The U.S. Embassy in Kabul on Thursday ordered staff to avoid leaving their quarters to cope with a surge of Covid-19 cases that has filled intensive care units and led to multiple evacuations and the death of at least one staff member.
An internal management notice reviewed by The Wall Street Journal described a chaotic situation at the embassy. Some 114 coronavirus cases have been confirmed among staff, it said.
The rapid spread of the illness has stretched medical facilities, according to the notice, forcing health units to create temporary wards to deal with an influx of patients. The intensive care unit at the U.S. military hospital that supports the embassy is at full capacity and several staff members have been evacuated.
“We must break the chain of transmission to protect one another and ensure the Mission’s ability to carry out the nation’s business,” said the notice, which was approved by U.S. Ambassador Ross Wilson.
While the embassy has been downsized in recent years as the U.S. has prepared to end its 20-year military engagement in Afghanistan, hundreds of staff continue to serve there. The notice encouraged staff to report violations of the orders and warned that those failing to comply risked being sent home on the next available flight.

The orders have confined all staff to their quarters, except to get food, exercise or relax outdoors alone. Meal-sharing with others, including among vaccinated staff, is prohibited.
It said exceptions would be made only for mission-critical and time-sensitive tasks, approved by supervisors in writing.
The U.S. Embassy, located close to Kabul airport in the heavily fortified diplomatic area of the Afghan capital, is a sprawling complex where most staff live and work. Due to deteriorating security conditions, staff rarely leave the embassy, and even trips to the airport are carried out by helicopter.
The American Foreign Service Association, which represents State Department staff, said in a statement on Thursday the crisis threatened U.S. national security interests as well as employees’ health.
It urged the White House to allow the State Department to require Afghanistan-based staff to get vaccinated, with exceptions for medical or religious reasons, to prevent further loss of life.
“Saying I don’t feel like it or I don’t believe in the vaccine isn’t sufficient reason,” the association’s president, Eric Rubin, told the Journal.

Despite massive increase in migrants sending money home via digital transfers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of their rural family members struggle to access the mobile banking services which could help lift them out of poverty.
Owing to this, the President of the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), has called for urgent investments in digital infrastructure and mobile services in developing countries to ensure rural families are not left behind.
"Migrants have shown their continued commitment to their families and communities during the pandemic with more remittances transfers made digitally than ever before," IFAD President, Gilbert Houngbo, was quoted to have said in a statement while speaking on the International Day of Family Remittances, recently.
"Unfortunately, families in rural and remote areas - where remittances are a true lifeline - battle to access cash outlets or even more convenient alternatives such as mobile money accounts. Governments and the private sector need to urgently invest in rural digital infrastructure to address this," he added.
Mobile remittances increased by 65 per cent last year, rising to $12.7 billion. This change was driven by a switch from cash due to lockdowns that limited informal channels and social distancing rules for senders and recipients alike, the statement disclosed.
In spite of the global economic recession due to the pandemic, migrants continued to send money home to their families, with remittances in 2020 reaching $540 billion - a drop of only 1.6 per cent compared to the previous year.
However, in many countries, people living in remote rural areas have sparse local access to banking services or limited mobile connectivity. In addition, there is a limited availability of agents offering mobile money services such as pay outs in cash. Often mobile money service providers are only located in urban centres.
This means millions of poor, rural people have to travel long distances to towns or cities, often at significant cost, to receive the cash sent digitally by their migrant family members.
Digital transfers are cheaper than traditional cash transfers, and mobile banking services also provide the opportunity for migrants and their families in their countries of origin to access useful and affordable financial products to better manage their finances, including savings, loans and insurance.
Across the globe, 200 million migrants regularly send money to their 800 million relatives. This plays a crucial role in their lives and livelihoods. Almost half of these families live in rural areas of developing countries, where poverty and hunger are highest. Families use the funds sent by migrant workers to cover basic household needs such as food, housing, school and medical bills, as well as to start small businesses. These resources can often transform both families and local communities.
"While the pandemic accelerated the adoption of digital transfers and mobile money accounts, it also highlighted pervasive gender inequality," the head of IFAD's Financing Facility for Remittances, Pedro de Vasconcelos said.
"Research shows that women are 33 per cent less likely than men to have a mobile money account. We must focus on closing the gap by addressing the barriers that prevent women from accessing and using mobile financial services."
In today's society, science and technology are changing with each passing day, especially in the financial field, which can effectively promote financial development.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has activated a multi-sectoral National Cholera Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), following an increase in cholera cases across the country.
Since the beginning of the year, 10,833 suspected cholera cases have been reported with 112 confirmed cases and 289 deaths in 2021. In the last one month, an increasing number of cholera cases has been reported across states. The most affected states are Plateau, Bauchi, Gombe, Kano, Zamfara, Bayelsa and Kaduna. Given the risk of large outbreaks across states, NCDC has activated an EOC. The EOC is co-led with the Federal Ministries of Environment and Water Resources, given the link between cholera and water, sanitation and hygiene.
The National EOC has been supporting states to ensure a coordinated, rapid and effective response to the ongoing outbreak. This includes the deployment of National Rapid Response Teams (RRT) to support the response at state level, provision of medical and laboratory supplies, scale up of risk communications amongst other activities.
Additionally, the resources that have been developed as part of Nigeria’s COVID-19 response are being used to strengthen the response to the cholera outbreak. This includes the digitalisation of the national surveillance system, establishment of laboratories and treatment centres, training of health workers among others.
Cholera is a preventable and treatable epidemic -prone disease which is transmitted by eating or drinking contaminated food or water. The number of cholera cases tends to increase with the onset of the rainy season. The risk of death from cholera is higher, when treatment is delayed. It is very important to visit a health facility if you have symptoms such as watery diarrhea and vomiting.
The NCDC urges members of the public to be aware of the risk of the disease and adhere to the following precautionary measures to ensure safety;
Boil and store water in a clean and safe container before drinking.
Prepare, cook and store food safely.
Wash hands frequently with soap under clean running water to prevent infectious diseases including cholera. This is especially important after defecation and before handling food or eating.
Avoid open defecation and indiscriminate refuse dumping which contribute to the spread of cholera.
Visit a health facility immediately if you have symptoms such as watery diarrhoea.
Healthcare workers should have a high index of suspicion for cholera, and maintain universal care precautions at all times.
The NCDC continues to advocate for improved access to clean water, proper sanitation and hygiene. This is a critical measure to prevent cholera cases and outbreaks. We urge State Governments to continue to provide access to clean water for citizens.
More information on cholera, as well as the latest situation report can be accessed via – ncdc.gov.ng.
About NCDC
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control is the country’s national public health institute, with the mandate to lead the preparedness, detection and response to public health emergencies. The Bill for an Act to establish NCDC was signed into law in November 2018, by President Muhammadu Buhari. The mission for the NCDC is ‘To protect the health of Nigerians through evidence-based prevention, integrated disease surveillance and response, using a One Health approach, guided by research and led by skilled workforce’.

SEOUL--Health officials and experts in Asia have welcomed U.S. plans to share 500 million more doses of the Pfizer vaccine with the developing world, but some say it would take more than donations alone to address huge vaccination gaps that threaten to prolong the pandemic.

President Joe Biden was set to make the announcement Thursday in a speech before the start of the Group of Seven summit in Britain. Two hundred million doses--enough to fully protect 100 million people--would be shared this year, with the balance to be donated in the first half of 2022, according to a source familiar with the matter who confirmed the news of the Pfizer sharing plan.

Jaehun Jung, a professor of preventive medicine at South Korea’s Gachon University College of Medicine, said the U.S. donations may proveto be a “huge turning point” in the global fight against COVID-19, but also lamented that the help couldn’t come earlier.

He said the extremely cold storage temperatures required for Pfizer shots would present challenges for countries with poor health systems and called for U.S. officials and the New York-based drug maker to explore the possibility of easing the requirements.

He said the delay in U.S. help was “understandable, because the United States initially had its own troubles with supplies while inoculating its own population. But for now, it’s critical to move up the timing of the vaccine provisions to the earliest possible point.”

According to the person who spoke to the AP, the Biden administration plans to provide the 500 million shots it purchases from Pfizer to 92 lower income countries and the African Union over the next year through the U.N.-backed COVAX program.

The United States has faced increasing pressure to outline its global vaccine sharing plan. Inequities in supplies around the world have become more pronounced while there’s increasing concern over newer virus variants emerging from areas with consistently high COVID-19 circulation.

The White House had earlier announced plans to share 80 million doses globally by the end of June, most through COVAX.

The additional donation of the Pfizer shots is crucial because the global disparity in vaccination has become a multidimensional threat: a human catastrophe, a $5 trillion economic loss for advanced economies, and a contributor to the generation of mutant viruses, said Jerome Kim, the head of the International Vaccine Institute, a non-profit dedicated to making vaccines available to developing countries.

Jeong Eun-kyeong, director of South Korea’s Disease Control and Prevention Agency, said the success of Biden’s vaccine-sharing plan would depend mainly on how fast the shots could be manufactured and sent to countries in need amid global shortages.

She also echoed Jung’s concerns about Pfizer’s cold chain requirements and said the U.S. donations should be accompanied with efforts to improve infrastructure and educate health workers in receiving countries.

“It’s very important to manage international cooperation so that the whole world can be vaccinated quickly,” she said during a briefing.

The United States has yet to confirm the 92 lower-income countries that would be receiving the Pfizer shots.

In Asia, Jung said that India and Southeast Asia are in desperate need of donations. Vaccinating isolated North Korea could also prove to be a difficult challenge.

Some experts say donations alone wouldn’t be enough to close the huge gaps in supplies and call for a transition toward a distributed system of vaccine manufacturing where qualified companies around the world would produce their own shots without intellectual property constraints.

But Jung said many developing countries depending on COVAX donations don’t have the industrial resources to manufacture advanced vaccines like Pfizer’s mRNA shots.

As countries around the world struggled to access vaccines, unable to secure bilateral deals with companies like Pfizer, many have turned to China. China has exported 350 million doses of its vaccines to dozens of countries, according to its Foreign Ministry.

China has pledged 10 million doses to COVAX, and the Chinese drug maker Sinopharm said last week it had just finished a batch of vaccines for sharing with COVAX. The WHO had approved the vaccine for emergency use last month.

While Chinese vaccines have faced scrutiny because of a lack of transparency in sharing clinical trial data, many countries were desperate to take what was available and found the shots easier to use as they could be stored in normal refrigerators.

The difference in vaccine supply around the world has become more obvious. It is very necessary to donate vaccines to some poor areas, but it is useless to donate vaccines alone. It is still necessary to provide them with intellectual property rights, so that they can produce their own vaccines, subject to the conditions of the local company.

The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, Wednesday said fatalities recorded from road accidents in January 2021 were higher than those recorded from malaria and COVID-19 diseases.
Addressing reporters after the Federal Executive Council meeting, he underscored the need for all tiers of government to take urgent action to reverse the worrying situation.
He urged the Federal Road Safety Corps to focus on the Lagos-Ibadan, the Abuja-Kano and the Abuja-Keffi-Lafia Highways.
Fashola said there would be more patrols as well as installation of road traffic signs and speed metres on the three highways.
He identified over-speeding, loss of control, wrongful overtaking and brake failure as main causes of road crashes.
He said the National Road Safety Advisory Council that would be inaugurated today was a right step in view of this latest development on road crashes.

Washington Prime Group, a major mall owner of more than 100 locations across the United States, filed for bankruptcy, citing pandemic-related shutdowns.
The Columbus, Ohio-based company filed for Chapter 11 late Sunday, saying Covid-19 "created significant challenges" and that the move is "necessary." Washington Prime secured $100 million in new funding to support its day-to-day operations so it can "continue in the ordinary course without interruption."
"The company's financial restructuring will enable Washington Prime to right size its balance sheet and position the company for success going forward," said CEO Lou Conforti. "During the financial restructuring, we will continue to work toward maximizing the value of our assets and our operating infrastructure."
Shares of Washington Prime (WPG) plunged as much as 55% in early trading. The stock is down 60% for the year.
Temporary closures and relaxation of rent to some of its tenants were the causes of the bankruptcy. Washington Prime, which warned this move was coming in recent regulatory filings, said it's using Chapter 11 to "implement a comprehensive and consensual financial restructuring" to deleverage its nearly $1 billion in debt.
Shifting consumer habits and the pandemic rattled the retail industry over the past year. Two other mall owners, CBL Properties (CBLPRD) and PREIT (PEI), both filed for bankruptcy last year and cited similar problems. All three mall owners were hurt by some major tenants also filing for bankruptcy.
"The bankruptcy shows that while things are now getting back to normal, many of the scars left by the pandemic have not fully healed," said Neil Saunders, retail analyst and managing director at GlobalData.
"Strong balance sheets and sound operations are needed to see property companies through this period," he added. "Washington Prime did not have those fundamentals and so has chosen Chapter 11 as a way to restructure and pay down its debts."
The pandemic sped up the shift to online shopping, and the continued growth of e-commerce sales will lead to more stores shutting down after the pandemic ends, UBS retail analysts predicted in a recent report. The report estimates that around 80,000 stores will close over the next five years. They also believe the number of US malls will also decline over the same period.
"While the trajectory for retail is far from terrible, malls are under increasing pressure from higher vacancy rates and tenants being more demanding over rent," said Saunders.

Cape Town, South Africa —
In the global race to vaccinate people against COVID-19, Africa is unfortunately lagging behind.
In fact, it barely got out of the starting line.
According to the global tracker kept by Johns Hopkins University, South Africa has the strongest economy and the largest coronavirus cases on the African continent, with only 0.8% of the population vaccinated. Hundreds of thousands of health workers in the country are still waiting for vaccinations, and many of them face the virus every day.
In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, only 0.1% of its more than 200 million people are fully protected. In Kenya, which has a population of 50 million, the ratio is even lower. Uganda has recalled vaccines from rural areas because it hardly has enough drugs to fight the epidemic in big cities.

In the global race to vaccinate people against COVID-19, Africa is unfortunately lagging behind.
In fact, it barely got out of the starting line.
According to the global tracker kept by Johns Hopkins University, South Africa has the strongest economy and the largest coronavirus cases on the African continent, with only 0.8% of the population vaccinated. Hundreds of thousands of health workers in the country are still waiting for vaccinations, and many of them face the virus every day.
In Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, only 0.1% of its more than 200 million people are fully protected. In Kenya, which has a population of 50 million, the ratio is even lower. Uganda has recalled vaccines from rural areas because it hardly has enough drugs to fight the epidemic in big cities.

The Federal Government has inaugurated the Governing Board of the National Senior Citizens Centre, just as the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammad Sa’ad Abubakar III, commissioned a N658 million pilgrimage camp built for Christians and Muslims by the Bauchi State Government.
The National Senior Citizens Centre Act was signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari to cater for the needs of the elderly through the establishment of community-based prototype systems.
During the inauguration yesterday at the Nigerian Army Resource Centre, Abuja, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, announced that the National Policy on Ageing had been approved by the Federal Government to protect the rights of the elderly.
She said: “Ageing is one of the critical issues on the front burner of global discourse. Twelve and half per cent of the global population are 60 years and above. In Nigeria, ageing is a growing challenge against the background of accumulated socio-economic hardships, abject poverty, poor health facilities and lack of access to education over time.
“While taking steps to reduce poverty and ensure inclusiveness of most Nigerians, this administration has recognised the special needs of older persons as active agents of societal development.”
Responding on behalf of the board members, the Chairman, AVM Muhammad Muhammad (rtd), thanked President Muhammadu Buhari and the minister for their support, encouragement and confidence reposed in the members.
In his welcome remarks, the Permanent Secretary in the ministry, Bashir Alkali, promised that the ministry would do everything within its powers to assist the centre to take off successfully.
THE Sultan, while commissioning the pilgrimage camp, called on Nigerians, irrespective of faith, to shun division and hatred. He said: “Understanding one and other is more important than tolerating one and other. If you understand me and I understand you, definitely we can work together freely. But if I tolerate you, it is because I can’t do anything to you and you can’t do anything to me – and we just sit down suspiciously looking at one another.
“From what I understand, here in Bauchi, there is a lot of understanding between the two religions and I pray this will continue. Do not allow Satan to start fostering animosity. There are so many satans in this country, in Nigeria, so many people are doing a lot to dismantle this country.”
Governor Bala Mohammed remarked that the camp was named after the Sultan as a result of liberalism to both religions in the country.
“Our Sultan is someone that fosters inter-religious harmony; that is why we named this camp after him. He is a symbol of unity and harmony,” he said.

Hero MotoCorp, the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, on June 5 has announced its reinvigorated strategy for the Nigeria market. Building on its aggressive strategy to have a robust market presence, the New Delhi (India)-headquartered company also launched a new motorcycle that is developed especially for the Nigerian market.
In the regulatory filing, the diversified Kewalram Chanrai Group is the exclusive distributor of Hero MotoCorp in Nigeria. With its extensive experience in the automotive sector spanning several decades, the Group will play an integral role in Hero MotoCorp’s growth plans in Nigeria.

Hero MotoCorp - along with Kewalram Chanrai Group - is aiming to aggressively grow its presence in Nigeria and cater to the continuous demand for great quality products at affordable prices.

The new strategy underscores Hero MotoCorp’s commitment towards Nigeria and to providing customers with an appealing and comprehensive range of products across the country, the company said.

The Hunter is an ‘Unstoppable Machine’ that offers customers modern technology with the best mileage, longer engine life, and a comfortable long seat. The Hunter is now available across Nigeria, at an attractive introductory price of Naira 2,67,000/-*. *Local prices in separate regions may vary

Sanjay Bhan, Head – Global Business, Hero MotoCorp said, “Nigeria is a key market for us and central to our growth plans in the region. We have developed this motorcycle especially for the Nigerian market showcasing our commitment to the country. Going forward too, we strive to bring our globally renowned products to Nigeria. Along with our partner Kewalram Chanrai Group, we are confident of delighting the customers and driving the market with our world-class products and services.”

The Hunter motorcycle offers the most durable inclined engine with Advance Oil Circulation Technology, Highest Fuel Efficiency, and Triple Air Filtration for longer engine life. With reinforced chassis structure the motorcycles also offer a stronger rear shock absorber, rubber padded gear shift lever with all down gear pattern, comfortable flat thick seat, and a flat rear carrier.

The Hunter also comes with an industry-first 12-month or 75,000 km Engine Warranty. The motorcycle’s engine has been extensively tested for performance in Nigerian conditions. Hero MotoCorp is also planning to have 3S outlets in 20 towns across Nigeria and will have a pan country presence through dealers and parts distributors. In addition, an extensive network of 5000+ trained technicians across Nigeria, will ensure easy access to service and parts for all customers, it added.

Commenting on the launch, Anil Sahgal, Managing Director, Automotive Division, Kewalram Chanrai Group, said, "We are extremely glad to be the exclusive partner of Hero MotoCorp, the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters, in Nigeria. With our expertise in the market and Hero MotoCorp's global excellence, we will provide the best products and services to customers in Nigeria. Our grand event in Ibadan, attended by the country’s top dealers, to launch the Hunter was a huge success. The initial feedback for the Hunter has been exciting. As our bikes travel across the entire country, they will definitely excite the customers. Our aim is to significantly increase our presence in the market this year."

Eva Johannesdottir has gone through six kitchen workers since reopening her restaurant The Cliff last May. Each time, she invested time and money to train them, but they were unable to keep up with the demands of serving busy brunches and take-out orders at the small cafe in Jersey City, New Jersey in the United States.
“The biggest challenge with staying in business right now is to find help,” Johannesdottir told Al Jazeera. “One of the main reasons why I cannot have the business open more than three days a week right now is because I just can’t find workers.”
Her problem is not unique. As capacity limits on restaurants are lifted and Americans indulge their pent-up desire to dine out, many establishments have “help wanted” signs gathering dust in their windows.
Restaurants were among the hardest-hit businesses during the coronavirus pandemic and ended 2020 with around 3.7 million fewer jobs than they started the year with, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.
But as vaccinations have increased and restrictions have lifted, demand for restaurant workers has come roaring back: there were 1.2 million leisure and hospitality job openings in March, but a lot of those jobs aren’t being filled.
Staffing levels remain 14 percent below pre-pandemic levels, the National Restaurant Association found. In an April survey, 84 percent of restaurants said their staffing levels were lower than what they would normally be without COVID-19, with nearly half of them operating with staffing levels more than 20 percent below normal.
Restaurants eager to up their sales after a devastating 2020 find themselves constrained by the lack of workers — and they’re paying the price.
It can cost almost $6,000 to find, screen and train an hourly worker, a study by restaurant platform Toast found, and that’s in an economy when every other restaurant isn’t also looking for servers, bartenders, cooks, dishwashers and front-of-house staff.
The staffing shortage is being driven by a number of factors, experts say, from bottlenecks and workers who can’t find childcare to people switching careers. But one factor, in particular, has become a political lightning rod — the $300 federal weekly top-up to state unemployment benefits, which some argue acts as a disincentive for people to go out and find jobs.
“A lot of people are like, well, I’m going to just enjoy the summer, spend time with family, keep collecting and then go back to work in September,” Johannesdottir said.

The Department of City Planning (DCP) has proposed a text amendment to modify regulations relating to gyms, spas, and licensed massage therapy and other health and fitness facilities defined as Physical Culture or Health Establishments (PCEs). The proposed text amendment will remove the requirement for such facilities to receive a special permit by the Board of Standards and Appeals (BSA).
Rationale for Text Amendment
Over the past several years, City officials have acknowledged that special permit requirements for gyms, spas and massage studios are onerous for small businesses and may reduce the availability of health-related amenities in communities. Recent DCP studies have noted the significant time required to receive a permit — often exceeding six months — and the high costs of going through the special permit process.
Since 2006, PCEs have been permitted as-of-right along commercial streets in certain Special Districts. The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in major disruptions to gyms and fitness facilities. According to DCP, employment in this sector in New York City declined by more than 60% during the pandemic. Elimination of the PCE special permit requirement is intended to help businesses in this sector recover and provide needed health-related amenities to communities across the city.
Proposed Text Amendment
Under the proposed zoning text amendment, gyms and spas would be permitted in all commercial and manufacturing districts. The sole exception would be for larger gyms in C1 districts, where they would be limited to districts authorizing higher densities. Licensed massage therapy would be permitted in all residence districts except R1 and R2 districts, as well as in all commercial and manufacturing districts.
The proposed text amendment would remove the BSA special permit for PCEs (ZR 73-36) and add uses currently subject to this special permit to Use Groups that are permitted as-of-right in certain zoning districts. The proposed action would categorize all facilities dedicated to physical fitness and health, limited to 10,000 square feet in floor area per establishment, as Use Group 6 and Use Group 14. These uses will be permitted as-of-right in all commercial and manufacturing districts. The action would categorize all facilities dedicated to physical fitness and health, with no limitation in floor area per establishment, as Use Group 9. These uses will be permitted as-of-right in C2, C4, C5, C6 and C8 districts; M1, M2 and M3 districts; and high-density C1 districts (C1-8, C1-9 and C1 overlays mapped with R9 or R10 districts).
The proposed action would distinguish between establishments containing higher-intensity uses that have a greater potential to generate noise and those that are likely to have fewer objectionable effects. Higher-intensity uses, such as gyms involving the use of exercise machines and weights, would be subject to additional noise attenuation requirements and enclosure criteria. These uses would be required to be in completely enclosed buildings and would have to verify to the Department of Buildings prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy that the use is designed to comply with the NYC Noise Code. These additional requirements would apply to mixed-use buildings in commercial and MX districts. Other health and fitness uses, such as yoga studios and therapeutic services, would not be subject to these requirements prior to operating, but would also be subject to the NYC Noise Code.
The proposed text amendment would categorize licensed massage therapy as ambulatory health care in Use Group 4A and Use Group 6B (health care office). Thus, licensed massage therapy studios would be treated in the same manner as other health care facilities, including facilities where massage therapy already occurs, such as physical therapy offices and long-term care facilities. Licensed massage therapy studios will be permitted in residence districts other than R1 and R2, as well as all commercial and manufacturing districts.
Existing PCEs
PCEs existing on the date of the adoption of the text amendment that were allowed pursuant to special permit by the BSA may continue under the terms and conditions established at approval and may continue after the expiration of such special permit, provided the PCE is not enlarged, expanded or otherwise changed in a manner that deviates from the special permit approval. As an alternative, existing PCEs may continue pursuant to the applicable provisions in the proposed text amendment, and may enlarge, expand or change the range of activities, in accordance with the district's regulations.

The Senate on Tuesday passed a bill seeking to establish the Modibbo Adama University Teaching Hospital, Yola in Adamawa state.
Also passed was a bill to upgrade the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, to a full-fledged Federal University of Technology.
The passage of both bills followed consideration of two separate reports by the Committees on Health (Secondary and Tertiary); and Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND at plenary on Tuesday.
Chairman of the Committee on Health, Sen. Yahaya Oloriegbe (APC-Kwara) said the bill, when signed into law, would upgrade the Federal Medical Centre, Yola, to a University Teaching Hospital.
According to him, the hospital would ensure the delivery of advanced health care services to the people of Adamawa State and its environs.
He said that the hospital would also contribute to the development of health sciences through research and teaching.
The Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND said the upgrade of the Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro, to a University of Technology would provide access to education among the diverse and multicultural demographics in the country.
Its Chairman, Sen. Babba Kaita (APC-Katsina) represented by Sen. Sadiq Umar (APC- Kwara) said this in his presentation at the plenary.
According to him, the upgrade of the institution would close the gap in technological needs, as well as meet the learning and research needs of prospective students of the host communities and researchers in Nigeria.
Meanwhile, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, at plenary referred President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2018-2020 Federal Government External Borrowing (Rolling) Plan to the Committee on Local and Foreign Debts.
Also referred to the Committee was the President’s request for external borrowing of N2.343 trillion in the 2021 Appropriation Act.
The committee which is chaired by Sen. Clifford Ordia (PDP-Edo) was given four weeks to report back to the Upper Chamber.
At plenary also, Buhari’s request for the confirmation of Mr Kolawole Oladipupo Alabi as Executive Commissioner, Federal Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC), was referred by the Senate President to the Committee on Trade and Investment.
The Committee was also given four weeks to turn in its report.

The pandemic and last summer's protests have heightened Americans' appetite for guns, leading to "an unusual, prolonged buying spree," the New York Times reports.
Driving the news: A week this spring broke the record for federal background checks — 1.2 million, the most since the government started tracking in 1998.
Why it matters: The uptick comes amid a rise in crime and as Washington has reignited the debate around weapons and how to regulate them.
Worth noting: About a fifth of all Americans who bought guns last year were first-time owners, according to new data from Northeastern University and the Harvard Injury Control Research Center.
New owners were less likely than usual to be male and white: Half were women, a fifth were Black and a fifth were Hispanic, The Times reported in its exclusive look at the data.
The pandemic has intensified again, and the number of guns has increased. It feels that the society is getting more and more chaotic. I hope that people will be safer.

Nigeria has agreed to host next month’s African Athletics Championship as a replacement for Algeria, keeping alive an opportunity for many athletes to achieve Olympic qualification.

President Muhammadu Buhari has lamented the loss of military officers, especially at a time the country is facing a serious security crisis, stating that last Friday’s air crash had worsened the nation’s predicament.
Receiving yesterday at the State House, Abuja, a delegation from the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) that were on a condolence visit over the death of Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru and 10 others, the Nigerian leader resolved to work harder in tackling the country’s woes.
He told the team that included NGF Chairman, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Caretaker Committee/Yobe helmsman, Mai Mala Buni and his Niger counterpart, Sani Bello, that only God knew why the incident occurred.
Buhari said: “This is a situation that only God knows when it will happen and it happened at a time when the security situation in the country is a fundamental issue.
“And losing choice officers has increased our problems, but we know what we are in for and we will continue to work harder and pray harder so that God will give us the power to appreciate and apply ourselves to the problems.”
In his remarks, Fayemi commiserated with the current administration over the death of the officers, adding that the incident was deeply felt by Nigerians.
The NGF boss recalled that when the governors requested for change of service chiefs, the President heeded, pointing out that the decision was already being felt.
While stating that the passing was a big blow, Fayemi insisted that the war against insecurity must be won.

“We’ve read your statement and this delegation considered it a duty and as part of our obligations as your representatives to commiserate with you over the loss of these gallant officers.
“We know it is an event that has touched you,” he added.
SIMILARLY, the Saudi monarch and custodian of the two holy mosques, King Salman Bin Abdulaziz, yesterday, called the President to sympathise with him.
He expressed solidarity with Nigeria over the national tragedy.
Buhari and the king exchanged pleasantries on the Eid marked after the 30-day Ramadan fast, praying for peace, security and progress in the two nations and sub-regions.
The conversation by both leaders equally covered the longstanding ties between the two countries and how to deepen them across sectors.
Buhari saluted the monarch for standing with Nigeria at all times.
The President also received a condolence message from the Nigerian-born Secretary-General of the Anglican Communion, Archbishop Josiah Idowu-Fearon, in London.
The cleric prayed for the Nigerian leader and the entire nation.

The United States has administered 277,290,173 doses of COVID-19 vaccines in the country as of Wednesday morning and distributed 349,210,095 doses, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday.
Those figures are up from the 275,535,207 vaccine doses the CDC said had gone into arms by May 18 out of the 346,672,525 doses delivered.

Vaccines must be safe so that people can be injected with peace of mind. Secondly, uneven distribution of vaccines is also a serious problem at present.

(CNN) — The U.S. military has seen a 55% jump in COVID-19 vaccinations among active-duty service members over the past month, a senior defense official told CNN.
The increase comes after the Pentagon opened up vaccinations to the general population on April 19.
Of the approximately 1.4 million active-duty service members, some 500,000 had received their first dose one month ago. Now, about 775,000 troops have received their first dose. The sharp increase in vaccinations was made possible as the military opened vaccinations to all service members, allowing those who weren’t in the high-priority Tier 1 category to become eligible. However, it’s unclear at this point if the surge in vaccinations will continue or if it will plateau.
In its efforts to promote vaccinations, the military has struggled with vaccine hesitancy in a population that is generally young, healthy and sees little incentive to accept a vaccine that is not compulsory. In late-April, the vaccine declination rate for II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune was 67%, even as the declination rate throughout the Marine Corps was 36%.

It has been an interesting 7 days since the last roundup of important developments related to the covid-19. In that time, 242 people were confirmed to be infected with the virus across the country. Currently, there are 165,515 confirmed cases in the country but only 7,085 are currently active.
Lagos still leads the pack with 58,599 cases confirmed to date. The commercial epicentre has 1,170 active cases, also the highest number of active cases in any state. Besides Kogi which refused to acknowledge the virus early enough, Zamfara has the lowest number of infected persons so far with only 244 total cases and only 3 of them active.
Here are the other interesting and important developments you should know of.

Colonial Pipeline began to slowly restart the nation’s largest fuel pipeline network on Wednesday after a ransomware attack shut the line, triggering fuel shortages and panic buying in the southeastern United States.
It will take several days for the 5,500 mile (8,850 km) pipeline to return to normal operations, Colonial said, even as motorists in southeastern states jammed stations seeking fuel. A return to ample supplies could take two weeks, analysts said.
The cyberattack halted 2.5 million barrels per day of shipments of gasoline, diesel and jet fuel last Friday after the most disruptive cyberattack ever on U.S. energy infrastructure.
Sources familiar with Colonial’s response said the company does not plan to pay the ransom demanded by hackers who encrypted data on the pipeline.
Colonial said it was working with cybersecurity experts to investigate the attack and had taken additional security measures before beginning the restart. The company said its control center is handling the restart of the pipeline, which stretches from refineries on the U.S. Gulf Coast to consumers in Mid-Atlantic and Southeast states.
The supply crunch sparked panic buying in the U.S. Southeast, bringing long lines and high prices at gas stations ahead of the peak summer driving season.
Nearly 60% of gas stations in metro Atlanta were without gasoline, tracking firm GasBuddy said. Its survey showed 65% of stations in North Carolina and 43% in Georgia and South Carolina without fuel. Virginia also reported high outages.
“Our top priority right now is getting the fuel to the communities that need it,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg told reporters.
Fuel stocks in the U.S. Northeast will likely hit five-year lows this week as the restart slowly progresses, said S&P Global Platts analyst Richard Joswick. Full recovery "will take a couple of weeks at least," he added.
At a Citgo station in East Atlanta, Charles Williams, 66, a local musician, filled his wife's Mini Cooper after seeing people with large jerry cans loading up.
"I wouldn't say I know they're hoarding, but I don't know if they're helping," he said.
Privately owned Colonial Pipeline opened portions of the line manually in Georgia, Maryland, New Jersey and the Carolinas. It also accepted 2 million barrels of fuel to begin efforts to "substantially" restore operations by week's end, the company has said.
The average national gasoline price rose to above $3.00 a gallon, the highest since October 2014, the American Automobile Association said.
Fuel industry representatives urged consumers to stop panic buying. They noted the country has plenty of gasoline supplies and said hoarding is creating shortages in areas not served by the pipeline.
"Retailers right now have sold several days worth of inventory within a few hours," said Rob Underwood, President of the Energy Marketers of America.
Four southeastern states - Florida, North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia - joined federal regulators in relaxing driver and fuel restrictions to speed deliveries of supplies. Georgia suspended sales tax on gasoline until Saturday.
The FBI has accused a shadowy criminal gang called DarkSide of the ransomware attack. The group, believed to be based in Russia or Eastern Europe, has not directly taken credit, but on Wednesday it claimed to have breached systems at three other companies, including an Illinois tech firm.
Russia’s embassy in the United States rejected speculation that Moscow was behind the attack. On Monday, Biden said there was no evidence so far that Russia was responsible.

ATLANTA. GA (WJBF)- Most non-US citizens can no longer enter the United States because of a new travel ban from India that went into effect today, because of a surge of COVID-19 cases in India.
As cases soared in her home country, Khanjan Gandhi quickly preponed her mother’s flight to Atlanta.
“It was nerve wrecking, everyday I would check are they still flying, are they still flying,” said Gandhi.
For the past few weeks, India has averaged more than 300-thousand new infections daily.
“There’s one thing that the flight is operational, but flying your mom in the middle of a pandemic across multiple cities and stops, it’s just worrying,” said Gandhi.

Nigeria has said the second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines will soon be administered on eligible men and women who received the first shots..
The Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, made this known at the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 briefing, on Monday.
Mr Shuaib said the commencement of the second dose of the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccination in all states of the federation and the FCT has been approved by the PSC.
“Already, the Presidential Steering Committee has approved the commencement of the second dose of the AstraZeneca vaccination in all states of the federation, including FCT,” he said, adding that “In both technical and operational terms, the Committee has been very supportive of the states.”
Mr Shuaib said senior supervisors have been redeployed to monitor activities in the states with daily evening review meetings to determine the status of the COVID-19 vaccine implementation across all the states and the FCT.
“These meetings, as I had mentioned during our last briefing, allow us to receive reports from the sub-national level on how the campaigns are proceeding, what challenges they face, and how we can proactively anticipate and resolve any impending challenges,” Mr Shuaib said.
He said the meetings also provide an avenue to troubleshoot and resolve any operational hurdles as they emerge before they become problematic.
Mr Shuaib appealed to the public to continue to cooperate with vaccinators whom, he noted, are providing an incredibly important service to the nation amid this global crisis.
He said the government would ensure that only safe and efficacious vaccines were supplied for all phases of the vaccination campaign in the country.
“In addition to health workers, frontline workers aged 18 years and above and persons aged 50 years and above are advised to visit any designated vaccination site to receive the vaccine free of charge.
“We also advise that people who have received their first dose should check their vaccination cards for the date of their second dose, and ensure that they receive the second dose to gain full protection against COVID-19,” he said.
He reiterated that the eligibility period between the first and second doses of the vaccine has been expanded from 12 weeks to between six to 12 weeks.
“This is in line with the scientific recommendation provided by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE on immunization),” he said.
Vaccination campaign
Having received 3.94 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccines in March, Nigeria commenced vaccination beginning with healthcare workers.
The country has, so far, received about 4.4 million doses of the vaccine.
The Nigerian government had said it plans to vaccinate 109 million people against the COVID-19 virus over a period of two years.
Health authorities said only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated in four phases.
The current phase of vaccination covers health workers and other frontline workers although Nigerians from other groups are also getting vaccinated.
Mr Shuaib had at a briefing said the inoculation of frontline health workers in some states has been completed, and attention has shifted to older adults, aged 65 and above.
He said; “We have been careful to ensure that only those who are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in the current phase are being vaccinated.“These include health workers and their support staff, other frontline workers, strategic leaders and in the last few days, we have also included those who meet the age requirements.”
He said as of Monday, a total of1,690,719 representing 84 per cent of the eligible persons targeted with the Oxford/Astrazeneca vaccine, have been administered with their first dose in the vaccination phase.

(MENAFN - The Conversation) In current debates about managing and defeating COVID-19 in Nigeria, an issue that's missing is the role that social workers should play.
In many countries social workers have played a central role in efforts to contain the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and to manage its fallout. In for their . The same is true in the , , , and the .
This reflects the fact that running healthcare sectors involves a multidisciplinary approach. It includes professionals cutting across the medical, engineering, behavioural and social sciences.
These various professionals are expected to cover specific areas of competence. This, in turn, should lead to speedier delivery of health services since they will be less distracted with tasks and responsibilities outside their training.
In countries like Nigeria, it's common to find medical doctors and nurses offering extended and supportive health services. These range from counselling to investigating the medical histories of patients, doing home visits, explaining treatment concerns to patients and their caregivers, and monitoring the mental health of patients.
By taking on these supportive health services, medical professionals get burdened and exhausted – and distracted from their main clinical job concerns.
Countries in the global north have, in recent years, increasingly restricted professionals . This has led , and has happened in conjunction with for social workers.
Yet Nigeria has failed to recognise the roles of social workers generally, and more particularly within healthcare.
The government seems to show no understanding of the contributions made by trained social workers. They have even gone as far as by an act of law. Social workers now don''t enjoy the full rights and privileges of a profession as do their legal and medical counterparts.
Social workers are employed in most government-owned hospitals. Yet they seem not to have mustered the same respect and recognition enjoyed by other healthcare professionals.
We conducted a to understand the roles Nigerian social workers played during the earlier months of the COVID-19 pandemic. We engaged 12 health workers. Six were mainstream health workers, and six healthcare social workers.
Our main finding was that, due to government's lack of understanding of the critical role they should play, social workers played a minimal role – or none – in the intervention process against COVID-19 in Nigeria, especially at the front line. On the basis of this, we recommended that social workers should be actively involved because their roles are relevant to complementing the efforts of mainstream health workers.
What social workers bring to the party
Our research showed that there are four areas: health, relationships, nutrition and work.
Health: In India, the UK, the US, and China, social workers were seen constantly engaging the public online and offline with public health education.
This takes stress off the mainstream health workers so they can be concerned more with patients'' clinical care.
In some instances they have also assisted with contact tracing.
Relationships: In some countries health workers are to improve the welfare and safety of health workers and the public. Additionally, they have initiate care for the children of frontline staff, including security agents.
Nutrition: The pandemic has been associated with lockdowns that in turn affected . In , social workers monitored food vouchers to assist vulnerable groups. They drew on their training in equity and community work to ensure that food items were distributed fairly and on time.
Work: The pandemic has put huge strain on people adapting to new work routines. Protection of employees, helping workers and firms cope with difficult challenges, and advancing concerns of the unemployed are social workers could play.
Constraints
The people we spoke to listed a number of factors that got in the way of their ability to make a meaningful contribution.
The first was that health workers only had vague knowledge about social work. To them, social workers should be restricted to helping indigent patients, conducting antenatal classes and helping out with psychiatric cases. Such that when the pandemic broke out some social workers said they were asked to stay at home. If they did come to work, their job functions were auxiliary.
The health workers we spoke to looked stunned when told about the roles social workers were playing in healthcare in some other countries battling COVID-19.
We found gaps in the system that extend beyond attitudes.
The biggest is the fact that some heads of the social work units in the hospitals had never studied social work. They were drawn from disciplines like public administration, education, and even the natural sciences. This is one challenge that comes with lack of professionalisation, as anyone can be employed to do social work jobs without any form of regulation. This remains one of the greatest undoings of the profession in Nigeria.
Next steps
Our research underscores the indispensable roles social workers can play to help countries fight COVID-19. This would result in the maximum concentration of mainstream health workers on clinical functions and speedier victory over the virus.
Nigeria should reconsider its position on the profession and give to it the premium it deserves. We have seen the many of how social workers are benefiting other countries, including some African countries where they enjoy full professional status and are even categorised as essential workers. Confronting challenges in health must be multidisciplinary, and social workers play vital roles.
At the same time, schools of social work training should revise their curricula to address the gaps that relate to the roles of social workers in disease outbreaks and pandemics.

Nigerian authorities on Thursday issued an alert to 28 out of the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory in the country, warning of severe flooding this year.
Minister of Water Resources Suleiman Adamu said at the public presentation of Nigeria's 2021 Annual Flood Outlook in Abuja that the latest flood projections show varying severity across parts of the country.
Adamu said the newly released annual forecast by the Nigeria Hydrological Services Agency shows states close to the major rivers in the country are likely to be worst hit by the impending disaster.
The Federal Capital Territory and Lagos, the nation's commercial hub, are among the states to experience heavy flooding, Adamu said.
The official said some 302 local government areas out of a total of 774 in the country would likely be affected by the floods.
"The states surrounding Rivers Niger and Benue are, without doubt, going to experience severe flooding," Adamu said.
Noting that floods come with attendant health risks through the contamination of potable water sources, the minister said the 2021 flooding will be exacerbated by the continuing ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In this light, Adamu said the government was controlling water flow in streams through the construction of dams, reservoirs and artificial lakes with a view to making it less destructive.

RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) – Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro said on Wednesday that U.S. President Joe Biden will soon send doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to the South American country, which has recorded the world’s second-deadliest coronavirus outbreak.
Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga had previously said Brazil is seeking vaccine supplies from the United States.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has continued to help the Government of Nigeria to accelerate efforts toward HIV/AIDS epidemic control despite the COVID-19 pandemic, through U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
A scientific article recently released titled: Rapid Scale-up of an Antiretroviral Therapy Program Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic- Nine States, Nigeria, March 31, 2019- September 30, 2020, showed that progress was made in the number of those who made themselves available for HIV treatment despite the prevalence of COVID-19.
Also in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), published by the Atlanta-based CDC Headquarters, details were shown of how CDC Nigeria established an Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) Surge program, which accelerated progress toward HIV epidemic control in nine Nigerian states during 18 months.
An analysis of data from the CDC's ART Surge program shows that the number of people living with HIV receiving PEPFAR-supported ART increased by 208,202 in the nine Nigerian states from April 2019 to September 2020. The states are Benue, Delta, Enugu, Gombe, Imo, Lagos, Nasarawa, Rivers, and the Federal Capital Territory.
Through PEPFAR, CDC's ART Surge program resulted in an eight-fold increase in the weekly number of newly identified people with HIV who started treatment. The ART Surge continued despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program included weekly collaborative data reviews to create locally adapted interventions and the use of incident command structures for program flexibility and accountability. Engagement and support from civic and local community leaders helped combat HIV stigma and eliminate other barriers to treatment.According to the lead author of the study, who serves as the CDC Nigeria Acting HIV Program Director, Dr. Emilio Dirlikov, "This is a significant milestone in reaching HIV epidemic control in Nigeria. More people receiving treatment means much lower rates of HIV-related illnesses and deaths.
"Furthermore, HIV transmission is reduced to zero among those people living with HIV who have undetectable viral load."
Dr. Dirlikov recognised the tremendous efforts of the CDC Nigeria implementing partners, healthcare workers in ART clinics across the country, as well as the Government of Nigeria at national and state levels that continued to support the move towards HIV epidemic control in Nigeria.
As of December 2020, CDC, through PEPFAR, provides free HIV treatment for more than 769,000 people living with HIV throughout Nigeria.

WASHINGTON: Senior US officials on Tuesday (Apr 27) pledged sustained support for India in helping it deal with the world's worst current surge of COVID-19 infections, warning the country is still at the "front end" of the crisis and overcoming it will take some time.
The White House's National Security Council coordinator for the Indo-Pacific, Kurt Campbell, told a virtual event on the US assistance that President Joe Biden had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a phone call on Monday: "You let me know what you need and we will do it."
Campbell said at the event, organised by the US-India Business Council and US Chamber of Commerce Foundation, that Washington was committed to helping the world's second most populous country get to grips with the crisis.
"We all have to realise that this is not a challenge that is going to resolve (in) the next several days," he said.
Tackling the crisis, he said, was important not just for the people of India but for the United States, given India's essential role as global provider of vaccines.
India is now the epicentre of the global coronavirus pandemic as a second wave of infections has driven the death toll up to almost 200,000.
On Tuesday, vital medical supplies began to reach the country of 1.35 billion people but hospitals starved of life-saving oxygen and beds still were turning away coronavirus patients.
The United States and other countries pledged urgent medical aid to try to contain the emergency in India.
The US State Department's coordinator for global COVID-19 response, Gayle Smith, added: "We all need to understand that we are still at the front end of this. This hasn't peaked yet.
"So this is going to require determination ... We're going to work really hard for some time, but we're confident we can do it," she said. "We anticipate that at the height of this kind of complex emergency, it's going to be very fluid for a while as things fall into place. We are collectively going to have to be very agile and very nimble."
Jeremy Konyndyk, global COVID-19 adviser for USAID, said the agency was concerned about the situation in countries in the same region as India and wanted to support both India's capacity to get the situation under control and the wider region.
He said the United States was providing some badly needed raw materials to the Serum Institute of India to allow it to scale up the production of the AstraZeneca vaccine there.
Aside from the United States, countries including Britain and Germany have pledged support, while the World Health Organization said it was working to deliver 4,000 oxygen concentrators, calling India's plight "beyond heartbreaking".
Two Indian government sources told Reuters earlier on Tuesday that New Delhi expects to secure the biggest chunk of the 60 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses the United States will share globally.
On Monday, senior US officials said an agreement between the United States and three of its closest Indo-Pacific partners to produce up to a billion coronavirus vaccine doses in India by the end of 2022 to supply other Asian countries were "still on track", despite the current crisis in the country.

The Federal Government will deploy solar power grids to 200 primary health centres (PHC) and 104 Unity Schools in the next 12 months, Minister of Power, Sale Mamman has said yesterday in Abuja.
The programme tagged ‘Energy for All – Mass Rural Electrification’ is expected to be implemented through the Rural Electrification Agency (REA).
Speaking on the programme, Mamman said the plan would be financed by the Federal Government through budgetary allocation.
The programme which is under the National Economic Sustainability Plan (ESP) is to support the country’s economic recovery in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
On the component of the project, Mamman said, solar power mini-grids will be deployed to 200 PHC with the provision of solar-powered street lights to the host communities.
At the 104 unity schools, the government would according to him distribute Solar Home Systems (SHS) while providing solar-powered street lights within the campuses.
Mamman added that upon completion, the programme would enable job creation, improve energy access and help the federal government to attain 30 percent of renewable energy contributing to the power sources by 2030.
The minister added that the REA has been advancing processes with the World Bank financing under the Nigeria Electrification Project (NEP) to close the energy gap in the health sector.
Through this, the Agency would deploy hybrid solar power solutions to 100 secondary and tertiary health facilities which have also served as isolation and treatment centres, he said.

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said 3,678 new clients have received first doses of the free Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines in Nigeria.
The NPHCDA disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Sunday.
The agency said that the additional innoculations brought the total number of vaccinated clients in the country to 1,171,515.
“As of today, April 25, 1,171,515 eligible Nigerians have so far been vaccinated with first dose of the COVID-
19 vaccine.
“COVID-19 vaccine is free to all eligible Nigerians at all designated sites across the country, including the FCT.
“Vaccination cards are also at no cost and are freely given to only those vaccinated at these sites,” it stated.
The agency said that the additional innoculation represented a proportion of 58.2 per cent of the 4.4 million vaccines received in the country.
It said Lagos led the chart with 227,718 persons already vaccinated, followed by Kaduna 60,918, Kano 60,460, FCT 57,368 and Ogun 53,467.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government plans to vaccinate 109 million people against COVID-19 virus in two years.
It reports that only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated in four phases.
”The current phase of vaccination covers health workers and other frontline workers although Nigerians from other groups are also getting vaccinated.
”The innoculation of frontline health workers in some states has been completed, and attention has shifted to older adults, aged 65 and above,” it said.
Meanwhile, the Federal Government has directed the state governors not to exceed the 50 per cent utilisation of the vaccines to allow for a second dose to those who had taken the first dose.
It said the remaining 50 per cent would be administered between 8 weeks and 12 weeks from the date of the first doses.

An additional 9,255 people received their first dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria
on Saturday.
This brings the total number of vaccinated people in the country to 1,167, 837.
“As of today, April 24, 1, 167, 837 eligible Nigerians have so far been vaccinated with first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine,” the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said on Twitter Saturday evening.
According to the data, Lagos, the epicentre of the disease in Nigeria, takes the lead with 226,993 persons already vaccinated.
This is followed by Kaduna with 60,659 persons vaccinated, Kano – 60,258, FCT – 57,190 and Ogun with 53,465vaccinated persons.
Nigeria has recorded over 160,000 infections and 2,061 fatalities from the COVID-19 virus. The country has, however, recorded no death from the virus in the past 12 days.
The Nigerian government had said it plans to vaccinate 109 million people against the COVID-19 virus over a period of two years.
Health authorities said only eligible population from 18 years and above will be vaccinated in four phases.

Nineteen percent of U.S. households could not afford to pay for medical care up front or when they received care in 2017, according to new U.S. Census Bureau data on the burden of medical debt.
The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) in 2018 added a new question about medical debt in the previous year. The survey asked whether respondents had “medical bills [they were] unable to pay in full.”
In August, the Census Bureau released detailed tables on debt for households in 2017, by type of debt and selected characteristics of households that owed money for medical services. The tables show that medical debt was distributed disproportionately across groups based on socioeconomic status, demographic characteristics, and the health status of household members.
This is the first time some of these stats are available. For example, a 2016 survey by the Kaiser Family Foundation includes questions about medical debt but lacks some of the additional information on individuals and households available in the SIPP. Other household surveys of total net worth do not specifically ask about the amount of medical debt.
What is medical debt?
The SIPP shows that in 2017, 19% of U.S. households carried medical debt, defined as medical costs people were unable to pay up front or when they received care. Among households with medical debt, the median amount owed was $2,000, meaning half had more and half had less.
Like other debt, medical debt means that households have less money to spend on other essential items, such as food and housing. People with medical debt, or at risk of accumulating medical debt, may also forgo needed medical care or treatment. Medical debt can also lead to bankruptcy.
Who Has Medical Debt?
Race, ethnicity, age, education, poverty and other characteristics reported in the SIPP are associated with health, social and economic factors that contribute to whether households carry medical debt.
For example, according to the survey, 27.9% of households with a Black householder had medical debt compared to 17.2% of households with a White non-Hispanic householder and 9.7% of households with an Asian householder (Figure 1).
Households with a householder of Hispanic origin were also more likely to hold medical debt (21.7%) than households without (18.6%).
Households most likely to carry medical debt (26.2%) were those in which the highest level of education of any of the members was some college but no degree.
Households where the highest level of education of any member was a bachelor’s or graduate/professional degree were among the least likely to report having medical debt (15.5% and 10.9%, respectively). However, the share of medical debt did not always decrease with years of education.
Households with children under age 18 (24.7%) were more likely than those without children (16.5%) to carry medical debt.
Just over a quarter (25.4%) of households with the youngest child under the age of 5 held medical debt.  This was not statistically different from households in which the youngest child was between the ages of 5 and 9 or between 10 and 18 (24.4% and 24.2%, respectively).
Regionally, 22.1% of households in the South reported having medical debt compared with 15.2% of households in the West and 15.6% in the Northeast. In the Midwest, 20.1% of households reported having medical debt.
There was no difference in the share of households above and below the poverty threshold that reported having medical debt (19% in both groups).
There also appears to be a link between age and medical debt. Households with a younger head of household were more likely to hold medical debt than those with an older head of household, according to the survey.
For all age groups where the householder was under 65 years old, at least 20% of households held medical debt. The share narrowed in households headed by someone over 65, the age of Medicare eligibility, dipping to 15% for those ages 65 to 69 years, 11% for those ages 70 to 74, and 9% for those 75 and older (Figure 2).
Health, Disability and Medical Debt
Differences in health status and hospital stays or having a disability may also contribute to medical debt.
About 31% of households with a member in fair or poor health had medical debt compared to 14.4% of those with no members in fair or poor health (Figure 3).
The share of households with medical debt was almost double for those with any member experiencing a hospital stay (31.3%) than for those with no members with a hospital stay (15.8%).
More than 1 in 4 (26.5%) households with at least one member with a disability had medical debt compared to 14.4% of households with no members with disabilities.
Health Coverage
The survey shows health insurance may protect individuals and households from high medical costs. Indeed, 16.2% of households with health insurance coverage for all members all year (fully insured) had medical debt compared to 30.8% of those that were not fully insured.
Households that did not have full health insurance coverage for the entire year had a median medical debt of $3,000, as opposed to $2,000 for households with full insurance coverage.
These estimates indicate that while fully insured households held less medical debt, they may still struggle to afford health care.
High Medical Debt
We define high medical debt burden as debt that exceeds 20% of a household’s annual income.
Although just 4% of all households reported high medical debt burden, health and economic factors can also contribute to which households carry a high burden of medical debt.
11.3% of households in poverty reported high medical debt burden compared to just 3% of households with incomes above the poverty threshold.
Households that had trouble paying their rent or mortgage also appeared to have trouble paying medical bills and were more likely to carry a high medical debt burden relative to other households (12.4% versus 3.5%).
A household’s net worth also seems to play a role in determining high medical debt.
Fourteen percent of households with zero or negative net worth had a high medical debt burden. In contrast, households with a net worth of $250,000 to $499,999 and $500,000 or above were among the least likely to have a high medical debt burden (1.5% and 0.7%, respectively).
Lack of health insurance is also key. The survey shows that 8.5% of households not fully insured reported high medical debt burden compared with 2.9% of households that were fully insured.
Not surprisingly, households with members in fair or poor health were also more likely to suffer high medical debt burden (9.4%) than their healthier counterparts (2%), as the medical care costs of those in worse health may be higher.

TACOMA, Washington — In March 2021, the Biden administration announced its intention to donate millions of AstraZeneca vaccine doses to its North American neighbors, a crucial step in what is being termed “vaccine diplomacy.” Under this plan, the United States would lend 2.5 million doses to Mexico and 1.5 million to Canada, out of its current stockpile of seven million AstraZeneca vaccines. The ambitious plan will aid these countries in meeting their vaccination goals, allowing for a greater degree of protection across the continent and increasing the likelihood of curbing transmission of COVID-19. The United States’ first steps toward vaccine diplomacy are crucial for ending the pandemic worldwide and encouraging greater global cooperation for vaccine aid.
Four Million Doses to Mexico and Canada
Vaccine diplomacy has practical as well as diplomatic motives. To ensure the global public’s protection, greater access to vaccines will accelerate the end of the pandemic. While the United States has fully vaccinated more than 12% of its population as of mid-March 2021, Canada has vaccinated 1.7% of its population and Mexico has vaccinated 0.5%. Widespread vaccination is needed to prevent the spread of the virus worldwide, contingent on wealthier countries’ willingness to make vaccine doses affordable and available to other nations.
The choice of the AstraZeneca vaccine is also grounded in regulatory restrictions. Although Canada, Mexico and dozens of other nations have approved the AstraZeneca vaccine, it hasn’t yet received emergency authorization in the United States. With the stockpile of doses sitting unused, the U.S. plans to donate the supply. Still, the U.S. wants repayments by AstraZeneca later in the year. Under the agreement, Canada and Mexico must return any leftover doses to the United States. Since the U.S. acquired a greater stockpile of vaccines than needed to inoculate the entire country, other nations have requested additional doses.
Support for Biden’s Decision
This decision received praise as it avoided wasting unused vaccine doses and curbed the spread of variants globally. “It doesn’t make sense for the U.S. to sit on excess supply of vaccines for the future and watch them go out of date while the virus continues to spread unchecked in other countries and more people continue to die – this is a great opportunity for the U.S. to lead the way and accelerate global access to COVID vaccines now,” said Carolyn Reynolds, the co-founder of the Pandemic Action Network. Increasing vaccination rates to stop more highly transmissible COVID-19 variants is especially critical to ending the pandemic.
The United States’ Vaccine Diplomacy Engagements
The Biden administration announced in January that it would contribute $4 billion to COVAX, the global organization working to acquire and distribute vaccines to the world’s lowest-income nations, with a goal of vaccinating at least 20% of the population. But critics have also urged the U.S. to donate its surplus vaccine doses after the immunization of all U.S. citizens. “If we have a surplus, we’re going to share it with the rest of the world,” Biden noted in a speech on vaccine diplomacy earlier this month. China and Russia have already announced plans to offer extra doses of their homegrown vaccines to lower-income countries.
Biden has also met with leaders from Japan, India and Australia to discuss the possibility of donating one billion vaccine doses to Asian countries. The leaders recently signed an agreement that calls on the U.S. International Development Finance Corp., which supports projects in poorer countries. It will help an Indian pharmaceutical company called Biological E. produce one billion vaccine doses by the end of 2022. Johnson & Johnson, Novavax and AstraZeneca have also partnered with several Indian manufacturers over the past year to display global vaccine cooperation.
Health officials have noted that vaccine diplomacy is a powerful way to increase international goodwill and foster connections with allies and lower-income nations. By following in the footsteps of China and Russia, the United States can adopt a strategy of vaccine diplomacy that will boost its reputation abroad and curb the path of the pandemic, ensuring protection for the global public.