million people this year and another 30 percent in 2022 may not be realised.
In many parts of the country, life has seemingly returned to normal with little or no observance of COVID-19 protocols. Nigeria is Africa’s most populous and Nigerians have a reputation for travelling widely around the world, marking the country out for close monitoring by global health institutions like the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Since the World Health Organisation (WHO) in April 2020 declared the novel COVID-19 a global pandemic, the effect of the ravaging deadly virus has been overwhelming.
From fatalities to harsh economic realities, institutions across the globe and consequentially Africa, has been challenged to fix and update antiquated health systems and existing infrastructures to contain and combat the widespread of COVID-19.
The pandemic did not only engender global lockdown but also a meltdown of global economic activities, which resulted to huge losses in Nigeria’s major export of crude.
Consequently, this decline in economic activities led to drastic decline in accruing revenues from oil sale in oil-dependent nations like Nigeria, thereby plunging the country into economic recession.
The outbreak of the pandemic, which disseminated globally, became an eye-opener to the reality of how the world is interconnected beyond race, ethnicity and culture. This made it necessary for nations to take proactive measures to guard against being convulsed by upheavals.
However, in developing countries as Nigeria and others with the challenges of quality health care, constraints in infrastructural development poor health systems posed a far greater threat than the virus itself.
The pandemic exposed the age long vulnerability of Nigeria’s healthcare system without remedial steps to address them till date. From lack of basic equipment in hospitals, to lack of essential drugs in the shelves, epileptic power supply and poor remuneration of medical personnel, the deterioration had persisted. While countries have turned to dividends of long hard years of infrastructural development, Nigeria is a far cry from this benefit.
Looking back to 2020 and the effect of the pandemic in Nigeria, a few hospitals who sprang into action to combat the deadly COVID-19 was instrumental to the fight against the virus.
Health institutions like Paelon Memorial Hospital was one of the very few private hospitals accredited by the Lagos State Ministry of Health to provide care to people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 infection, both on outpatient and inpatient basis.
Upon the outbreak in Nigeria and in less than two months, the hospital’s management led by Dr. Ngozi Onyia repurposed, equipped and converted one of its branches in Ikeja into an approved COVID-19 treatment centre with isolation units, special assistance, apt medical system, tests and treatments, emergency response services, and cultivated appropriate leadership measures, saving hundreds of lives.
According to Onyia, “Paelon’s prominent role in the management of Covid was fortuitous, which in turn increased the hospital’s visibility in the healthcare space, locally and internationally as they recorded a management of about 3000 patients.”
While the bulk of safekeeping and prevention rests in the responsibility of each individual, the management of the facility further extended its contributions to the fight through channels, such as conducting health webinars and infomercials to enable mass sensitisation of the public.
“It’s no wonder out of 1,985 previously assessed hospitals across Africa, in 2016, Paelon Memorial Hospital became the first hospital in Safe Care’s history to be awarded five stars. In 2020, the hospital was reassessed and re-awarded five stars as the first hospital in Africa and the only hospital in Nigeria to be awarded such recognition”, she noted further.
With a patient-centric approach to care and robust clinical governance, Paelon’s health care administration process has been implemented to ensure continuous quality improvement and the adherence to international standards for ethics and compliance. It also encourages better communication, prevention and social distancing in the country.
Paelon Memorial hospital has consistently shown initiative and great regard for human life as demonstrated in its reaction and dealing with the outbreak of the pandemic in Nigeria.

Nigeria’s central bank devalued the naira by 7.6% against the dollar as authorities in Africa’s biggest oil producer migrate toward a single exchange-rate system for the local currency.
The Abuja-based Central Bank of Nigeria replaced the fixed rate of 379 naira to a dollar used for official transactions with the more flexible nafex, also known as the investors and exporters exchange rate, that has averaged 410.25 naira per dollar this year, according to data on its website on Tuesday.
“We found out that we were no longer dealing in this so-called CBN official rate for transactions,” Governor Godwin Emefiele told reporters during the monetary policy briefing earlier on Tuesday. “We are still running a managed-float, we are monitoring the market and seeing what is happening for us to ensure that the right things are happening for the good of the Nigerian economy.”
The bank held interest rate at 11.5% in line with the median estimate in a Bloomberg survey.
“The official unification of these rates is a welcome development as the fragmented foreign-exchange market had been a cause of confusion and a source of arbitrage,” Neville Mandimika, a Johannesburg-based economist at Rand Merchant Bank said by email.
Nigeria adopted the multiple exchange-rate regime to avoid an outright devaluation of the naira by keeping a stronger pegged rate for official transactions and weaker exchange for non-government related transactions. This currency management system was criticized by the International Monetary Fund, and the World Bank held back a $1.5 billion loan in a bid to push for more foreign-exchange reforms.
The nafex, which acts as a spot rate, was introduced in 2017 to improve dollar liquidity and encourage inflows from foreign investors that were exiting the country following the 2016 economic crisis. The West African nation suffered even more acute hard-currency scarcity last year after the Covid-19 pandemic led to a plunge in oil prices, forcing it to devalue the local unit twice.
While crude contributes less than 10% to the country’s gross domestic product, it accounts for nearly all foreign-exchange earnings and half of government revenue.
“The key thing for the market is to now allow for more flexibility in the pricing of the investors and exporters window rate in order to completely narrow the spread between the Nafex and the parallel market,” Chapel Hill Denham analyst Omotola Abimbola said by phone.
The latest central bank move is expected to improve confidence in policy making, but recovery in portfolio inflows will not be immediate as investors wait for more dollar liquidity, analysts including Simon Kitchen and Mohamed Abu Basha at Cairo-based EFG Hermes said.

Resident Pastor at Kingsway International Christian Centre, KiCF, Pastor Femi Faseru, has berated Nigeria’s contribution to the global fight against COVID-19. He described Nigeria’s approach as a “copy and paste” mentality. Pastor Faseru, speaking at the Sunday Life Class, at the Prayerdome, Maryland, also expressed his disappointment at the lack of progressive approach in Nigeria University Commission, NUC, adding that though it is a league of professors, they operate what he termed “jubilee ideas”.
“When the whole world is busy trying to put a final stop to the spread of rampaging COVID-19, Nigeria is busy with copy and paste. “They go with flow obtainable in the western world.  “When did you hear that Nigeria conducted a research work on how to end COVID-19 and submitted to the World Health Organisation, WHO? It is all copy and paste mentality,” he said.
Speaking further, Pastor Faseru knocked the NUC for not breaking away from the philosophy of the old in running the university system. “Even in our education sector… I don’t want to go there, but I will. “The NUC still expects that you have about 250 acres of land before owning a university in Nigeria. “Can you compare Nigeria in the days when Obafemi Awolowo University was established to this present day? How do we grow out of such mentality? “You expect that there must be a building structure names School of Law (for instance) when schools are going digital, virtual with more efficiency. “The NUC is full of professors surprisingly but they operate the jubilee ideas.”  He added that “Some of the curricula being run in the university system are old and almost not relevant in today’s society.” Pastor Faseru also threw jabs at the medical sector. Speaking on surgeries, he warned that a good research and questioning should be done before going for a surgical treatment in Nigeria because “simple procedures have gone complex in our clime because of avoidable mistakes. “Make sure you ask the right questions before going under the knife, don’t assume the doctor and the hospital are perfect. For instance, you need to be sure there is enough diesels because the doctor himself may not know. “Ask and be sure the person operating on you is qualified to do so. It might be funny, but they are necessary questions to ask in this country.”

As the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON) awaits further communication on specific measures and organisational plans for the 2021 Hajj exercise, the commission has enjoined the leadership of the National Medical Team and representatives of States Pilgrims Welfare Boards of the Federation to review and adopt harmonised guidelines for the National Medical Team.
The Commissioner of Planning, Research, Statistics and Library Services, Sheikh Sulaiman Momoh, said the commission is particular about the health of the pilgrims with regards to the pandemic, which has affected the whole world.

He therefore demanded the SPWB and the NMT to partner to explore all options that will ensure NAHCON achieves the goal of providing necessary health aid to the Nigerian pilgrim in the face of emerging challenges.

The Commissioner PRSILS also requested the NMT leadership to advise the commission on when it should procure Drugs and Consumables for Onshore and Offshore, as they should be readily available since Hajj is hopefully around the corner.

The Commissioner reiterated that rules, regulations and policies are good when they add value to set conditions, therefore the team should be flexible on how it can assist the pilgrims, depending on what they will meet on ground at arrival.

Head of the committee for reviewing and harmonising guidelines of National Medical Team guidelines, Alhaji R. Abdulsalam, said that they have done all necessary reviews and came up with resolutions for deliberation by stakeholders. The ultimate aim is to lead to smooth implementation and adoption of the harmonised guidelines.

Director FCT Pilgrims Welfare Board, Alhaji Danmallam, made a case for environmental Health workers who will now form part of the team.

He explained that among the conditions they should fulfill include registering with the West African Health Examination Board (WAHEB).

Danmallam added that the main role of the environmental health workers should be environmental inspections of Pilgrims accommodation.

The Director Finance and Accounts, Alhaji Babagana Kaigama informed that the commission has adequate provision for procurement of both onshore and offshore drugs, and has made adequate provision for the team as well.

Present at the meeting were: Alhaji Abubakar Pawa Dembo, Alhaji Idris Almakura, Alhaji Muhammed Nasiru Danmallam, Dr. Usman Galadima, Dr. Salanke, Dr. Ibrahim Maikore, Hajiya Wafiyyah Mustapha, and other committee members.

Nigeria will not accept new applications for international passports until old applications are attended to, the Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has said.
While addressing journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the comptroller of NIS, Mohammad Babandede, said the agency would commence the accepting new applications from June 1.
Mr Babandede said the directive was given by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola.
“The process of receiving and processing all fresh passport applications nationwide is suspended till 1st June 2021, when the new passport regime would have taken effect,” he said.
“The suspension of receiving and processing of fresh passport applications is to allow for clearance of every passport application that was received before 17th of May 2021.”
He said all payment portals have been closed till June 1 and a task force will be sent to passport offices to clear the backlog.
Mr Babandede said deputy comptrollers have been deployed to all passport centres to monitor the process and ensure the directive is followed.
New applications will be granted in six weeks from the time of application, he said.
Mr Babandede decorated senior officers of the NIS who were recently promoted.

In the last one year, two Nigerian technology start-ups - Paystack and Flutterwave have jointly raised nearly half a billion dollars in external finance, substantially driven by talent, determination, and private capital.

For a long time, health technology advocates have spoken passionately about the potential of information and communication technology (ICT) for healthcare delivery. It has taken the COVID-19 pandemic for this to be put in stark relief. As countries started to experience active and widespread community transmission of SARS-CoV-2, it became apparent that to avoid a complete halt in the delivery of healthcare services, technology had to be utilised to bridge the gap. So, in wide-ranging healthcare sectors such as mental health, child health, ear/nose/throat surgery, and dermatology, telemedicine has started disrupting the delivery of healthcare.



Additionally, technology has enormous potential to change the way individuals gain financial access to healthcare, and even the way purchasers of healthcare ensure patient data availability and accessibility. However, for this to grow and become sustainable, there is a need to intentionally close the digital divide which is the gap in access to ICT between rural/urban and poor/wealthier populations in African countries and provide an enabling environment for health technology firms with regards to policies, financing, and investment. The success stories in Nigerian tech space have been substantially driven by talent, determination, and private capital. To grow this space universally would require more public sector support.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Monday authorized the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine for children aged 12 to 15 years old.
“This is a promising development in our fight against the virus,” said President Joe Biden.
“If you are a parent who wants to protect your child or a teenager who is interested in getting vaccinated, today’s decision is a step closer to that goal.”
The FDA previously granted an emergency use authorization for the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to individuals aged 16 and older.
“Having a vaccine authorized for a younger population is a critical step in continuing to lessen the immense public health burden caused by the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.
The FDA said some 1.5 million Covid-19 cases in individuals aged 11 to 17 years old have been reported to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between March 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021.

Although this is good news, it is also worrying. Because the safety of Pfizer's BioNTech vaccine is still not guaranteed.

If you’re traveling on a plane, train or bus, don’t put that face mask away yet.
The Transportation Security Administration said Friday it will extend its mask requirement, which also applies in airports and train stations, through Sept. 13. The rule took effect Feb. 1 and was set to expire May 11.
The agency said that children up to 2 and people with certain disabilities will continue to be exempted from the mask rule.
Violations can carry fines of up to $1,500 for repeat offenders.
Separately, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration said Friday that the FAA will continue its zero-tolerance policy against disruptive airline passengers as long as the TSA mask rule is in effect. The FAA is seeking much larger civil penalties — some topping $30,000 — against a small number of passengers that it accuses of interfering with airline crews.
TSA officials said the mask rule matches health guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC recently said that fully vaccinated people can travel safely, but it still recommends that they wear masks and maintain distance from other people. About 100 million Americans, roughly half the nation’s adults, have been fully immunized against Covid-19.
Airlines and their unions had pushed for an extension of the federal mask rule as a stronger alternative to airline-imposed rules.
“Continuing the TSA enforcement directive for the CDC transportation mask mandate will keep passengers and aviation workers safe,” said Sara Nelson, president of the Association of Flight Attendants.

BUCHAREST — At Dracula’s castle in picturesque Transylvania, Romanian doctors are offering a jab in the arm rather than a stake through the heart.
A Covid-19 vaccination center has been set up on the periphery of Romania's Bran Castle, which is purported to be the inspiration behind Dracula’s home in Bram Stoker’s 19th-century gothic novel “Dracula.”
Every weekend through May “vaccination marathons” will be held just outside the storied 14th-century hilltop castle, where no appointment is needed, in an attempt to encourage people to protect themselves against COVID-19.

The number of children contracting COVID-19 in the U.S. is much lower than the record highs set at the start of the new year, but children now account for more than a fifth of new coronavirus cases in states that release data by age, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. It's a statistic that may surprise many: Just one year ago, child COVID-19 cases made up only around 3% of the U.S. total.
On Monday, the AAP said children represented 22.4% of new cases reported in the past week, accounting for 71,649 out of 319,601 cases. The latest report, drawn from data collected through April 29, illustrates how children's share of coronavirus infections has grown in recent weeks.
Experts link the trend to several factors – particularly high vaccination rates among older Americans. The U.S. recently announced 100 million people were fully vaccinated against COVID-19. But other dynamics are also in play, from new COVID-19 variants to the loosening of restrictions on school activities.
It's also worth noting that for the vast majority of the pandemic, the age group with the highest case rates has been 18 to 24 in the U.S., as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention notes.

Nigeria's central bank plans to extend a naira incentive offer to recipients of dollar remittance until further notice, it said, in a push to boost foreign currency supply.
Rising dollar demand has been putting pressure on the naira. Nigeria is hoping it can attract remittances from its Diaspora as providers of foreign exchange, such as offshore investors, have exited after COVID-19 triggered a fall in oil prices.
Recipients of remittances from the Nigerian Diaspora made through international money transfer operators licensed by the central bank will receive 5 naira ($0.013) for every imported dollar, the regulator has said.
The bank said the scheme, which was meant to end on May 8, would continue until further notice.
Remittances into Nigeria increased five fold from a weekly average of $5 million to more than $30 million, Central Bank Governor Godwin Emefiele said in February, after the changes to Diaspora transfer rules.
Nigeria changed the currency of remittance payments to the dollar from naira in November, after the currency fell to 500 naira on the black market. The naira is quoted at 485 per dollar on the black market on Thursday.
Remittances, or money transfers, make up the second-largest source of foreign exchange receipts after oil revenues in Nigeria, Africa's biggest economy. Around $26.4 billion was sent to Nigeria in 2019, according to the World Bank.

Orlando, Florida – Acting United States Attorney Karin Hoppmann announces that the United States has obtained a final civil judgment ordering the forfeiture of $8,417,261.38 in proceeds from bank fraud and money laundering offenses related to COVID Relief Fraud. 
According to court documents, it is alleged that in April 2020, Joshua Edwards, Joy Edwards, Evan Edwards, and Mary Jane Edwards defrauded the Small Business Administration (“SBA”) out of millions of dollars in coronavirus relief funds. Specifically, Joshua Edwards, on behalf of ASLAN International Ministry, Inc., submitted a false and fraudulent loan application seeking funds from the Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”). Once the PPP loan was obtained, members of the Edwards family misused the funds by attempting to purchase a $3.7 million luxury home in the Four Seasons Private Residence community at Walt Disney World Resort. The remaining funds were transferred among multiple bank accounts held by the conspirators in an attempt to hide and conceal their whereabouts. Law enforcement was able to seize all of the fraudulently obtained funds before they were dissipated. A request will be made to the Department of Justice’s Money Laundering and Asset Forfeiture Section to remit the forfeited funds back to the SBA.
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (“CARES”) Act is a federal law enacted March 2020. It is designed to provide emergency financial assistance to millions of Americans who are suffering the economic effects resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. One source of relief provided by the CARES Act is the authorization of up to $349 billion in forgivable loans to small businesses for job retention and certain other expenses through the PPP. In April 2020, Congress authorized over $300 billion in additional PPP funding.
This case was investigated by the United States Secret Service. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Nicole Andrejko.

27 April 2021 - As the world grapples with the COVID-19 pandemic, the delivery of health services, including routine vaccinations, have been disrupted – including in Africa’s largest economy and most populous country, Nigeria.
Nigeria has less than 2.5 per cent of the world’s population. And yet, it accounts for 10 per cent of the global burden of infant, child and maternal mortality.
More than 2,300 Nigerian children die every day from diseases that can easily be treated or prevented.
One of the reasons is the low rate of child immunization. At the moment, only 23 per cent of Nigerian children are fully immunized. That figure was 22 per cent in 1995. Nigeria is clearly struggling to keep up with its population growth when it comes to health interventions – and children are one of the biggest casualties.
Clearly much remains to be done and the challenges are enormous – including disruptions due to COVID-19, and vaccine hesitancy. One big factor in saving children’s lives in Nigeria is helping parents, caregivers and communities to understand the critical importance of ensuring children receive their full, age-appropriate immunizations, so that they can both survive and thrive into a healthy future.
Organizations like UNICEF are working to ensure that there is continued uptake of routine immunizations for children, despite the pandemic.
To help drive this work and better understand how to engage parents and communities, UNICEF Nigeria partnered with Facebook through the ‘Insights for Impact Project' to amplify and test the effectiveness of vaccine messages on its Facebook platform, via an information campaign. The campaign had three main objectives:
Promote the message that vaccines are safe Communicate that vaccines are effective in protecting children from vaccine-preventable diseases, like polio and measles Remind caregivers and communities that it is important to continue routine immunization amidst the COVID-19 pandemic The outcomes of the information campaign were analyzed through a survey comparing people who saw the ads (the test group) with an audience of people who did not see the ads (the control group). If, in comparing both groups, we saw that vaccine acceptance is higher in the test group, then we would know that the ads were effective in promoting the importance of childhood immunization.
The campaign used three different types of messages to persuade communities of the importance of immunization. The three types were: 1) emotional 2) authoritative and 3) informative.
The campaign reached over 16.5 million Nigerians. At the end of the campaign, we asked people in the test and control groups whether they had remembered seeing an ad from UNICEF (ad recall). Overall, the results of the survey revealed that the authoritative campaign was the most memorable, followed by the emotional campaign. Both these messages yielded statistically significant ad recall.
To understand the campaign’s effect on attitudes about vaccine effectiveness, we asked “How effective do you think routine vaccines are in protecting children from devastating childhood diseases?”. We found the authoritative ads worked best, as people who saw the authoritative ads were +1.4 percentage points more likely to say that vaccines were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ effective, when compared to users who had not seen the ads. For this question, we did not see strong results for the emotional and informative messages.
To understand the campaign’s effect on vaccine safety, we asked “How safe do you think routine vaccines are for children?”. Once again, authoritative messages performed the best, as people who saw the authoritative messages were +1.2 percentage points more likely to indicate that vaccines were safe, when compared to people who had not seen the ads. However, we did not observe a significant difference for people who saw the emotional or informative messages.
We also surveyed people on the importance of continuing routine vaccinations during COVID19. However, none of the three messages were effective in driving this objective.
There are no guarantees that a campaign will resonate with people and yield strong outcomes, however, authoritative messages were able to achieve statistically significant results for improving perceptions of vaccine effectiveness and safety.

Meanwhile, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has disclosed that the federal government would spend N1.89 trillion to wipe out malaria in Nigeria.
In a text, he presented to mark 2021 World Malaria Day, which was obtained by journalists yesterday in Abuja, the minister added that N352 billion was needed for the year 2021 programme implementation on malaria.
Ehanire appealed to corporate organisations, the private sector, and patriotic Nigerians to offer the country a bailout with a view to achieving its target of wiping out malaria.
Ehanire said the N1.89 trillion was specifically needed for the implementation of the New Strategic Plan on malaria.
"As stated earlier, the goal of this plan is to achieve a parasite prevalence of less than 10 per cent and reduce mortality attributable to malaria to less than 50 deaths per 1,000 live births by 2025. The implementation of the New Strategic Plan will cost N1.89 trillion", Ehanire said.
He said 63.1 per cent of the total amount would be used to support Chemoprevention, diagnosis, and treatment, while 35.9 per cent will be used for vector control.
The minister, who said the use of insecticide-treated nets among under-five children increased from 43.4 per cent in 2015 to 52 per cent in 2018, also said pregnant women increased its use from 49 per cent in 2015 to 58 per cent in 2018.
"Fever testing of under-five children increased from 5 per cent in 2010 to 11 per cent in 2013, 13 per cent in 2015 and 14 per cent in 2018; but is still too low."These measures resulted in a reduction of malaria prevalence from 42 per cent in 2010 to 27 per cent in 2015 and 23 per cent in 2018.
"We expect that when results of 2021 Malaria Indicator Survey to be conducted later this year are out, a further the downward trend will be seen."
He said under the Severe Malaria Retrospective Study, 3,503 cases of severe malaria were treated in 18 secondary health facilities.
Ehanire said, "A follow up to the Severe Malaria Clinical Audit done in 2019 revealed an improvement in most of the systems and case-management indicators."
The minister said the quality of care and standards in malaria case management were rolled out in some states, providing the platform for states' teams to carry out assessments at health facilities, based on three pillars of quality of care including structure, process and outcome. "As part of efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage and household ownership of Insecticide Treated Nets in Nigeria, 17,267,410 ITNs were distributed in six states, using single-phase door-to-door and double phase door-to-door strategies, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"The New Net Project study commenced in four Local Government Areas in two states, to help accelerate the scale-up of the next generation ITNs, thereby mitigating the increasing resistance to pyrethroid-only nets.
"The programme has developed a five-year new generation malaria strategic plan (NMSP 2021-2025) to sustain gains achieved in the national malaria control effort and chart a pathway towards achieving a malaria-free Nigeria."

This report analyses how the pandemic has influenced the ability of urban households in Nigeria to meet their food and essential needs, and if households were able to recover from the economic shock in the midterm. It covers all 36 states and one federal capital territory of the country, with a special focus on urban areas and people living in urban slums. It is mainly based on a data collected through web surveys in October 2020, with a total sample size of around 14,500.
Urban households were severely affected by lockdown measures, with 13 % of respondents who reported to have lost their income; however, most households were able to recover from job losses around August 2020. In addition to job losses, at least 50 % of households for many job categories experienced either a reduction in their income or completely lost income.
Households in urban slums have been affected stronger by income losses than other urban households and than households in rural areas. They are also less able to meet their essential needs, in all dimensions, and had to apply more often livelihood coping strategies.
Based on the survey results, one in five households were receiving remittances from inside or outside of Nigeria prior to the pandemic. Households receiving remittances from within Nigeria were even more affected by loss or reduction of this income than households receiving international remittances.
Many households residing in urban slums still produce food or raise livestock which contributes to their income in half of the cases – and serves as a potential buffer against job loss.
Almost half of households were found to be multidimensionally deprived; internally displaced people, large households, households with children and households in urban slums are the most multidimensionally deprived households.
The highest rate of deprivation has been observed in health, where on more than half of households struggled to access pharmacies and health clinics when needed, followed by safety and food. Access to health services has deteriorated since COVID-19.
Since the first round of data collection in Nigeria in August 2019, there has been an overall increase in the percentage of households that felt worried for not having enough food to eat (from 59 % to 65 %).
Households with children and/or elderly members are more vulnerable to food insecurity. Households residing in urban slums have a greater tendency to food insecurity compared to those populations residing in peri-urban, rural or non-slum urban areas.
Urban slum households reported largest difficulties of accessing clean water, in comparison to rural households and urban households outside of slum areas.
Safety remains a concern for a considerable number of individuals. Displaced populations are particularly concerned with their security.

WILMINGTON, U.S. (Reuters) -- The United States will immediately provide raw materials for COVID-19 vaccines, medical equipment and protective gear to help India respond to a massive surge in COVID-19 infections, a White House spokeswoman said on Sunday.
"The United States is working around the clock to deploy available resources and supplies," National Security Council spokeswoman Emily Horne said in a statement.
Horne said the materials would help India manufacture the Covishield vaccine. The United States would also send therapeutics, rapid diagnostic test kits and ventilators.
Washington was under mounting pressure to help India, the world's largest democracy, after Britain, France and Germany pledged aid over the weekend.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged all citizens to be vaccinated and exercise caution, as the country set a global record for new COVID-19 infections in a single day. 
The United States was also pursuing options to provide India with oxygen generation and related supplies.
U.S. officials are also considering sending India its unused COVID-19 vaccines doses from AstraZeneca, the top U.S. infectious disease official Dr. Anthony Fauci told ABC News on Sunday. "That's something that certainly is going to be actively considered," Fauci said in an interview.
AstraZeneca's vaccine is not yet approved in the United States, which has millions of doses, and top U.S. health officials have said they have enough doses of approved versions by three other drugmakers to inoculate all Americans in coming weeks. The nation's top business lobbying group has also pushed the administration to send AstraZeneca's vials to countries with rising cases.
The White House had no comment on the possibility of sending AstraZeneca vaccine to India.
Senior U.S. officials have expressed concern that new variants of the virus emerging in India could undermine progress made in the United States.
The outbreak also threatens the economic recovery of India, the sixth-largest economy in the world.
Horne said the United States would also send a team of experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and U.S. Agency for International Development to work with India.
In addition to the immediate aid, the U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC) will fund a substantial expansion of manufacturing capability for Indian vaccine maker Biological E, or BioE, enabling the company to produce at least 1 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of 2022.

Until Monday, large-scale COVID-19 vaccination sites in Los Angeles County will provide appointment appointments, but officials said the supply will determine how many people they can accommodate.
According to a statement issued Thursday afternoon, these slot machines will be open to anyone who lives or works in the county and is 16 years of age or older. However, children aged 16 and 17 will need a parent or guardian to accompany them.

The FDA released an inspection report Wednesday skewering operations at a drug manufacturing plant blamed for ruining millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson's vaccine.
The inspection, completed Tuesday, "cited a number of observations concerning whether the facility’s processes met our requirements and standards," acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock said in a statement.
The 13-page report says the Emergent BioSolutions Bayview plant in Baltimore was too small, poorly designed and dirty. Unsealed bags of medical waste were observed, along with peeling paint and damaged floors and walls that could inhibit proper cleaning, the inspectors said. 
Employees were not properly trained and failed to properly handle ingredients, the report says.
“The firm has failed to adequately train personnel involved in manufacturing operations, quality control sampling, weigh and dispense, and engineering operations to prevent cross-contamination of bulk drug substances,” the inspectors said in the report.
The FDA asked the plant to halt manufacturing, pending completion of the inspection. The agency stressed that it has not authorized the facility to manufacture or distribute J&J coronavirus vaccine or components, and no vaccine manufactured at this plant has been distributed in the USA. More than 7 million doses of J&J vaccine came from European plants.
Vaccine materials made at Emergent are stored pending FDA authorization. The plant's issues are not the only hurdle facing the J&J vaccine. Its use was "paused" in the USA as health officials investigate its connection to very rare blood clots.
The withering inspection report comes as public health officials labor to overcome vaccine hesitancy among millions of Americans concerned about the safety and effectiveness of the shots.