₦airaland Forum

(Reuters) - The United States had administered 187,047,131 doses of COVID-19 vaccines and distributed 237,796,105 doses as of Sunday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.
Those figures are up from the 183,467,709 doses the CDC said had been administered by April 10, out of 237,791,735 doses delivered.
The agency said 119,242,902 people had received at least one dose, while 72,630,892 people had been fully vaccinated as of Sunday.
The CDC tally includes the two-dose Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines as well as Johnson & Johnson's one-shot vaccine as of 6 a.m. EDT on Sunday.
A total of 7,766,002 vaccine doses have been administered in U.S. long-term care facilities, the agency said.

Leaders from the FDA and CDC announced in a press call that the Johnson & Johnson recommendation is being made “out of an abundance of caution” after learning of six cases of “a rare and severe type of blood clot” after vaccination.

America’s prisons, jails and detention centers have been among the nation’s most dangerous places during the pandemic. Over the past year, more than 1,400 new inmate infections and seven deaths, on average, have been reported inside those facilities each day.
The cramped, often unsanitary settings have been ideal for incubating and transmitting disease. Social distancing is not an option. Testing was not a priority inside prisons early in the pandemic.
Since March 2020, The New York Times has tracked every known coronavirus case in every correctional setting in the United States. More than 2,700 inmates have died.
A year later, reporters found that one in three inmates in state prisons are known to have had the virus. In federal facilities, at least 39 percent of prisoners are known to have been infected. The true count is most likely higher because of a dearth of testing, but the findings align with reports from The Marshall Project, The Associated Press, U.C.L.A. Law and The Covid Prison Project that track Covid-19 in prisons.
The virus has killed prisoners at higher rates than the general population, the data shows, and at least 2,700 people have died in custody, where access to quality health care is poor.
The deaths, and many of the more than 525,000 reported infections so far among the incarcerated, could have been prevented, public health and criminal justice experts say.
Prison officials around the country have acknowledged that their early approach was muddled. The novelty of the virus, some said, made early decisive action nearly impossible because so little was known about how it spread. In some states, the disorganized response lasted well into the pandemic.
In addition to inmates, more than 138,000 prison and jail correctional officers were sickened, and 261 died, according to the Times data.
There were many reasons for the rapid spread of the virus, but several common problems drove outbreaks at every type of detention center. The challenges are still steep, and infections among the incarcerated continue to climb.
In recent weeks, more contagious virus variants have appeared in prisons in Colorado, Michigan and elsewhere. Public health officials say the presence of variants in prisons is likely to be more widespread than known because most facilities do not regularly screen for them.
Most states have announced plans to vaccinate prisoners, but many inmates and correctional officers have been reluctant to get the shots, according to state prison systems and jails.
These factors have left the likelihood of eliminating future outbreaks uncertain, public health experts say, even after much of the nation is vaccinated.
“It’s inevitable once that new strain gets here, it’s going to spread like wildfire,” James Moore, an inmate at G. Robert Cotton Correctional Facility in Michigan, wrote in an email last month. “It’s inevitable. So we’re basically just sitting back and biding our time until we get sick.”

SAVANNAH, Ga. (WTOC) - The CDC says the UK variant of COVID-19 is now the most common strain of the virus in the United States.
This has several asking questions about its rate of infection and severity along with how effective our vaccines are.
Memorial Health Associate Chief Medical Officer Dr. Stephen Thacker says locally we do not have the ability to pick up on specific sequencing of the virus, but state data shows there are four types of COVID-19 circulating in the peach state. While all cause concern, the most common variant is the UK strain.
“I think everyone should look at these variants as the threat that we know is there,” Dr. Thacker said.
As vaccine efforts continue, the concern about COVID-19 variants is growing as the CDC announced the UK variant also known as B1.1.7 is most commonly circulating strain in the U.S. Dr. Thacker says in the last month, we’ve learned more about it.
“While initially we were hoping that the UK variant would not pose any enhanced risk to us we’re finding that it does indeed spread from person-to-person a little bit easier so it’s easier for infection to spread and there’s some suggestion that those that are infected can have more severe symptoms and outcomes because of that and then the same thing may hold true for the Brazil variant as well as the South African variant,” Dr. Thacker said.
As these variants become more common not only in the US, but Georgia too, some wonder how our vaccine protects against them.
“The answer there is going to be variant dependent and vaccine dependent so each one of these vaccines sort of instructed your body on how to make a protective antibody in a slightly different way, but the outcome was still the same and I’d remind everyone that the thing that we all want for ourselves is to not get sick and end up in the hospital and not die from this virus and so thankfully all of the vaccines that are on the market currently do that very, very well even with these variants,” Dr. Thacker said.
Dr. Thacker says when you hear about reduced effectiveness of the vaccines against variants it is important to keep in mind that right now the vaccine is how we stop the further mutation of the virus.
“The way we stop talking about these variants is we get enough people in our community vaccinated so that we have herd immunity which is around 75% of our community because it’s that spread from person-to-person that creates that risk of creating a new variant that is more harmful to us so when we break that chain of person to person spread by being vaccinated and even if it’s slightly less effective we’ll help break that chain, we don’t have as many variants that we have to worry about,” Dr. Thacker said.
Dr. Thacker says in addition to the vaccine, these variants bring home the point we need to continue up with public health guidance or our return to “normal” could be altered. He also says there are variant targeted boosters actively being studied and expects those to be a part of our strategy against COVID moving forward.

Earlier in the day, the state Commissioner for Health, Bashir Bello, had earlier told BBC Yoruba that the state doctors had not ruled out the possibility of appointment.
Bello said the doctors had asked the Oyo state government to do everything for them and this had led to a long relationship between them.
As a result, he explained, the doctors did not join their struggling colleagues in Nigeria.
According to him, "the health system is very important to this government and as a result, no doctors have resigned in Oyo State and fewer working patients are being treated in government hospitals."
"During this corona pandemic, the Oyo State governor allocated a large sum of money to the UCH hospital, which highlighted the benefits people were receiving from the government, hence they had no reason to resign."
But Dr Zakariau Temitope Hussein was wrongly accused of being anti-government by the government when BBC Yoruba contacted the president of the Union of Doctors at the UCH Ibadan Federal Hospital.
Hussein said that although some other doctors were still working, they had been appointed as colleagues across Nigeria.
"Our local doctors have resigned, but there are still some so-called 'consultants' in the hospital," he said.
Hussein added: "Our members at the UCH and LAUTECH hospitals have resigned and I don't know what the health system commissioner is talking about."
Doctors' unions have staged protests across Nigeria after accusing the federal government of violating their rights.
They also asked the government to provide some benefits during the Covid-19 epidemic, but the government refused to comply with their demands.

An indefinite strike by doctors on Thursday paralyzed medical services at public hospitals in Nigeria, leaving hundreds of patients unattended.
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD), an association of Nigerian resident medics, last week gave the federal government an ultimatum to improve the wages and allowances of doctors to avert the indefinite strike.
Uyilawa Okhuaihesuyi, the head of the association, on Wednesday said the medics would go on strike if their demands are not met.
“The National Executive Council (NEC) has unanimously agreed that NARD should proceed on a total and indefinite strike on April 1, 2021,” he announced after a meeting of the association.
He said the doctors' demands include settlement of salary arrears, review of hazard allowance to 50%, and payment of death-in-service insurance for all health workers who died from COVID-19 while on duty.
Scores of patients said the strike could aggravate their pains and health conditions as medics stopped working on Thursday.
“I was scheduled to see the doctor today at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) after undergoing a series of tests. I am afraid my condition could worsen with the strike,” Bello Adewale, a patient, told Anadolu Agency in Lagos, Nigeria’s commercial capital.
Patients at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) and Federal Medical Center, Gombe in Nigeria’s northeast, said they were not attended by the striking doctors.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Olorunnimbe Mamora told journalists in the capital Abuja the federal government has released about $53 million for death-in-service insurance to health workers.

A coalition of women professionals and faith-based associations under the PACFaH@Scale project, called Women In PAS, have expressed concern over the disruption of essential health services for women and children as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.
Briefing newsmen Monday in Abuja, the coalition said the disruption is causing serious impact on family and child health in the country.
National President of the Medical Women's Association of Nigeria, and the Project Director, MWAN-PAS, Dr Minnie Oseji, who spoke on behalf of the coalition cited routine immunization, access to family planning services and other essential services as suffering due to multiple challenges, thereby making women and children to suffer.
The coalition said primary health care centres all over the country were unable to provide full immunization services, and that women have been finding it harder to access family planning services.
The women group added that training scheduled by state governments for Community Health Extension Workers (Chews) on new treatment protocols for childhood killer diseases have also been put on hold due to the COVID-19.
The coalition also raised concern over poor reproductive health funding, saying it had led to failure of the country to record any meaningful change in family and child health because of poor funding and poor releases of the meagre funding allocated.
"Since 2020 we have been asking, where is the 75% cut to the 2019 family planning budget which was reallocated in the 2021 budget and why has it not been released? Why are these funds still stuck in the Service Wide Vote?
"Should the Service Wide Vote not serve the needs of the women of the nation? Since the Nigeria National Strategic Plan II prioritizes reproductive health as a primary and strategic component of essential health services, is it not essential and strategic to fund the family planning needs of the women of Nigeria?," the coalition asked.

Doctors and medical practitioners have raised concerns over the current deviation from what they describe as the original COVID-19 vaccination plan designed after the arrival of about 4 million Astrazeneca vaccine into Nigeria.
They expressed their dissatisfaction during a webinar, organized by Yiaga Africa to look at emerging issues and challenges in the cause of vaccine distribution, and to proffer solutions.
The chairman of Nigeria Medical Association’s National Committee on Infectious Diseases, Dr Sanusi Muhammed, said the initial plan of vaccinating health workers, frontline workers, those with higher morbidity and mortality rate is not being followed at the ongoing vaccination of citizens across the country.
According to Sanusi, the idea of vaccinating frontline health workers is because they are at higher risks due to constant contacts with patients.
According to him, they have to be protected first, so that they can be confident to provide health care and services.
“We need to stick to the vaccination plan so that even if the vaccine doesn’t go round, those with higher risk, elderly and those with high morbidity and mortality are prevented from getting infected and that will reduce the burden of the disease and mortality,” Mohammed said.
On the issue of misinformation and misconception raised in the policy brief released by Yiaga Africa, Sanusi said, the misconception about COVID-19 vaccine is not only in Nigeria but all over the world with many countries stopping the vaccine based on rumors and non-scientific basis.
However, he said many countries have since backtracked on their earlier decision to suspend the process as they are now coming to join the bandwagon with over 50 million people being vaccinated across the world so far.
He called for a review of Nigeria’s health indices and the need for the government to declare a state of emergency in not just the security but the health sector, saying COVID-19 exposed health systems across the world.
“A lot of things have to be put in place. Issue of brain drain, issue of remuneration of health workers, Nigeria is one of the countries paying the least,” Mohammed said.
“Nigeria is paying less than 10 Dollars (5, 000 Naira) as health hazard allowances. This has been the case with previous diseases like Ebola, and Lassa fever, but COVID-19 has exposed this issue even more and shows that we need to do more in terms of manpower, infrastructure and also the basic lifesaving.”
He urged the National Assembly to speed up the passage of the Infectious Diseases Bill, explaining that the legislation will enhance control over what is happening in the country.
“You cannot allow political office holders to make ill-informed decisions with the lives of the people or masses of a state or Local Government Areas (LGAs) because of federalism or because he has the power to do so,” he said.
Echoing similar concerns was Dr. Henry Ewunonu, a medical health advocate and former national chairman of Nigeria Medical Association’s (NMA) Health Advocacy Committee.
Ewunonu revealed that he had seen citizens who are neither health workers nor elderly, receiving the COVID-19 vaccine during the first week of vaccination.
He urged the government to be transparent and accountable in a bid to increase private sector support adding: “Nigeria must not give the private sector reasons to back out or doubt if whatever they are doing is being appreciated”.
He decried the fact that he is yet to see a legislation, executive order or policy, prohibiting sharp practices in the course of administering COVID-19 vaccine to the population.
He called for a strict punishment to any indiscipline personnel even as he recalls a reported sharp practice at the Falomo Police clinic in Lagos.
In her remark, the Director of Programmes, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu said the conversation was important to ensure that the whole process of vaccination is guided by certain principles and every aspect of society is catered for.
According to Mbamalu, in the implementation of vaccination plan in Nigeria, the country needed to deploy effective monitoring and evaluation systems that will help document how well it has done, document the learning and how it could improve on the system.
She said, “beyond just the vaccination, there is a need to look at how to strengthen the health sector in Nigeria”.
In his presentation of Yiaga Africa policy brief on COVID-19 vaccine management in Nigeria, Yiaga Africa’s Director of Center of Legislative Engagement, Dr Ernest Ereke who stated that the invention of vaccine is a pivotal moment in the global battle against the covid-19 pandemic worried about growing concerns that there is global challenge in the access to the vaccine.
He said the inequitable distribution of vaccines globally, accentuates the divide between the global north and global south saying this will weaken and hamper the fight against the global pandemic because the world is more linked together like never before.

Nigeria and 8 other African countries have taken delivery of the first set of the Covid-19 vaccine doses donated by telecoms giant, the MTN Group.
This follows the receipt of the first 723,000 out of the 7 million Covid-19 vaccine doses given by the South African firm, MTN to Ghana, Gambia, Liberia, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Senegal, Mauritius and Togo.
This disclosure was made by the Director, Africa Centre for Disease Control (CDC), the African Union’s disease control body, John Nkengasong, at a news conference.
He also stated that several other countries, including South Sudan and Malawi, are due to receive doses in the coming days.
This is also coming after several African countries had rolled out and started vaccinating its citizens with vaccine doses provided by the WHO backed COVAX initiative.

After several months of being shutdown, Enugu, Port Harcourt and Kano airports will soon be opened for international flights.
Aviation Minister, Hadi Sirika disclosed this at the weekly media briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 on Monday.
The affected airports are the Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport in Kano State, the Akanu Ibiam International Airport in Enugu State, and the Port Harcourt International Airport in Rivers State.

Sirika said a technical working group comprising relevant agencies involved in the facilitation of passengers had been set up to ensure that all standards required for seamless operations at the airports earmarked for the resumption of international flights were in place.
He noted that members of the task force will be visiting the airports for simulation exercises to ascertain their readiness for international operations.
The minister also announced the resumption of catering services suspended at the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said these services will resume on domestic flights immediately.
Sirika said the decision was taken in consideration of the businesses involved in the provision of of in-flight refreshments who have been adversely affected by the suspension.
He, however, said that modalities and protocols for the resumption of the services would be worked and rolled out by the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) which will be in line with international practices.

The suspension of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccines in some countries following reports of cases of blood clots and other side effects may increase hesitancy to accept a COVID-19 vaccine.
Already, there are also fears that the development could erode public trust in the vaccines and hamper efforts to achieve herd immunity.
Meanwhile, with the European Medicines Agency, EMA, investigation showing the vaccine was safe, last Thursday, medical experts in Nigeria say there was no need to discontinue the vaccination.
According to them, only vaccines can help the country achieve herd immunity.
A host of European countries had put all vaccinations with Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on hold.
These countries include Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Ireland.
Others, such as DRC Congo, Estonia and Austria, also suspended vaccinations.
Most of the countries claimed their action was due to cases of blood-clotting conditions among those who had received the vaccine.
AstraZeneca react
But the Oxford/AstraZeneca, in a statement, stated that after a careful review of data from the 17 million people vaccinated in the E.U. and U.K. with its shot, there was no evidence of an increased risk of pulmonary embolism, deep vein thrombosis (DVT) or thrombocytopenia, in any defined age group, gender and batch or in any particular country.
They noted that among the millions vaccinated in the E.U. and U.K., just 15 have developed DVT or blood clots in the blood vessels, and 22 have developed clots in the lungs that originated elsewhere and travelled to pulmonary arteries.
The manufacturers insisted that these are insignificant compared to the number of cases expected to occur naturally in that population.
Confirming their argument, EMA concluded it was safe and effective.
The EMA had reviewed the jab after 13 EU states suspended use of the vaccine over fears of a link to blood clots. According to them, the jab was not associated with a higher risk of clots. Following this development, the EU's leading states are to restart their roll-out of the Oxford-AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine.
Germany, France, Italy and Spain said they would resume using the jab while Sweden said it needed a few days to decide.
Speaking to Sunday Vanguard, the National President of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists of Nigeria, Prof James Damen, said the Nigerian government should go ahead with the vaccination exercise as there is no scientific evidence to disapprove its usage.
"I believe Nigeria should continue with the AstraZeneca vaccine because there is not yet any scientific basis for us to discontinue its usage", Damen said.
"The problem encountered by some countries was associated with a particular batch which is different with the one we are using."
Expressing concerns that there might be some level of vaccine hesitancy amongst the Nigerian populace, he said it is important for relevant government agencies to strategically engage professional healthcare associations continually to encourage uptake of vaccines by citizens.
The professor, who pointed out that vaccine was produced to save lives and not dangerous, added that although it was true that some persons had been complaining of side effects, the percentage was insignificant.
"Again, we should know that for every injectable vaccine, there is sometimes what we call Adverse Effects Following Immunization, AEFI; that of Covid-19 vaccine is not different, but, as always, there are trained health personnel administering the vaccine and they know how to manage any reported AEFI.
"I might not have much to say about other countries, but for Nigeria, I will encourage relevant government agencies and partners to continue to provide direction and collaboration with all stakeholders to ensure that more Nigerians are vaccinated with the right vaccine", he said.
"My recommendation is that we should continue to have a multi-sectoral approach which the PTF has been doing for a long time; again we should continually dialogue with stakeholders and citizens to still observe the NPIs. It is our collective duty to contain the spread of this virus, let us not leave it for any singular person."
He called on the Federal Government to set up a surveillance team to monitor those who have received the vaccines for some time by conducting a baseline of prospective recipients, administer the vaccines and follow them up.
"I strongly believe that we can develop our infrastructure and facilities because we have experienced Medical Laboratory Scientists who can produce these vaccines in the country. Let's believe in our professionals."
In his submission, a Public Health Analyst, Dr Casmier Ifeanyi, who noted that while it was not enough to stop vaccination based on reports of adverse effects from other countries of the world, said there was a need for strict monitoring of Nigerians who have received the vaccines.
Ifeanyi said the National Agency for Food Administration and Control, NAFDAC, Pharmacovigilance Unit should be taken to task on reports of adverse reaction to the vaccine.
The renowned Medical Laboratory Scientist said the fact that there have been adverse reactions in some countries using the vaccine may not occur in Nigeria.
"We do know that this is a prophylactic vaccine and we also do know that this prophylactic vaccine being rolled out like every other vaccine will have some varying degrees of adverse reactions even in terms of severity", he stated. "Basically, the judgment to discontinue use should be based after carrying out a risk analysis.
"In this case of AstraZeneca vaccine, a lot of scientific opinions including that of WHO favoured continuing use of the vaccine because the benefit outweighed the risks.
"However, it is always better to err on the side of caution. Lagos State government has already vaccinated well over 12,000 residents; we should have experiences of this population.
"It may not be an exact number of our population but it is a reasonable sample size for us to draw an inference and make a scientific decision.
"At this point, the Pharmacovigilance Unit of NAFDAC should tell Nigerians, with a little above 20,000 vaccinated so far, the varying degree of adverse reaction. Let us know if we have them or not.
"By and large, the use of vaccine comes with some level of risk and, based on all available scientific evidence, the benefits of the use of AstraZeneca vaccine outweigh the risk reported so far.
"What we need to do is not just to say continue with the vaccine but it may be necessary to check other components of the vaccine to find out if there are elements or other components of the vaccines that people are reacting to."
He appealed Nigerians who have taken the vaccines to share their experiences openly.
"I would want the Nigeria government to look inward, and devote more resources to one of the vaccine candidates from Africa as an alternative as well as support it through clinical trial", Ifeanyi said.
He added that there was no need to stop vaccination because of the adverse reaction coming from the western world.


The side effects of the vaccine are worrying. Looking forward to an early resolution.

Spending on U.S. business travel in 2020 totaled $103.2 billion, down 70 percent year over year, according to a new Tourism Economics analysis released Wednesday by the U.S. Travel Association. The devastation wreaked on the travel industry by the Covid-19 pandemic shows the continuing need for U.S. federal government aid to suppliers, according to the association. 
Total U.S. travel spending in 2020, including inbound international travel, dipped 42 percent year over year to $680.3 billion, according to U.S. Travel, and 3 million jobs directly supported by the travel industry were lost last year, a 34 percent decline. 
While the U.S. has ramped up Covid-19 vaccinations and several U.S. carriers have reported an uptick in leisure sales in March, "it is still unclear when travel demand will be able to fully rebound on its own," said U.S. Travel president and CEO Roger Dow said in a statement. "With the travel industry suffering such a disproportionate share of losses, policymakers need to understand that a nationwide economic recovery effectively hinges on a travel recovery."
To that end, U.S. Travel said hundreds of travel industry representatives held virtual meetings with members of Congress as part of the group's "Destination Capitol Hill" event to lobby for more aid and additional legislation to help stabilize the industry and spark recovery.
Specifically, U.S. Travel is pushing for an extension of the deadline for applications for the Paycheck Protection Program from March 31 to May 31, with an additional 30 days after that for the U.S. Small Business Administration to process those applications. "The PPP is set to expire in just two weeks, yet the economic effects of the pandemic will continue to harm the industry far beyond that point," said U.S. Travel executive vice president of public affairs and policy Tori Emerson Barnes in a statement.
The group also is calling for passage of the Hospitality and Commerce Job Recovery Act, introduced in Congress Feb. 25, which among other offerings would provide a tax credit for the cost of hosting a business meeting.

The number of people flying in the United States has eclipsed the year-ago level for the first time in the pandemic period, although travel remains deeply depressed from 2019.
The Transportation Security Administration said 1.34 million people passed through U.S. airport checkpoints on Sunday, topping the 1.26 million people that TSA screened on the comparable Sunday a year ago.
It marked the fourth straight day that TSA saw more than 1 million people pass through its checkpoints — Friday was a new peak, nearly 1.36 million. The seven-day moving average of TSA traffic hit its highest level since March 2020, when travel was collapsing as COVID-19 spread rapidly.
However, Sunday’s screenings were still 45% lower than on the comparable day in 2019, and screenings in March are running 53% lower than the same period two years ago.
Several airlines report that after dismal sales in January and February, more people have bought tickets to travel in spring or summer as infection rates decline and more people get vaccinated against COVID-19 — about 70 million Americans have received at least one dose and 37 million have completed their vaccination, according to government figures.
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said Monday that bookings began picking up five or six weeks ago.
Since the pandemic hit, air travel has picked up a few times — mostly around holidays — only to drop back down. This time, the recovery “seems like it’s real,” Bastian said on a J.P. Morgan investor conference.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said his airline will generate “core” cash instead of burning cash for March, and he expects the positive trend to continue in the months ahead.
Southwest Airlines said revenue for March and April will be better than expected as passenger traffic and fares rise. The airline said people are booking leisure trips to beach and mountain destinations but business travel is still lagging.
Airline stocks rose in late-morning trading. United and American Airlines rose about 9%, Delta gained more than 4% and Southwest Airlines added 1%.

The arrival of the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine to Nigeria has been a source of joy to many; especially those who watched President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on National Television take their first shots.
The public demonstration of receiving the vaccine was meant not only to create awareness but also remove doubts and fears in the minds of people who still do not believe in the existence of the virus.
This is because there has been a conspiracy theory making the rounds that the vaccine is dangerous for humans.
The theory also claimed that the vaccine is to sterilise humanity to reduce the population of the world.
Nigeria received 3.94 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine on March ----2, 2021, to be given freely to people who are willing to take it.
It is part of the 16 million doses to be delivered to Nigeria in the next few weeks.
Nigeria was the third African country after Ghana and Ivory Coast to receive the vaccine, made possible through a global COVID-19 Vaccine Access Programme.
With the arrival of the vaccine therefore, government, health practitioners and experts need to step up enlightenment to educate the public about the need for them to get inoculated.
There is the need to educate the public that the vaccine is safe, can boost one’s immunity and can protect against severe consequences.
Dr Peter Akumba, a health practitioner, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that “we need to create awareness on the efficacy of the vaccine to defeat sceptics.
“There should be no politics around it, states should effectively take charge of the distribution and preservation of their share of the vaccine and create facility for it.”
Akumba further noted that the Federal Government got this right “and we need to commend all the health agencies and the COVID-19 committees.
“The Federal Government right from the beginning took the bull by the horn, seeing the pandemic as a preventable war. A war on the human race, a war of survival from the global village with a global pandemic, threatening to wipe us all away.”
Dr Obinna Aduba, another Medical Practitioner and a specialist in disease control, decried the attitude of some Nigerians toward the vaccine.
He said “this is no time to play politics with such a global pandemic that has wiped out over two million people with over 500,000 from United States alone, and the fear of second and third outbreak being predicted.”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the priority is to start vaccinating health workers at high risk of exposure, followed by older adults, before immunising the rest.
On people with allergies, especially people with history of severe allergic reaction to any component of the vaccine, they are advised not to take it.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women are at higher risk of severe COVID-19 than non-pregnant women, and COVID-19 has been associated with increased risk of pre-term birth.
However due to insufficient data, WHO did not recommend the vaccination of pregnant women at this time.
In case a pregnant woman has an unavoidable risk of high exposure (e.g. a health worker), vaccination may be considered in discussion with their healthcare provider.
If a breastfeeding woman is part of a group (e.g. health workers) recommended for vaccination, vaccination can be offered. WHO did not recommend discontinuing breastfeeding after vaccination.
On children, WHO did not recommend vaccination below 16 years of age, even if they belong to a high-risk group.
On people with known medical conditions, the WHO says the vaccine has been found to be safe and effective in people with various conditions that are associated with increased risk of severe disease.
This includes hypertension, diabetes, asthma, pulmonary, liver or kidney disease, as well as chronic infections that are stable and controlled.
However, the WHO says, further studies are required for the impacts on immune-compromised persons.


The most difficult time has passed. We now have a vaccine, and the virus will no longer affect us.

The Maryland-based biotech company Novavax reported Thursday that its experimental Covid-19 vaccine is more than 96 percent effective in preventing mild and severe illness.
The results are from the company's Phase 3 clinical trial, which was conducted in the U.K. Novavax's trials in the U.S. and South Africa continue, and the company cannot apply for emergency use authorization in the U.S. until the American trials are complete.
"We are very encouraged by the data," Stanley Erck, Novavax's president and CEO, said in a statement.
The U.K. trial included more than 15,000 adults. More than a quarter were 65 or older, an age group that is generally considered to be at higher risk for complications of Covid-19.
The two-dose vaccine was found to be more than 96 percent effective against earlier strains of the virus circulating in the U.K., putting it on par with vaccines already in use from Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech.
Effectiveness was slightly lower — around 86 percent — against the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant, which was first identified in the U.K. The variant has already been detected in nearly half of U.S. states, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has predicted that it will be the predominant variant by the end of the month.
The Novavax vaccine was also 100 percent effective against the most severe forms Covid-19, regardless of the variant — much like the other vaccines in use in the U.S.
The Biden administration has promised enough vaccine for all eligible Americans by the end of May. The goal is expected to be met with vaccines that are already available, from Moderna, Pfizer-BioNTech and Johnson & Johnson.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Roughly 4 in 10 Americans say they’re still feeling the financial impact of the loss of a job or income within their household as the economic recovery remains uneven one year into the coronavirus pandemic.
A new poll by The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research provides further evidence that the pandemic has been devastating for some Americans, while leaving others virtually unscathed or even in better shape, at least when it comes to their finances. The outcome often depended on the type of job a person had and their income level before the pandemic.
The pandemic has particularly hurt Black and Latino households, as well as younger Americans, some of whom are now going through the second major economic crisis of their adult lives.
“I just felt like we were already in a harder position, so (the pandemic) kind of threw us even more under the dirt,” said Kennard Taylor, a 20-year-old Black college student at Jackson College. Taylor lost his job as a server in the campus cafeteria in the first weeks of the pandemic and struggled to make rent and car payments while continuing his studies. He had to move back in with his family.
The poll shows that about half of Americans say they have experienced at least one form of household income loss during the pandemic, including 25% who have experienced a household layoff and 31% who say someone in the household was scheduled for fewer hours. Overall, 44% said their household experienced income loss from the pandemic that is still having an impact on their finances.
The poll results are consistent with recent economic data. Roughly 745,000 Americans filed for unemployment benefits the week of Feb. 22, according to the Labor Department, and roughly 18 million Americans remain on the unemployment rolls.
Thirty percent of Americans say their current household income is lower than it was when the pandemic began, while 16% say it is higher and 53% say there’s been no change. About half of those who experienced any form of household income loss during the pandemic say their current household income is lower than it was.
The poll’s findings reflect what some economists have called a “K-shaped recovery,” where there have been divergent fortunes among Americans. Those with office jobs were able to transition to working from home, while those who worked in hard-hit industries such as entertainment, dining, travel and other industries have continued to struggle. The poor have struggled to recover financially compared with the wealthy. and Black and Latino households have not bounced back as well as their white counterparts.
Logan DeWitt, 30, kept his job with the government through the pandemic because he could work remotely. But his wife, a child care worker, lost her job and after months of searching for a new one has returned to school. Their financial situation was further complicated by the fact that their first child was born in the early months of the pandemic.“We had plans to get a house. Had to scrap that idea, and we consolidated down to just one car. We do a lot of cooking from home and buying in bulk,” DeWitt said.
About 1 in 10 Americans say they couldn’t make a housing payment in the last month because of the pandemic, and roughly as many say that of a credit card bill. Overall, about a quarter of Americans say they’ve been unable to pay one or more bills in the last month.

President Muhammadu Buhari had his first COVID-19 vaccine shot on Saturday, part of a bid to boost public confidence as Nigeria attempts to inoculate 80 million people this year.
Vaccinating Nigeria’s 200 million people, and those in other developing countries, is seen as key to stemming the spread of the coronavirus, but getting doses across the vast nation, with its pot-holed roads and lawless areas, is a huge challenge.
Not all Nigeria’s states have functioning airports, rail networks are limited, and authorities also have to overcome public distrust around the vaccines.
“As a demonstration of leadership and faith in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines, I have received my first jab and I wish to commend it to all eligible Nigerians to do the same so that we can be protected from the virus,” Buhari said.
“The vaccine offers hope for a safe country free of coronavirus,” the 78-year-old president added after he was vaccinated live on Nigerian television.
On Friday, a doctor became the first person in Nigeria to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Nigeria, with 158,042 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 1,954 deaths, has not been as hard hit as first feared, but aims to vaccinate 40% of its people this year, and another 30% in 2022.
“I urge Nigerians ... not to listen to any conspiracy theories,” Boss Mustapha, who chairs Nigeria’s presidential task force on COVID-19, said at Buhari’s vaccination.
Nigeria took delivery of 3.92 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine on Tuesday through COVAX and expects 84 million doses via the scheme for poor and middle-income countries this year.
The scheme is co-led by Gavi, the vaccine alliance, and the World Health Organization, with UNICEF an implementing partner.

ABUJA (Kenya), March 3 ― Millions of coronavirus shots from the global Covax scheme have arrived in Nigeria, Angola and Kenya, as African countries ramp up their vaccine rollouts.
Richer countries have surged ahead with vaccinations but many poorer countries are still awaiting deliveries, prompting the World Health Organisation (WHO) to warn that the crisis cannot end unless everyone can inoculate their populations.
The Covax facility, run by the WHO along with health NGOs, is aiming to supply vaccines to dozens of countries in the first 100 days of 2021, and two billion doses by the end of the year.
While the continent's most populous country Nigeria received almost four million jabs on Tuesday, Angola received more than 600,000 doses and DR Congo was scheduled to get a consignment later, following recent deliveries to Ghana and Ivory Coast.
Kenya received its first shipment of just over 1 million Covax-funded AstraZeneca/Oxford shots early today.
However, there are still critical hurdles for the scheme's rollout in vast African countries with sketchy infrastructure and an array of security challenges ― a point addressed by Faisal Shuaib, director of Nigeria's primary healthcare agency.
“States without a functional airport will have their vaccines transported by road using vans with fitted cold cabins, from the nearest airport,” he said.
He called the delivery ― which arrived around noon in the capital Abuja ― a “good day for Nigeria” and promised the rollout would begin in earnest on Friday with frontline health workers the first to be inoculated.
Nigerian official Boss Mustapha urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups and the media to spread the message that vaccinations were needed, adding: “This is a fight for everyone.”
In Angola, where some healthcare workers were vaccinated shortly after the doses were offloaded, the WHO's Djamila Cabral said the arrival of vaccines brought a “stronger hope to save lives”, but warned that everyone needed to continue respecting Covid restrictions to beat the pandemic.
70 per cent goal
The almost four million AstraZeneca/Oxford doses received by Nigeria, made by the Serum Institute of India, are the first of 16 million shots that Covax plans to deliver over the coming months to the country of 200 million.
The government said it hoped to vaccinate at least 70 percent of its adult population over the next two years and health officials said more than two million people had already registered for the jab online.
“As the vaccines arrive in batches due to limited supply we will inform Nigerians about who and where to receive the vaccine,” Shuaib told reporters.
Nigeria has recorded 1,915 deaths from 156,017 cases since the start of the pandemic and Angola 508 deaths from 20,854 cases ― though official figures in most countries are considered to be underestimates.
A new virus variant has also been discovered in Nigeria, but researchers have not yet determined if it is more contagious or deadly than the original strain.
Last week, Ghana and Ivory Coast were the first African countries to receive vaccines from Covax, an initiative led by the Gavi vaccine alliance, WHO and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with Unicef as implementing partner.
Some 237 million AstraZeneca doses are to be delivered by the end of May to 142 participating economies, Covax says. ― AFP

Nigeria has received its first batch of COVID-19 vaccines, becoming the third country in Africa to get the shots through COVAX, a global scheme formed to ensure fair access to inoculations for low- and middle-income states.
A flight carrying 3.94 million doses of the vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and drugmaker AstraZeneca arrived shortly before noon on Tuesday at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the capital, Abuja.
Made by the Serum Institute of India, these are the first of 16 million jabs that the COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access Facility (COVAX) plans to deliver over the coming months to Nigeria, the continent’s most populous country, with some 200 million people. Healthcare and front-line workers will be the first to be inoculated later this week.
Richer countries have surged ahead with vaccinations but many poorer countries are still awaiting deliveries, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to warn the coronavirus crisis cannot end unless everyone can inoculate their populations.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was among those hailing the arrival of the jabs in Nigeria, calling on Twitter for global solidarity “to supply vaccines to all countries in the first 100 days of 2021”.
Echoing Tedros’s call, Peter Hawkins, country representative for the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said there was still a long way to go in fulfilling “our obligations to the people of Nigeria”.
“But close to four million is a big amount,” he told Al Jazeera. “It’s a fantastic step forward for Nigeria and a fantastic step forward for the whole of Africa, and people will take them. There is no question about that,” he said.
Tricky transport
Nigeria’s food and drug control agency approved the AstraZeneca vaccine for use last month and vaccinations are scheduled to start on Friday.
“As the vaccines arrive in batches due to limited supply we will inform Nigerians about who and where to receive the vaccine,” Faisal Shuaib, director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, told reporters.
The agency launched a self-registration portal online to try to ease the roll-out, but the country faces immense security and logistics challenges.
“States without a functional airport will have their vaccines transported by road using vans with fitted cold cabins, from the nearest airport,” Shuaib said.
Government official Boss Mustapha urged traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups and the media to spread the message that vaccinations were needed, adding: “This is a fight for everyone.”
Nigeria has recorded 156,017 cases and 1,915 deaths since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, according to data compiled Johns Hopkins University.
Also on Tuesday, Angola received a batch of 624,000 doses from COVAX.
Last week, Ghana and Ivory Coast were the first African countries to get vaccines from the scheme, which is led by WHO, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) with UNICEF as implementing partner.
Some 237 million doses of the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine are to be delivered by the end of May to 142 participating economies, COVAX says.


We need to overcome various problems about vaccines. We still have a long way to go.

The United States has approved Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, making it the third to be used in the country.

The Food and Drug Administration on Saturday (February 27), as per local time, cleared the Johnson & Johnson vaccine shot. Unlike most COVID-19 vaccines in use, it works with just one dose instead of two.

The FDA announced the emergency use authorization of the J&J vaccine for adults aged 18 and older following Friday’s unanimous endorsement by the agency’s panel of outside experts.

President Joe Biden hailed the move but cautioned Americans against celebrating too soon. "Things are still likely to get worse again as new variants spread," he said in a statement, urging people to continue washing their hands, wearing masks, and maintaining social distancing.

The death toll due to the virus has crossed 510,000 in the country. Health experts have been waiting for one-and-done option to speed up the vaccination process.

During the trials, the J&J vaccine was found to be 85 per cent effective against the most severe COVID-19 illnesses. There were very few serious side effects reported in the trial, which also offered preliminary evidence that the vaccine reduced asymptomatic infections.

“The more vaccines that have high efficacy that we can get into play, the better,” Dr. Anthony Fauci, the top US infectious disease expert, was quoted by PTI as saying ahead of the FDA order.

The shipments of millions of vaccine doses across the states will start from Monday. J&J estimated that about 20 million doses will be delivered to the US by the end of March. The number would reach 100 million by summer, it expects.

J&J also is seeking authorization for emergency use of its vaccine in Europe and from the World Health Organization.

The company aims to produce about 1 billion doses globally by the end of the year.

Joe Biden has now been president for one month.
So far, he has signed a record number of executive orders, brought the United States back into the Paris climate accord, introduced a comprehensive immigration bill and begun the groundwork for his major COVID-19 relief legislation. He has also taken his lumps when it comes to messaging about reopening schools.
The Trump impeachment trial took up much of the political oxygen in Washington, D.C., but with that in the rearview mirror, this week may mark a real turning point to the Biden agenda — although Donald Trump will reemerge with his first post-presidency speech Sunday.
Biden's Cabinet is also still being filled out, while outside Washington, the big thaw in Texas begins after a dangerous — and revealing — several days of a rare deep freeze.
Here are six things we're watching this week:
1. COVID-19 relief bill movement
The country is surpassing 500,000 deaths from COVID-19.
"It's stunning," Dr. Anthony Fauci, a Biden medical adviser and the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday. He called it "horrible," "devastating" and "historic." "People will be talking about this decades and decades and decades from now," he noted somberly.
d of direct payments to qualifying Americans and disburse billions of dollars to state and local governments, could see a vote in the House by the end of the week. Also remember: The bill still has to go through hurdles in the Senate to see if its provisions qualify under budget reconciliation, since Republicans are not on board and think it's too costly.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., vows that the bill is "on track" to be on Biden's desk by March 14, the date that enhanced unemployment insurance benefits expire. "We will meet this deadline," he said in a letter to colleagues Friday.
2. Schools — to reopen or not to reopen isn't really the question
Americans have sharply different views about reopening schools. About two-thirds of U.S. students are already offered some in-person options, but the Biden administration has struggled to lay out clearly and consistently when and how all schools should open.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's guidelines say schools can reopen without all teachers being vaccinated. Biden's White House has said teachers should be a priority for vaccines, as it tries to walk a tightrope between science and teachers unions, a key Democratic constituency. But this is a bit of a false debate.

The heads of the largest teachers unions say they are on board with the CDC's guidelines. And while vaccinations are important to teachers, they actually rate access to personal protective equipment, limited class sizes and regular cleanings as more necessary.
But those things cost money. And the same Republicans criticizing Biden for not advocating more strongly for reopening schools full time are not on board with his COVID-19 relief plan — which allocates $130 billion for schools — because, they say, it's too expensive and because there's money left over from past relief measures.
3.Texas thaws out as political spotlight heats up
In addition to the coronavirus pandemic and school reopenings, the biggest story outside Washington has been the Texas deep freeze. Texans will finally have more seasonable weather this week, but the fallout is far from over, in both the short and the long term.
People are still waiting in long lines for water; pipes are busted and need repair; and the loss of electricity and heat for millions led to the deaths of more than two dozen in the state. There are heartbreaking stories, including those of an 11-year-old boy who died of hypothermia in a mobile home, a 75-year-old man who died grabbing oxygen from his truck and another who is said to have frozen to death in his recliner next to his wife.
Texas energy companies' almost-century-old decision not to be part of the U.S. power grid, to avoid federal regulation, is now coming under scrutiny, as are Republican state officials' more recent decision not to regulate and mandate winterization of energy facilities. Congressional Democrats say it may be time to connect Texas to the national grid, but Republicans think that's the wrong move.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott called the lack of preparation "outrageous," but some are pointing the finger at Abbott and his predecessor, Rick Perry, for allegedly putting profit ahead of preparedness. Abbott also walked back initial comments that renewable energy sources were to blame — when natural gas was the main problem.
Abbott stands for reelection in 2022, and while he's still the odds-on favorite to win, how he handles this crisis will likely shape his fate. And Sen. Ted Cruz, back from Mexico, is lucky he's not up for reelection until 2024.
Cruz got absolutely roasted by late-night comedians for his overnight jaunt.
Stepping back, though, it is remarkable that the governors of the nation's four most populous states — run by Republicans and Democrats alike — have struggled with handling natural disasters and the COVID-19 pandemic over the past year.
4. Merrick Garland finally gets a hearing
Almost five years after former President Barack Obama nominated Judge Merrick Garland to the Supreme Court, Garland will get a confirmation hearing Monday and Tuesday to be Biden's attorney general.
Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, back in 2016, refused to even hold a hearing for Garland, a judge with the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C., when he was Obama's pick to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia. McConnell said he blocked Garland's nomination because Scalia's death happened during a presidential election year.
Four years later, though, McConnell did an about-face and pushed through Trump's Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, to replace liberal icon Ruth Bader Ginsburg after her death — in a shorter timetable and in another election year.
5. What about the rest of the Cabinet?
Filling out Biden's Cabinet has been a slow-go. Just seven of his Cabinet-level posts requiring Senate confirmation have been put in place.
Xavier Becerra, Biden's pick for health secretary, testifies Tuesday, but his nomination has become controversial. Republicans don't like that as California attorney general he filed more than 100 lawsuits against the Trump administration. He also does not have a medical background, and Republicans see him as too liberal.
Interior secretary nominee Deb Haaland's confirmation hearing is also Tuesday. She would be the first Native American to lead the department but is expected to face tough questioning from Republicans. That's because she's opposed to new oil and gas drilling leases on federal land, something that lines up with Biden's views.
We're also watching to see what happens with Neera Tanden, Biden's pick to be budget director. Conservative Democrat Joe Manchin said he would oppose her nomination because of "overtly partisan" statements and tweets she has made. And while the Biden administration says it is sticking with her, hoping that at least one Republican will vote for her, there are reportedly behind-the-scenes preparations to replace her.
Democrats hope to fill out more of Biden's Cabinet in short order. Schumer said he expects Linda Thomas-Greenfield to be confirmed as ambassador to the U.N. this week, for example. And several other nominees have now been reported out of their respective committees and are ready for a full Senate vote, the majority leader added.
6. Trump returns
Just when you thought he was out, Trump jumps right back in. The former president will make his first major speech since leaving the White House at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Sunday.
These events are usually an opportunity to see who a party's emerging stars are going to be — and to whom the party will turn to lead it in the next presidential election cycle. But all eyes will be on Trump. He has dangled the possibility that he will run again, which very much puts a freeze on the rest of the potential Republican field.
Will Trump look to settle scores with Republican establishment figures and those who voted for his impeachment, or will his speech be about how to beat Democrats and draw distinctions with Biden? Look in particular to immigration as a potential area of emphasis. It has always been an animating issue for Trump and his base, and Biden's new legislative plan offers Trump some fresh fodder.

The Medical Laboratory Science Council of Nigeria (MLSCN) said its committed to quality service delivery within the health laboratory system in the country.
It noted that this would make every citizen have access to accurate and reliable medical laboratory test results especially during the COVID -19 pandemic.
The Registrar and the Chief Executive officer of the MLSCN, Dr. Tosan Erhabor said this during the 9th induction ceremony of 65 qualified Medical Laboratory Scientists of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo state.
Erhabor said this would go a long way to discourage medical tourism to other foreign countries.
“We must find home-grown solutions to our needs if we are to change the narrative of poor health indices. All hands must be on deck and health professions, whatever their speciality, must learn to work together in the interest of the service users, eschewing bickering, rancour or unhealthy rivalry.
“This would discourage medical tourism to other climes and the depletion our meagre resources. On its part, MLSCN will continue to promote a stable, United, and robust health sector that delivers on ideals expounded by our heroes past”
He said that the body has established three core facilities across the country to help the actualisation of its statutory mandate, which include the External Quality Assessment Laboratory (NEQAL) the Public Health In-Vitro Diagnostic Laboratory and the National Laboratory Equipment Calibration Center.
Erhabor urged the inductees to be guided by the ethics of the profession and called them to join in the fight against communicable and non-communicable diseases that are presenting all manner of challenges to the health sector.
Earlier, the Pro-chancellor and founder of the University, Dr Bode Ayorinde, announced automatic employment offered by the institution to the two best students of the Department of Medical Laboratory Science of the institution.
Ayorinde listed the students to include, Emmanuel Michael Igwe and Faith Gbemisola Ademulegun who emerged as the two best graduating students of the department having made first class honours, saying they would be employed as graduate assistants.
He said that the University would continue to encourage students who have carved academic niche for themselves, adding that the institution would continue to provide the necessary infrastructure and equipment for its programmes.
According to him “the sum of N100m has been expended recently on nine standard laboratories for Medical Laboratory Science programme by the school.
He urged the students to let integrity be their watchword as they enter the ‘labour market and advised them not engage in fraud.
Ayorinde commended the Federal Medical Centre (FMC) Owo and other partners of the institution who ensured the students are well trained for the tasks ahead and announced that the University would soon commence Medicine and Aviation programmes.
The Chief Medical Director, UNIOSUN Teaching Hospital, Prof. Peter Olaitan who earlier delivered a lecture on “Medical Laboratory Practice in Covid-19 Pandemic” said every member of the society must get ready to adjust to a new life after the coronavirus pandemic
He however, said the medical laboratory scientists and other health workers must work harder to ensure that the infection is curtailed while government should ensure that they are protected as they work harder to protect others.
He enjoined the students to be conscious of their conducts in the laboratory, while having it in mind that every blood could be infectious.
The MLSCN presented a sum of N50,000 to the two best graduating students of the programme in the University.
After this epidemic, we should all attach importance to medical treatment.

The Federal Government is ready to vaccinate Nigerians and is taking steps to outline the vaccine registration procedure for everyone. Meanwhile, the number of cases has been increasing and there are reports of a new variant that may be resistant to current vaccines.
From February 8 to 14, 6,606 new persons tested positive for the virus in the country while 199 of the infected persons were travellers who had recently come into the country. There are now 108,153,741 cases in the world.
Here are the more recent developments in the country.
FG to commence vaccine registration soon
The federal government will start registering people in preparation for the vaccination process that will take place in the country. This was announced by the executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib. The registration will take place online and offline through an approach dubbed TEACH.
According to the NPHCDA boss, links for the online registration will be made available this week. Frontline health workers and support staff, rapid response teams and contact tracing teams will be considered first. Also to be given primary consideration are people aged 59 and above, people aged 18 to 49 with significant comorbidities and other at-risk groups.
UK says Covid-19 variant that originated from Nigeria may be resistant to vaccine
A new variant of the Covid-19 which researchers say originated from Nigeria has been discovered. Named B1525, the variant shares similarities in its genome with the Kent variant, B117, and contains a number of mutations that have made researchers anxious.
An associate professor of cellular microbiology at the University of Reading, Simon Clarke, speaking about the variant said that it may prove more resistant to present vaccines. He said, “We don’t yet know how well this [new] variant will spread, but if it is successful it can be presumed that immunity from any vaccine or previous infection will be blunted.
““I think that until we know more about these variants, any variants which carry E484K should be subject to surge testing as it seems to confer resistance to immunity, however that is generated.”
The result of more research on the covid-19 cases in the coming weeks will determine the course of action for treating patients with this strain globally.
Emirates extends ban on Nigerian travellers till March
Nigerians will not be able to travel to Dubai until March 10, Dubai authorities have said. This is as a result of Covid-19 protocols between the two countries. Dubai authorities now require travellers from Nigeria to take Covid-19 tests at most 4 hours before getting aboard the flight to UAE.
The federal government objected to this stringent requirement and as a result of talks between both countries, Nigeria will not be carrying passengers into Dubai until after March 10. Passengers will be able to fly into Nigeria from the UAE, however.
In addition to travellers from Nigeria, passengers who have been through or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days will not be allowed entry into the United Arab Emirates.
The statement by Emirates airline read, “Customers from both Abuja and Lagos will not be accepted for travel prior to or including this date. Passengers who have been to or connected through Nigeria in the last 14 days are not allowed entry into the UAE (whether terminating in or connecting through Dubai).”
Foreign syndicates are issuing fake Covid-19 test result for Nigerians
Some foreign medical syndicates are issuing fake Covid-19 test results to Nigerians who are travelling into the country, according to the federal government. This means there’s a good chance that a lot of people infected with the virus may have entered the country.
According to the National Incident Manager for the PTF, Mukhtar Mohammed, the syndicates are being investigated and will be brought to book in their respective countries.
Recall that Nigeria blocked the passports of some incoming travellers who failed to present themselves for a repeat covid-19 test after landing in the country. Travellers who obtained a fake result from the foreign syndicates and then failed to do a repeat test in Nigeria have a higher chance of transmitting the virus if they are positive as well. They may also develop complications from not being aware and treating the infection on time.
Mukhtar added that those who have a fake result will be quarantined in any of the health facilities, bear the expenses of the facility, feeding and the lab test, after which they will also be liable to prosecution.


Both epidemic prevention and control and vaccine preparation are important. Before the vaccine arrives, we must be careful to protect and prevent the epidemic from spreading again.

Experts argue more must be done to protect society’s vulnerable populations after a study revealed that individuals with dementia – in particular Black Americans – are at an increased risk of getting COVID-19.

Researchers from Case Western University studied electronic health record data from 61.9 million American adults and found the risk for contracting COVID-19 is twice as high for people with dementia than for those without it, according to the report published Tuesday in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association.

The findings also suggested patients were more likely to be hospitalized or die of COVID-19 than people without the cognitive disease.

The overall hospitalization risk during the study was about 25%, but it more than doubled for COVID-19 patients who had dementia – about 59%. The overall mortality risk was about 5%, but among those who also had dementia, about 20% died.

“Patients with dementia are more vulnerable both to acquire COVID infection and also do much worse with it when they do have it,” said Pamela Davis, professor of general medical sciences at Case Western University, who contributed to the study.

The study also highlighted disparities within this vulnerable population, even after controlling for other risk factors. Among those with dementia, Black patients had nearly three times the risk of being infected with COVID-19 as white patients did.
Seventy-three percent of Black patients with dementia were hospitalized during the study compared with about 53% of white patients. During the study, 23% of Black patients died compared with 19% of white patients.

More research is needed to fully understand why these disparities exist, said Brittany Baker, undergraduate program coordinator and clinical assistant professor at North Carolina Central University. But she speculates that Black dementia patients may be more at risk of contracting COVID-19 from their adult caregivers.

THE World Health Organisation, WHO, has confirmed that Nigeria will receive 16 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 vaccines out of the 88 million doses allocated to Africa by COVAX, even as it explained the rationale behind the exemption of Nigeria from the initial COVAX’s Pfizer vaccines allocation to African non-self-financing countries.
The World Health Agency also dismissed media reports that it has disqualified Nigeria from accessing COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility.
The WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr Walter Kazadi Mulomboo, who spoke at a joint press conference with the Executive Director, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, NPHCDA, Dr Faisal Shuaib, said WHO was supporting all countries to access vaccines as quickly as possible.
Reacting to the purported disqualification of Nigeria from accessing COVID-19 vaccines through COVAX, the WHO Representative stated: “WHO has not disqualified any country in Africa from accessing COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility, but rather is supporting all countries to access vaccines as quickly as possible.
“Of the 88 million AstraZeneca doses allocated to African countries for the first phase, Nigeria has received by far the largest allocation, with 16 million doses.
“Currently, all countries on the continent are expected to start accessing the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines by the end of February. The vaccine is under review by WHO for Emergency Use Listing and the outcome is expected soon.”
According to him, the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is still under review for Emergency Use Listing and the outcome is expected soon probably within a few days.
Throwing light into why Nigeria was exempted from the Pfizer vaccines through COVAX, he said it was largely due to supply.
According to Kazadi Mulomboo, there was an initial limited volume of Pfizer vaccine available through COVAX and the demand for the initial allocation of 1.2 million Pfizer doses was exceptionally high.
“COVAX received interest from 72 countries around the world, of which 51 countries were considered by the review committee as ‘ready’. Nigeria was among these countries and 18 countries in total were finally chosen to receive initial Pfizer doses.

The World Health Organisation, (WHO), yesterday said it has not disqualified Nigeria or any African country from accessing COVID-19 vaccines through the COVAX facility. Rather, it is supporting all countries to access vaccines as quickly as possible.
However, Nigeria has missed out on the first phase of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine, as the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine expected to arrive the country this month has been replaced with 16 million doses of Astrazeneca vaccine.
The global health body, through its Director, African Region, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, said on Thursday that about 320,000 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine have been allocated to four African countries of Cape Verde, Rwanda, South Africa and Tunisia, with deliveries expected later in February.
She noted that to access an initial limited volume of Pfizer vaccine, countries were invited to submit proposals. Thirteen African countries expressed interest in the initiative. Their proposals were evaluated, based on current mortality rates, new cases and trends and capacities to deliver the vaccine, including storing it at minus 70 degrees Celsius.
Nigeria, which is expecting about 100,000 doses of the vaccine this month, was not included in the allocation. Briefing journalists on the purported disqualification of Nigeria from accessing COVID-19 vaccines, yesterday, in Abuja, WHO Country Representative in Nigeria, Dr. Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said the demand for the initial allocation of 1.2 million doses was exceptionally high. She explained that COVAX received interest from 72 countries, out of which 51 countries, including Nigeria, were considered ready by the review committee. Eighteen countries were finally chosen to receive the initial doses.
Mulombo said in Africa continent, as of January 18 deadline, COVAX received 13 submissions and a multi-agency committee evaluated the proposals, out of which nine were recommended as ready to deploy the Pfizer vaccine, including Nigeria. Unfortunately, however, it was not feasible to provide each of these 51 countries with Pfizer doses, due to a number of factors, including the limited capacity for Pfizer to handle many countries at once.
He said: “Spreading the limited doses across all the 51 countries deemed ‘ready’ could have not achieve the intended public health benefit. After epidemiological data was taken into account, the decision was taken to proportionally balance the number of self-financing and AMC participants, as well as participants across all six WHO regions.”
Molumbo observed that currently, all countries on the continent are expected to start accessing the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccines by the end of February, adding that out of the 88 million AstraZeneca doses allocated to African countries for the first phase, Nigeria has received by far the largest allocation, with 16 million doses.
“In addition to the AstraZeneca doses, there is an initial limited volume of Pfizer vaccine available through COVAX. The vaccine is under review by WHO for Emergency Use Listing and the outcome is expected soon,” he added.
The Executive Director, National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib observed that a number of factors were considered in allocating the small quantity of the 320,000 doses of Pfizer vaccine to COVAX countries, which include the mortality rates from COVID-19, the number of new cases, the trend in the number of cases, the population and the availability of the appropriate Cold Chain equipment.
He said, “countries such as South Africa which received the Pfizer allocation have the new strain of the COVID-19 virus, has the highest mortality rates and is struggling to contain transmission. Furthermore, giving smaller countries such as Cape Verde and Rwanda few doses of the Pfizer vaccine would have a larger public health impact considering their population. 100,000 doses to Nigeria, we have all agreed would have been a drop in the ocean, so, it is a welcome development that we are receiving 16 million doses of the Astrazeneca vaccine to replace the Pfizer vaccine in February. The ultra cold chain equipment would have been able to store about 400,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine. The 16 million doses will invariably help us reach more people and is suited to our existing cold chain system.”
When asked about specific reasons Nigeria in particular was not included in the allocation for Pfizer vaccine, Shuaib said, “we were not part of the selection process; what they gave us was the criteria, South Africa has the highest mortality rate in Africa and other strains of the virus. They are struggling under the burden of this disease. If you give 100,000 doses to Nigeria that has over 200 million population, is it not a drop in the ocean? At this point, the 100,000 doses initially meant for Nigeria has been replaced with 16 million. The committee has looked at the context of different countries before coming out with their decision.”

Vaccines cannot be supplied to everyone. This is a problem that needs to be addressed. We want to get a vaccine, we don't want to be the one who doesn't.

Catholic Bishops of the Lagos Ecclesiastical Province have charged the Federal Government to distribute COVID-19 vaccines in a fair and equitable manner to ensure they reach those who need them regardless of their socio-economic status.They gave the charge in a communiqué signed by its President, Archbishop of the Metropolitan See of Lagos, Reverend Alfred Adewale Martins and Secretary, Bishop of IJebu-Ode, Reverend Francis Obafemi Adesina, after their first meeting of the year in Lagos.
Urging Nigerians to take the pandemic seriously and not treat it as a hoax, they enjoined the citizens to observe all the safety measures put in place by the government to guard against contracting the virus.
“We urge the populace to take proactive measures to boost their personal immunity against the virus. They should also have recourse to the Almighty and merciful God in prayers to quickly end the coronavirus pandemic in our world,” they said.
Commending President Muhammadu Buhari for replacing the service chiefs, the clerics expressed the hope that the new service chiefs, like the new broom, would bring new vigour and vision into the war against terrorism and insecurity in Nigeria.
The bishops urged the new service chiefs to see the task as the reason for their appointment and prosecute it with necessary human and material resources to end insecurity in the country as soon as possible.
They also appealed to governours of the 36 states of the federation to rise to their primary responsibility of ensuring the security of life and property of all Nigerians, adding that they could not afford to be docile, while terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other hoodlums continue to terrorise citizens in their states.

MEANWHILE, Minister of the Environment, Dr. Mohammad M. Abubakar, has said the COVD-19 Health Protection Regulation Law 2021 was a new measure of controlling the spread of the pandemic in the country.
Abubakar, who stated this while interacting with journalists in Abuja, explained that the regulation was aimed at tackling the deadly virus and ultimately to boost the well being of Nigerians.
He said Nigerians should strive to obey the sixth part of the regulation’s comprehensive provisions, adding that non-pharmaceutical measures, which are by no means the most important aspects of COVID-19 prevention were clear and easy to observe.
“The COVID-19 HPR 2021 is an essential legal directive aimed at safeguarding the health of citizens, which all stakeholders should comply with stakeholders. It is for our common good,” Abubakar added.

The Biden administration has made a $231.8 million deal with an Australian company to boost availability of the first at-home rapid test for the coronavirus which causes COVID-19 that is available without a prescription. The test, made by Ellume, can send results to a smartphone within 15 minutes of receiving a sample.
The Food and Drug Administration gave emergency authorization to Ellume's rapid test in December, after it showed 96% accuracy in a U.S. clinical study. Those trials included both adults and children of ages 2 years and older.
In a press release, the company said its contract, with the U.S. Defense Department, will help fund construction of Ellume's first manufacturing plant in the U.S. Once completed, it will produce more than 500,000 tests per day, according to the company.
The test uses a relatively short nasal swab to collect a sample. The sample is put into a digital analyzer linked to a smartphone app. In December, the company told NPR that the test would be available for about $30.
In October, the company received a $30 million grant from the U.S. National Institutes of Health Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics initiative to support clinical testing and manufacture of the test.
As part of the new contract, Ellume has committed to providing 8.5 million tests to the federal government, said Andy Slavitt, senior adviser to the White House COVID-19 Response Team.
Suzanne Sterns, a spokesperson for Ellume, told NPR the company "will be delivering 100,000 tests per month from the Australian manufacturing facility until the U.S. facility is built. At full capacity, the U.S facility will be able to produce up to 19 million tests per month. The 8.5M tests for the US government is a portion of the overall manufacturing."
"The first shipment of product to the DOD and HHS will commence in February," Sterns said, "with 100,000 tests to be shipped to the US Government by the end of the month."
Sterns said the test is not yet commercially available in the U.S. or elsewhere, but that the company would "be making further announcements around [the] rollout and retail plans in the coming weeks."
The Biden administration is trying to bolster testing efforts in the U.S., the worst-hit country in the world, as new variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus threaten to make it even more difficult to bring the pandemic under control.
The U.S. average daily testing rate now stands at 550 per 100,000 people, according to a seven-day moving average computed by Johns Hopkins University. That rate compares well with those of a number of smaller countries, but it sharply lags the U.K. — another nation hit hard by the pandemic — which has been testing an average of 986 people per 100,000.
Because of the expected $30 cost and the need for a smartphone to receive results, this particular test is unlikely to be the game-changer several public health experts have been calling for — a test that families could use routinely at home before leaving the house, to prevent silent spread.
The Ellume contract is "a step in the right direction towards identifying fast tools that can actually help serve to identify and slow spread," says Dr. Michael Mina, a Harvard epidemiologist who has been a vocal advocate for widespread rapid tests. What's needed, he says, are "tests that are highly accessible, abundant, can be used frequently, provide immediately actionable results and are $5 [or less] per test. A test that does not meet each of these [criteria] will not perform well as a public health test to fight this pandemic."
Discussing the new agreement in a news conference Monday, Slavitt said he hopes the cost of the test will come down.
"Things that are not low-cost and accessible don't do us all the good we need," he said.
But it will take more production capacity to bring that cost down — creating what Slavitt called a "chicken and egg problem" that the Ellume deal could help solve. At the same time, he added, "we know there are efforts to create even lower-cost and more innovative approaches, and we welcome those."
It's important for federal, state and local governments to help make coronavirus tests more affordable, Slavitt said, adding that "life doesn't change" until tests and vaccines become ubiquitous.

The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) onSunday said that the COVID-19 Health Protection Regulation 2021 law would help to curb the spread of the pandemic across the country.
Prof. Innocent Ujah, NMA President, said this while speaking with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.
NAN reports that President Muhammadu Buhari had on Jan. 28, signed COVID-19 Health Protection Regulations 2021, in exercise of the powers conferred on the President by Section 4 of the Quarantine Act, 2010.
Ujah said that the move by the President to ensure an enabling legal framework is in place was a welcome development as it would help in contributing to national response to the curtailment of COVID-19.
“This is coming against the backdrop of President Muhammadu Buhari’s recent signing of the law on health protection regulation
“Now that the President has put a law in place, we should comply by adhering strictly to the law,” he said.
Ujah, who expressed worry over the level of compliance among the citizenry on COVID-19 protocols, called on the law enforcement agents to arrest any erring Nigerian.
“Unfortunately, the most disturbing aspect I see is enforcement; it is going to be a problem, because Nigerians don’t like obeying laws.
“But if we can ensure that the law is fully obeyed, the spread of the pandemic will reduce,’’ he said.
He, however, urged the Federal Government to embrace the use of intentional form of communication through persuasion, advocacy and sensitisation largely from the National Orientation Agency.
He added that religious leaders, opinion leaders and other stakeholders should be engaged for effective sensitisation in order to pass the message across to the people.
Ujah said that the law would also help to reduce the number of people violating the COVID-19 protocols in the country.

ThisDay reports that the Nigerian government has assured Nigerians that COVID-19 vaccines will not be hijacked or diverted by any group outside the distribution plan.
There has been growing concerns that politicians may hijack the COVID-19 vaccines, billed to arrive the country next month.
Recent announcement of the formula for the distribution of the expected 100,000 doses of vaccines has also sparked off apprehension amongst Nigerians over a possible hijack or diversion of the vaccines.
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), however, said it is important to douse the anxiety amongst the people over how government will be deploying the initial few quantities of vaccines.
The NPHCDA, at a webinar press briefing, had released the sharing formula for the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
The newspaper says that Nigeria’s newly confirmed cases of Covid-19 on Sunday reduced to 964 and the number of deaths dropped to two within the same period.
A daily statistics of newly confirmed cases of Covid-19 posted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) showed that on Sunday, January 24, 2021, 964 new confirmed cases and two deaths were recorded in Nigeria.
The report showed that till date, 121,566 cases have been confirmed, 97,228 cases discharged, with 1,504 deaths in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The 964 new cases are reported from 19 states — Lagos (360), FCT (88) Ogun (73), Imo (72), Kaduna (67), Plateau (57), Abia (41), Osun (41), Rivers (32), Kano (26), Niger (24), Benue (23), Edo (20), Cross River (20), Akwa Ibom (, Nasarawa (6), Zamfara (6), Ekiti (6) and Jigawa (4).
The Punch reports that the Nigerian Government is to partly fund six rail projects connecting virtually all regions of the country with a counterpart funding of N71.15bn this year.
Also, N15.1bn will be spent on the development of safety and security critical projects, airport certification, runway construction, terminal building, among others in the aviation sector in 2021.
A report on selected projects in the 2021 budget obtained by our correspondent from the Federal Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning in Abuja showed that in the rail sector, the government had mapped out six projects that it would partly fund this year.
The government stated that the N71.15bn would serve as counterpart funding for railway projects including the Lagos-Kano rail line (ongoing), Calabar-Lagos (ongoing), and Ajaokuta-Itakpe-Aladja (Warri), which was also described as an ongoing project. Others are the Port Harcourt-Maiduguri railway, the new Kano-Katsina-Jibiya-Maradi line in Niger Republic and the Abuja-Itakpe and Aladja-Warri Port and refinery/Warri new harbour.
Construction work is currently ongoing on some of the rail projects, while others are new projects, as physical construction work had yet to start on them.
The Sun says that the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) has again warned International Money transfer operators (IMTOs) and unlicensed companies to stop facilitating diaspora remittances into the country in Naira.
The apex bank, in a statement released on Friday signed by Dr. Ozoemena Nnaji, its director of Trade & Exchange of CBN, noted that all diaspora remittances should be received by beneficiaries in foreign currency only (cash and/or transfers to domiciliary accounts of recipients).
“Only licensed IMTOs are permitted to carry on the business of facilitating diaspora remittances into the country,” the statement read.
“IMTOs are not permitted, under any circumstances, to disburse diaspora remittances in naira (either in cash or by electronic transfers) be it through naira remittance settlement accounts (which had been earlier directed to be closed), third party accounts or via any other payment platform within and/or around the Nigerian financial system.”
The apex bank noted that the measures were intended to promote transparency, grow diaspora remittances and significantly improve foreign exchange inflows into Nigeria.
It warned that strict sanctions, including withdrawal of operating licenses, shall be imposed on individuals and/or institutions found to be aiding, abetting or directly contravening the guidelines.

Nigeria has a population of over 200 million people. It is the largest country in Africa — about one in every six people in Africa live in Nigeria.
The country is now in the midst of a second wave of COVID infections which is straining an already fragile health system. But even as countries in North America and Europe roll out national vaccination strategies, Nigerian officials have not been able to secure any doses of any COVID-19 vaccine for their frontline health workers — let alone general population.
My guest today, Dr. Faisal Shuaib is the executive director and CEO of Nigeria’s National Primary Healthcare Development Agency and a member of the country’s COVID-19 task force. In our conversation, he explains the impact of the COVID–19 in Nigeria and the difficult task of securing doses of the vaccine. He also explains how Nigeria’s successful campaign to eradicate polio is informing the country’s response to COVID.
This episode really underscores how inequitable the vaccine distribution has been across the world so far — you can definitely hear the desperation in his voice when we discuss vaccine.


The repeated outbreaks have overwhelmed the fragile health system. We urgently need vaccines. Look forward to the vaccine's arrival soon.

No fewer than One million Nigerians are to benefit from the Federal Government’s COVID-19 Cash Transfer Project which aims to lift the urban poor affected by the pandemic out of poverty.
The Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said this on Tuesday in Abuja while inaugurating the COVID-19 Rapid Response Registration (RRR) Cash Transfer Project.
According to him, the project is a national initiative to build a shock responsive framework for capturing and registering the urban poor and vulnerable populations across Nigeria.
Osinbajo said that the new register complements the already existing platforms under the World Bank supported National Social Safety nets Project (NASSP).
“As of Dec. 31, 2020, we have identified and registered about 24.3 million poor and vulnerable individuals into the National Social Register; equivalent to about 5.7 million households.
“Through this project, we are currently injecting about N10billion directly into the hands of about two million poor and vulnerable households every month.”
According to him, the initiative is about the largest evidence-based effort by any administration on poverty reduction and its impact on the lives of the poor is huge.
“This is by way of improving the livelihoods of the beneficiaries through enhanced household purchasing power, smoothening consumption, increasing savings and acquisition of household assets and improving the local economy.
Osinbajo said that the RRR was designed to focus mainly on the urban poor wards selected using scientifically validated methods of satellite remote sensing technology, machine learning algorithm and big data analysis.
“This social protection method of targeting is the first strategy to be developed and tested in the Sub-Saharan Africa region and Nigeria will be the first country for its implementation.
“With the RRR, which uses a wholly technology-based approach, we are primed to achieve an end-to-end digital foot-print in cash transfers for the urban poor.
“Which also helps us achieve our financial inclusion policy under the Enhancing Financial Innovation and Access programme (EFInA).”
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first set of 3,115 beneficiaries have already received N5,000 each cash transfer and the programme will continue until it reaches the one million target.
The cash transfers will be received by the beneficiaries for six months.
Also at the event, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Sadiya Farouq, said that the RRR would provide the gateway to many social development initiatives.
“This is because it uses innovative advancements in technology, in combination with ground-truthing processes, to generate an early response system.
“By design, the register also links to other databases such as banking information of respondents and national identity numbers.