The Federal Government has extended phase three of the relaxation of the COVID-19 lockdown by one month.
The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, who announced this at the weekly briefing of the task force in Abuja on Monday, said the initial 100,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccine would arrive in Nigeria early next month.
He said: “The PTF is improving on the International Travel Portal to minimise the challenges passengers keep encountering.
“Similarly, it is reviewing the guidelines on the implementation of phase three of the eased lockdown which is due to expire today.
“In view of the fact that our COVID-19 numbers are not abating, all extant measures prescribed in these guidelines, subject to some modifications, are extended by a period of one month with effect from Tuesday, January 26, 2020.”
“On the COVID-19 vaccines, we wish to assure all Nigerians that the vaccines will be safe and effective when eventually it is deployed. We enjoin everyone to join in the campaign to eliminate vaccine hesitancy.

Nigeria’s federal government has assured citizens that Covid-19 vaccines will not be hijacked or diverted by any group outside the distribution plan. There have 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.
NPHCDA, at a webinar press briefing, had released the sharing formula for the 100,000 doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.
According to the data from NPHCDA, the agency gave the proposed distribution breakdown of the vaccines as: Kano, 3,557; Lagos, 3,131; Katsina, 2,361; Kaduna, 2,074; Bauchi, 1,900; Oyo, 1,848; Rivers, 1,766; Jigawa, 1,712; Niger, 1,558; Ogun, 1,473; Sokoto, 1,468; Benue, 1,423; Borno, 1,416; Anambra, 1,379; Kebbi, 1,268; Zamfara, 1,336; Delta, 1,306; Imo, 1,267; Ondo, 1,228; and Akwa Ibom, 1,161.
Others are Adamawa, 1,129; Edo, 1,104; Plateau, 1,089; Enugu, 1,088; Osun, 1,032; Kogi, 1,030; Cross River, 1,023; Abia, 955; Gombe, 908; Yobe, 842; Ekiti, 830; Taraba, 830; Kwara, 815; Ebonyi, 747; Bayelsa, 589; FCT, 695 and Nasarawa, 661.
The sharing formula has since generated concern amongst some state governments, which expressed dismay over the yardstick applied by the federal government in arriving at what they described as the unfair formula.
Also there are fears that vaccine distribution may soon be marred with similar controversy that trailed the federal government’s implementation of the job creation scheme for 774,000 unskilled youths.
However, the Executive Director of the NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib, in a telephone interview with THISDAY on Sunday, said the fears that the vaccines would be diverted by politicians are unfounded.
He said: “NPHCDA will be entrusted with the vaccines for all Nigerians. Any fear that the vaccines would be diverted by politicians is unfounded. We will prioritise our health workers, strategic country leadership, the elderly, those with other underlying health conditions.
“These are ideas probably brought about by the anxieties over how we will be deploying the initial few quantities of vaccines. However, we expect that after the first few doses of vaccines, we will get more vaccines subsequently.
“Over the next few months, vaccine production will pick up, more candidate vaccines will be approved, supply will improve and the cost of vaccines will eventually drop.”
The agency had explained during a sensitisation programme for the media in Abuja that the first batch of the vaccines would be administered to a select group of Nigerians, with 50,000 of them given two doses of the vaccine each within 21 days.
A technical working group for the vaccine is headed by Shuaib to coordinate the implementation of the vaccination in the country.
Shuaib had said any vaccine going to be deployed in Nigeria must be tested by NAFDAC and certified safe for human use before being administered.
He had also explained that the first set of vaccines expected in Nigeria by the end of February would be the Pfizer-developed vaccine.
According to him, the equipment that will be used to store the vaccines is located at the National Strategic Cold Store of the NPHCDA at Idu, along Airport Road in Abuja.

With such a large population in our country, the vaccine that will arrive soon cannot solve the problem completely. This means that there are still many people who cannot be vaccinated, and people’s concerns are justified.

(Bloomberg) -- Nigeria wants its children back in school despite a resurgence of coronavirus cases that threatens to overwhelm the health-care system.
Infections have jumped more than sixfold since December, forcing the government to reopen isolation centers that closed last year as the disease appeared to ebb. But federal and state authorities insist that students return to school to avoid further dropouts.
Only 59% of school-age children went to school in October, compared to 74% in January 2019, according to Nigeria’s statistical agency. More than half of those who stayed at home said it was because schools were closed due to virus restrictions. Overall, since the lockdown was imposed in March, 45% of children haven’t received any learning activities at all, the agency said.
The West African nation already has the highest number of children in the world who aren’t in school -- more than 10 million, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Reopening schools was a “difficult decision” but “the best decision for our children’s safety and long-term development, especially our most vulnerable children,” Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said this week. In Lagos, a city of more than 22 million people, at least 24,000 children haven’t resumed their education since the lockdown, he said.
The coronavirus pandemic has put many of Nigeria’s children at risk, Sanwo-Olu said.
“Their parents or guardians now turn them to other things instead of ensuring that they have time to come back for learning -- even if it is twice or thrice a week.”

Since last year, social media users have been circulating false claims that COVID-19 vaccines contain tracking devices. Now some are purporting that a top health official confirmed in a viral video that the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have tracking mechanisms.
“Did I just hear what I thought I heard about this vaccination?!? Holy cow folks. This is Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary Admiral Brett Giroir,” a Facebook user captioned a post that included a short video of Giroir speaking at a press conference.
Another user shared the same clip, captioning the post: “Notice the part where he says ‘we have very sophisticated ways of tracking.’ Lol, yeah cause it’s built into the injections.”
“MILITARY ADMIRAL SAYS IT IS A TRACKING DEVICE ALSO,” a different user wrote.
In the 94-second video, Giroir discusses the need for people to receive two shots of either the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, noting that recipients have to take the same manufacturer's shot both times.
“There are very sophisticated tracking mechanisms as well as important incentives — financial incentives — for those who are providing the vaccines to make sure they get the second vaccine into the same person,” Giroir said.
Giroir did not say there were tracking mechanisms in the vaccine
A video of Giroir's full remarks, which took place at a Dec. 2 press conference with Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards, shows Giroir was directly responding to a reporter’s question about how the federal government will ensure that people receive the second vaccine dose and whether there will be a tracking system to aid this process.
While Giroir said there were “tracking mechanisms” when discussing the vaccines, he did not say there were tracking devices in the vaccines themselves.

The New York Department of Health said Friday it was reallocating Covid-19 vaccine doses from a hospital in New Rochelle after a local plan sought to vaccinate teachers and city workers, which would violate state guidelines. 
The state health department “is investigating this egregious violation of the state’s clearly defined guidelines for the COVID-19 vaccine,” department spokesperson Jonah Bruno said in an email. “The facility is facing potential sanctions and penalties for these violations and its vaccine supply will be reallocated to the County Health Department.” 
New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson told a local news outlet, The Journal News, that Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital had “misinterpreted the state guidelines” with a plan to vaccinate school and city employees. The guidelines from Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, limit vaccine eligibility to certain groups including health care workers and seniors in nursing homes. 
Bramson and Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.

It’s not funny that American medical institutions have gotten into trouble distributing vaccines. Think about us, where are our vaccines? Yes, we have already purchased vaccines, but most of the vaccines have actually been controlled by developed economies. Our procurement channels are not many, and the quantity cannot fully meet the needs.

The PTF on COVID-19 has said schools will still resume on January 18 unless the Ministry of Education makes a contrary announcement.
The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has stated that schools in the country will still resume on January 18 till the Ministry of Education makes a contrary announcement.
Contrary to the report across some media platforms that the Federal Government has postponed school resumption from January 18 indefinitely, the PTF explained that though it is meeting several stakeholders on schools re-opening, the government has not shifted the resumption date.
This was disclosed by the PTF National Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu, on Tuesday during a television programme.
The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, had earlier explained that government may review the date but that the decision had not yet been taken and the review would be attributed to the second wave of COVID-19 currently ravaging the country.
Aliyu responding to questions on Tuesday said, “As regards schools, I just want to make a clarification, what the minister said yesterday was that they were going to review, he didn’t say that they were going to change the date. He said they will review the situation and let the nation know.
“So, for the moment, it is still 18th January until the ministry of education comes back either with an alternative date or reconfirm that.”
What it means: This means that there are chances that the government may shift the resumption date if the daily COVID cases increase between now and Friday, January 15, 2021.
What you should know
On Sunday, January 9, Nairametrics reported that the total number of covid-19 cases in Nigeria has surpassed the 100,000 mark, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
The national case count had risen to 100,087 confirmed cases and 1,358 covid related deaths after the NCDC reported 1,024 new cases of the disease across 17 states of the federation.
Ten days into the New Year, Nigeria has already recorded 12,508 new cases of Covid-19, which is only 37% short of 19,980 cases recorded in December 2020 and 166% more than 4,704 recorded in November 2020.

LOS ANGELES — The U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force are deploying 150 medical personnel to four Southern California hospitals to help overburdened staff address the Covid-19 surge, which has infected more than 825,000 people in Los Angeles County alone. 
Another 40 U.S. Army Reserve medical personnel will be deployed to Arizona, and about 25 health care professionals will aid Navajo Nation relief efforts in New Mexico and Arizona.
The added support comes as public health officials across the country warn that the United States has not seen the full effects of holiday gatherings.
Pray, I hope these 150 professionals can alleviate the plight of Los Angeles County. The more than 800,000 infections are a disaster. Do American politicians only pay attention to the presidential election?

The Nigerian government announced the suspension of 100 passports of passengers who failed to comply with a mandatory COVID-19 test following the seventh day of their arrival.
A notice from the government imposed a six-month suspension on their passports with effect from January 1 to June 30.
The notice added that the offending passengers, whose nationalities were not identified, were duly notified of the government’s action.
“Defaulting passengers have been notified and will not be allowed to travel using these passports during this period,” the COVID-19 Presidential Task Force (PTF) said.
In late December, Nigeria imposed tougher measures for passengers traveling into the country, particularly from the UK and South Africa, in the wake of a surge in COVID-19 cases locally and the detection of new COVID-19 variants in those countries.
Passengers from the two countries are to be received and processed separately by public health authorities upon arrival in Nigeria. Additionally, all such passengers are required to self-isolate for seven days after arrival after which they will have to undertake a COVID-19 PCR test.
Passengers who will test positive for COVID-19 thereafter will be referred for isolation and further management while those who test negative will be allowed to leave isolation.
Nigeria has reported more than 90,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and more than 1,300 related deaths, according to data from the World Health Organization.

The Chief Medical Director, Federal Teaching Hospital( FETHI), Ido-Ekiti, Ekiti State, Professor Adekunle Ajayi has advised Nigerians to accept the COVID-19 vaccine whenever it is available.
The health expert also cautioned Nigerians not to allow the discovery of the vaccine outshine the safety protocols.
Ajayi gave this admonition during a “Long Service Award” ceremony held for some health workers who have served for 20 years unblemished.
The CMD said the award was a call on the recipients to continue to contribute to the development of the teaching hospital.
Expressing concern over the attitudes of some Nigerians to safety procedures, Ajayi said apathy was the major challenge at the moment.
“There is apathy on the part of people to do the right thing. When you get to that point, you need to keep talking. The truth is that we moved from an era when fear was the motivating factor to one where apathy is the major challenge. That is expected for anything that is longer than expected or that will also affect the comfort of people. We are on top of the game”.
The medical expert, however, advised Nigerians to accept the vaccine as it would go a long way in combating the dreaded virus.
“As I have always said, the best form of prevention in infectious diseases is hygiene, that is an issue that we must not let down. We must continue to talk about hygiene – personal hygiene, community hygiene and basic things – use mask, wash your hands, use hand sanitisers, maintain the appropriate distance and avoid crowded areas. Take responsibility to ensure that you are not infected. When you take responsibility to protect yourself, you are indirectly protecting the several people around you.
“Health professionals have used vaccines over the years to tackle infectious diseases. This one is not going to be an exception. We are lucky that we have been able to get the vaccine even ahead of the expected time. there is the need to sensitise the populace on the benefits of taking the vaccine.
“Because no matter how well-intended a scheme is if the people do not accept it, it is going to end up as a failure. We have to sensitize the public to accept that these vaccines are meant to help them as part of measures.

It is a good thing to get a vaccine against COVID-19! Why should you escape? In this harsh environment, we all hope not to be infected with COVID-19 and look forward to the vaccine being developed soon, because I want to live the good life earlier.

Upon inauguration in March 2020, the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 was tasked to primarily control the pandemic by interrupting viral transmission, reduce the risk of the health system being overwhelmed due to increased demand; and minimise mortality among the most vulnerable parts of the population. In achieving these three-pronged objectives, Chiemelie Ezeobi writes that the recent extension of its mandate over the upsurge in number of infections is still a call to duty
When the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 was inaugurated, the task before them was broken into three parts- interrupting viral transmission, reducing the risk of the health system being overwhelmed due to increased demand; and minimising mortality among the most vulnerable parts of the population.
With backing from the presidency, legislature, state governors, ministries, representatives of the network of partners, the PTF kicked off its mandate and had over the months tackled the pandemic with relevant health ministries, departments and agencies. The first mandate was for six month but they got an additional three months extension.
At the end of the three months extension in December, the presidency once again extended it to another three months in a bid to tackle the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic.
Giving account of the first nine months in office,in his submission at the PTF end of the year report on COVID-19, the Chairman, Boss Mustapha, who also doubles as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said the taskforce led the execution of interventions geared towards achieving epidemic control of COVID-19 in Nigeria since March 2020, when it was inaugurated.
Giving a breakdown of the objectives why the taskforce was set up, Mustapha said the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, which is championing Nigeria’s COVID-19 response, has been driven by science and data, adding that it was designed to achieve three primary aims of epidemic control by interrupting viral transmission, reducing the risk of the health system being overwhelmed due to increased demand; and minimising mortality among the most vulnerable parts of the population.
The other objectives he added include “the reinvigoration of our nation’s health system, infrastructure and manpower to enable Nigeria conveniently confront any future outbreak and also build her potentials for medical tourism which has been a source of foreign exchange and brain drain over the years”.
With the successes recorded in the first six months, the taskforce’s mandate was extended for another three months. According to Mustapha, “the operations of the PTF have been driven through out the initial six months and the extended three months mandate, by a multi-sectoral process which facilitated expansive and indepth consideration of issues as well as speedy decision making.
“The process enjoyed the overwhelming support of the partners from the private sector and the international community. Through these partners, Nigeria was able to put in place critical infrastructure nationwide, procure scarce medical equipment, test kits, and personal protective materials, etc.”
Not solely restricted to the medical and scientific aspect of the countering the pandemic, the PTF was also able to deliver palliatives to Nigerians in the various states. For transparency, two web portals sponsoredby the Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) and the UNDP were opened for the tracking of resources mobilised from all sources. Similarly, a national register of resources mobilised has been created and remains under constant updating, he added.
Stating that the end of the year report represents the state of the National Response as at the end of nine months of hard work, he stressed that it remains work in progress because COVID-19 has not abated.
“Countries of the world including Nigeria, have been experiencing a second wave of infections which has proven to be more virulent. This, the report being presented has captured for posterity the strategy adopted, the resources mobilised and committed, achievements recorded, lessons learnt and it represents a useful roadmap for a national response, should emergencies occur in future.”

There are three moments this year that determined the scale of the COVID-19 catastrophe in the United States, argues New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright in a sweeping, searing look at the country’s year spent fighting (and failing) against COVID-19. The magazine is devoting an entire double-issue to cataloguing those missteps and the many other mistakes made by officials that set us on a path towards hundreds of thousands of deaths from the disease.
The first happened January 3, when Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), spoke with his Chinese counterpart about a new respiratory virus. Redfield wanted to send a CDC team to China, but was turned down. Instead, the CDC was kept out of China, and the agency was slow to understand the risk the virus posed.
“Redfield is convinced that, had CDC specialists visited China in early January, they would have learned exactly what the world was facing,” Wright writes. “The new pathogen was a coronavirus, and as such it was thought to be only modestly contagious, like its cousin the SARS virus. This assumption was wrong.”
There are three moments this year that determined the scale of the COVID-19 catastrophe in the United States, argues New Yorker staff writer Lawrence Wright in a sweeping, searing look at the country’s year spent fighting (and failing) against COVID-19. The magazine is devoting an entire double-issue to cataloguing those missteps and the many other mistakes made by officials that set us on a path towards hundreds of thousands of deaths from the disease.
The first happened January 3, when Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), spoke with his Chinese counterpart about a new respiratory virus. Redfield wanted to send a CDC team to China, but was turned down. Instead, the CDC was kept out of China, and the agency was slow to understand the risk the virus posed.
“Redfield is convinced that, had CDC specialists visited China in early January, they would have learned exactly what the world was facing,” Wright writes. “The new pathogen was a coronavirus, and as such it was thought to be only modestly contagious, like its cousin the SARS virus. This assumption was wrong.”

The Federal Executive Council has approved the total sum of N8.1 billion for the rehabilitation of roads in 10 states across the country and the FCT.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Honourable Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola, listed the states that will benefit as Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Cross River, Nasarawa, Lagos, Ogun, Kogi, Edo, Yobe and Delta States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
The Minister revealed that the total sum of these contracts is N8,180,948,137.50 and that the council approved the request on behalf of FERRMA.
Commenting on the recent development, Mr. Fashola noted that:
“The Ministry of Works and Housing presented a memorandum on behalf of the Federal Roads Maintenance Agency, FERMA. This was for general repairs, emergency repairs and maintenance of roads and critical intervention on 10 roads in different parts of Nigeria. One is the maintenance of Ikot Ekpene-Itu road in Cross River state, repair and maintenance of Onitsha – Aguleri-Adani road in Anambra State, the general maintenance of Nasarawa-Toto-Abaji road and reinstatement of failed pavement sections on the Zuba-Abaji road in the FCT.
“Major maintenance repairs along Atan-Agbara in the border of Lagos and Ogun states along Badagri area, general maintenance of Okene-Adogo-Ajaokuta-Itobe road in Kogi, the construction of Aden bridge between Okada and Ogbogui-Abangbe spur to Benin-Shagamu dual carriageway in Edo state.
“General maintenance repairs of Potiskum-Fika-Ngalda-Gombe road in Yobe state, general maintenance repairs of Benin-Asaba-Onitsha dual carriageway that is existing road to the Niger Bridge, general maintenance repairs of the Warri-Benin carriageway in Delta state.
Nairametrics earlier reported that the Federal Government of Nigeria had earmarked a total sum of N190 billion for road construction and rehabilitation in Nigeria.

President Muhammadu Buhari has extended the mandate of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 till the end of March 2021 due to a surge in the number of cases as a result of the outbreak of the second wave of the pandemic.

The extension is also on account of the need to coordinate access to and distribution of the Covid-19 vaccine in Nigeria in the new year.
The disclosure was made by the president on Tuesday in Abuja while receiving the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19’s End-of-Year Report from members of the task force led by its Chairman, Boss Mustapha.
Buhari said, “Recent reports reaching me indicate that Nigeria is now facing a rise in confirmed COVID-19 cases nationwide which is similar to the second wave of infections occurring in other countries across the world. New epicentres have been identified and the nation cannot afford to lose the gains of the last nine months.” I have critically evaluated the situation and remain convinced that urgent measures have to be taken to halt the spread and the attendant fatalities. Closely associated with the foregoing is the need to speedily and strategically access and administer the COVID vaccine in a safe, effective and timely manner.
”This is an important obligation that we owe Nigerians as we go into the year 2021 and it must be carried out through an efficient machinery. The nation is clearly in a perilous situation given the virulent nature of this second wave and we must act decisively to protect our people.”
I, therefore, urged all sub-national entities, traditional rulers, religious and leaders of thought to collaborate with the PTF by taking up the responsibility for risk communication and community engagement at all levels. Now is the time for collective efforts to be intensified.
The president advised that Nigerians should continue to stay safe and abide by all the protective guidelines issued by relevant authorities, during this festive season and beyond.

SAN RAMON, Calif. -- More than 1 million people have passed through U.S. airport security checkpoints in each of the past two days in a sign that public health pleas to avoid holiday travel are being ignored, despite an alarming surge in COVID-19 cases.
It marks the first time U.S. airports have screened more than 1 million passengers since Nov. 29. That came at the end of a Thanksgiving weekend that saw far more travel around the country than had been hoped as the weather turned colder and COVID-19 cases were already spiking again.
Now, hospitals in many areas are being overwhelmed amid the largest outbreak of COVID-19 in the U.S. since March, when most Americans were ordered to stay home and avoid interactions with other households.
The seven-day rolling average of newly reported infections in the U.S. has risen from about 176,000 a day just before Thanksgiving to more than 215,000 a day. It’s too early to calculate how much of that increase is due to travel and gatherings over Thanksgiving, but experts believe they are a factor.
Although lockdowns are no longer in effect in many parts of the country, stay-at-home orders have returned in some areas in effort to contain the virus. Nearly 99% of California's population of roughly 40 million people, for instance, has been told to remain at home except for essential work, shopping and exercise.
If that early trend continues, U.S. public health officials fear it will lead to more superspreader events as people unwittingly transmit the virus to family and friends while gathering indoors for holiday celebrations. Health officials note the upcoming holiday period from Christmas to New Year's Day covers a longer timespan than the Thanksgiving break.
Even more travel is expected as Christmas draws closer. AAA projects about 85 million people will travel between Dec. 23 and Jan. 3, most of them by car. That would be a drop of nearly one-third from a year ago, but still a massive movement of people in the middle of a pandemic.

There is a high probability of a future super-spread event in the United States, and travel restrictions are recommended for that country.

Nigeria's minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, has said that the country may not be able to get some of the new vaccines because of temperature - Osagie revealed that it is important for the country to assess the available vaccines before anyone is adopted - The minister also revealed the temperature nature in the country and how it may be bad for the preservation of some of them.
Nigeria’s minister of health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, has said that the country may be facing a big challenge if it goes for COVID-19 vaccines that must be stored in ultra-cod freezers. Osagie said that the country does not have such a facility and Nigerian may have to raise funds to buy them to preserve the vaccines, Punch reports.
Vice-chancellor of the Redeemer’s University, Nigeria, Oyewale Tomori, earlier said that Nigeria may be facing what he called a “humongous problem” when storing the vaccines.
The minister on Wednesday, December 16, made this know during his meeting with journalists shortly after the Federal Executive Council that was headed by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Nigeria's minister explains what the country would need to preserve new vaccines. Photo source: Punch Source: UGC He went further that it is important to know what vaccines to adopt because of the different temperatures that are required for preservation. He partly said: “We signed up for advanced market participation in COVAX. So, if we will be able to get our own, I think it will be in January. “But there are two types of vaccines. There are those that have to be in ultra-deep freezers - the MRA type of vaccines. That is, the freezer that must give you -80 percent type of degree.” The minister further revealed that the federal government is working on the logistics of the vaccines to eventually go for. He spoke on the need for that as the country’s population is in millions. Enahire added that country’s epileptic power supply and the cold nature in the country will not support some vaccines.

NEWARK, N.J. (Reuters) - The United States expanded its rollout of the newly approved COVID-19 vaccine to hundreds of additional distribution centers on Tuesday, inoculating thousands more healthcare workers in a mass immunization expected to reach the general public in the coming months.
Distribution of the vaccine developed by Pfizer Inc and German partner BioNTech SE began on Monday, three days after it won U.S. emergency-use authorization, opening a new front in the battle against a pandemic claiming more than 2,400 U.S. lives a day.
Political leaders and medical authorities have launched a two-pronged media blitz avowing the safety of the vaccines while urging Americans to remain diligent about social distancing and mask-wearing until inoculations become widely available.
“As a polio survivor, I am a huge supporter of vaccinations. Whenever my turn comes, I will absolutely take the vaccine and do my part to reassure anyone who’s doubtful. It’s the right thing to do for yourself, for your family, and for the country,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell said on Twitter.
At University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, emergency room nurse Maritza Beniquez on Tuesday became the first person in that state to receive the vaccine in one of numerous such made-for-TV moments playing out across the country.
“I couldn’t wait for this moment to hit New Jersey. I couldn’t wait for it to hit the U.S.,” Beniquez said as she was vaccinated with Governor Phil Murphy looking on.
Initial doses have been earmarked for doctors, nurses and other front-line medical professionals, along with residents and staff of nursing homes. Other essential workers, senior citizens and individuals with chronic medical conditions will be next in line.
It will take several months, perhaps until late spring, before vaccines can be obtained on demand by the public at large, U.S. officials have said.
In the meantime, a surge of infections and hospitalizations - approaching 111,000 patients in treatment on Tuesday - continued to strain healthcare systems to the brink of collapse in cities and rural areas across the country.
Nationwide, the highly contagious respiratory virus has killed 301,085 people and infected at least 16.5 million as of Monday, according to a Reuters tally of official data.

With Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine poised for Food and Drug Administration authorization for emergency use, there's speculation about when the United States will buy another batch of doses — and whether the Trump administration already missed its chance.
Although a Pfizer board member says the government declined to buy more doses beyond the initial 100 million agreed upon in July, Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar told PBS Newshour that this is inaccurate. The company never made a formal offer saying how many doses it would deliver and when — two things that are needed to sign an additional deal.
"They refused to commit to any other production or delivery by a time certain," he said, explaining that the initial doses will be delivered by March, and there is an option for the government to buy another 500 million after that. "I'm certainly not going to sign a deal with Pfizer, giving them $10 billion to buy vaccine that they could deliver to us five, 10 years hence. That doesn't make any sense."
Azar said the government started new negotiations with Pfizer in early October, but "they still resisted giving us any date by which they would do it." He said they're making progress in their negotiations, but the government is willing to use "every power of the Defense Production Act" to get the additional necessary Pfizer vaccine doses.
Pfizer board member and former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb told CNBC Tuesday that the federal government declined "multiple times" to purchase more doses of Pfizer's vaccine over the summer, and it may have missed out on getting more in the second quarter of 2021.
"Pfizer did offer an additional allotment coming out of that plan — basically the second quarter allotment — multiple times," Gottlieb told CNBC.
Gottlieb noted that the government has agreements to buy hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines from six manufacturers as part of Operation Warp Speed, the Trump administration's more than $10 billion push to make a coronavirus vaccine available in record time. He suspects the government is betting more than one vaccine would ultimately get the FDA's authorization.
"That perhaps could be why they didn't take up that additional 100 million option agreement, which really wouldn't have required necessarily them to front money. It was just an agreement that they would purchase those vaccines," Gottlieb said. "So Pfizer has gone ahead and entered into some agreements with other countries to sell them some of that vaccine in the second quarter of 2021."
And that could mean there's less available for the U.S. government to buy when it's ready to do so.
The New York Times first reported Monday on the negotiations for more doses, saying that Pfizer offered the U.S. government between 100 million and 500 million additional doses and warned that its vaccine could be in short supply, given demand around the world. As a result, a second allotment might not be available to the U.S. until next June.

President-elect Joe Biden said Tuesday that "masking, vaccinations, opening schools” are the top three goals of the first 100 days of his administration. 
One researcher called Biden's mask commitment a "very wise and smart decision," but urged Americans to not wait until the Jan. 20, Inauguration Day. 
If, starting now, 95 percent of Americans wore masks in public, at least 66,000 lives could be saved by April, said Ali Mokdad, a professor at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. Mokdad has been tracking the impact of the virus based on mask mandates around the country. 
Biden said he planned to sign an executive order to mandate mask use in places such as federal buildings and during interstate travel on planes, trains and buses.
Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist at the Harvard T.H. School of Public Health, is skeptical how well Biden's plea for Americans to wear masks for the first 100 days he's in office — until April 30 — will land in parts of the country that have resisted them.
But, “if there's very consistent messaging, if Biden can work very closely with the governors of all 50 states and if we can get people on board, then I think it can be an extraordinarily powerful way to help limit spread,” Mina said.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry's National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA) has so far not received any document from Pfizer for evaluation registration and testing of the Covid-19 vaccine.
Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said the ministry has no direct information on whether there have been some problems in the supply of the vaccine as reported by a foreign media agency.
"The Health Ministry, however, will monitor developments on the Pfizer's Covid-19 vaccine and obtain more information on the matter.
"The ministry will notify the public on developments from time to time," he said in a statement today.
Dr Noor Hisham was commenting on a Reuters report on Dec 4 which, among others, said that the pharmaceutical company may not be able to meet its production target for the vaccine for 2020 due to a lack of raw materials.
He said it was the NPRA's responsibility to ensure all products go through the evaluation and testing process based on the principles of quality, safety and effectiveness before being registered for the Malaysian market.
Apart from that, he said NPRA also ensures that the quality, safety and effectiveness of vaccines and registered medicines are always guaranteed through the quality product monitoring programme and pharmacovigilance. - Bernama
Is Pfizer really short of raw materials? The company may have insufficient production capacity, but it will not fail to supply to the Americans and British! We have to make it clear that "America First" is not just a slogan!

The total confirmed COVID-19 infections in the country jumped to 68,937 on Saturday as Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC ), reported 310 new Coronavirus (COVID-19 ) cases in 11 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The News Agency of Nigeria(NAN), reports that the country has conducted about 791,539 tests since the first COVID-19 case was announced in February.
According to it, the number of deaths rose from 1,179 to 1,180 with one addition.
The public health agency stated that the FCT took the lead with 128 new infections, followed by Lagos with 86, while Kaduna and Kastina recorded 26 and 20 infections respectively.
Other recorded cases were as follows: Rivers, 19, Oyo, seven, Benue, Edo, Jigawa and Ogun, five each, while Bayelsa and Kano had two cases each.
The NCDC said that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre activated at Level 3 had continued to coordinate the national response activities.
The health agency reminded Nigerians that the fight against COVID-19 required a collective effort from all.
“Everyone has a role to play to reduce the risk of COVID-19. We must all remember that we can come in contact with infected people with no symptoms.
“Protect others as they take responsibility to protect you. Wear a face mask. Observe physical distancing. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water,” it advised.

The NCDC said that it was committed to building functional structures that would strengthen the fight to rid Nigeria of the pandemic.
“This pandemic has challenged us greatly; it has also provided us clarity on what we need to do to secure our future. History will not judge us kindly if we fail to act,” it said.

The latest COVID-19 daily update report as of November 28th, 2020 shows that there are cumulative confirmed cases of 1,411,393 in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Out of the growing number, South Africa, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, and Ghana top the list with a total of 1,095,410 confirmed cases, representing 77.6% whilst the other 41 member-countries of the sub-region contributed 22.4%.
According to the report, South Africa tops the list with a cumulative confirmed case of 785,153 (55.6%), followed by Ethiopia 109,247 (7.7%), Kenya 82,605 (5.9%), Nigeria 67,330 (4.8%), and Ghana 51,075 (3.6%).

A new report released today by Google and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), estimates that Africa’s Internet economy has the potential to reach 5.2% of the continent’s gross domestic product (GDP) by 2025, contributing nearly $180 billion to its economy. The projected potential contribution could reach $712 billion by 2050.
Driving this growth is a combination of increased access to faster and better quality Internet connectivity, a rapidly expanding urban population, a growing tech talent pool, a vibrant startup ecosystem, and Africa’s commitment to creating the world’s largest single market under the African Continental Free Trade Area.
Currently, Africa is home to 700,000 developers and venture capital funding for startups has increased year-on-year for the past five years, with a record $2.02 billion in equity funding raised in 2019, according to Partech Ventures Africa.
“The digital economy can and should change the course of Africa’s history. This is an opportune moment to tap into the power of the continent’s tech startups for much-needed solutions to increase access to education, healthcare, and finance, and ensure a more resilient recovery, making Africa a world leader in digital innovation and beyond,” said Stephanie von Friedeburg, Interim Managing Director, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of IFC.
Digital startups in Africa are driving innovation in fast-growing sectors, including fintech, healthtech, media and entertainment, e-commerce, e-mobility, and e-logistics, contributing to Africa’s growing Internet gross domestic product (iGDP) — defined as the Internet’s contribution to the GDP.
“Google and IFC have created this report to highlight the role the digital startup sector is playing and other factors driving the continent’s growth, in order to showcase and support the opportunities the continent presents,” said Google Africa director Nitin Gajria.
An analysis within the report, conducted by Accenture, found that in 2020, the continent’s iGDP may contribute approximately $115 billion to Africa’s $2.554 trillion GDP (4.5% of total GDP). This is up from $99.7 billion (3.9% of total GDP) in 2019, with the potential to grow as the continent’s economies develop.
Investments in infrastructure, consumption of digital services, public and private investment, and new government policies and regulations will play an important role in supporting Africa’s digital growth. The report notes that investment in digital skills will also need to increase in order to help drive technology usage and continue to grow the continent’s talent pool.

The NFL has ordered team facilities to be closed to in-person activities early next week in a bid to slow the spread of COVID-19 among players and staffers.
A memo from commissioner Roger Goodell, tweeted Friday night by the NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, says in-person meetings are prohibited on Monday and Tuesday and must be held virtually.
The NFL said it was taking the step because of the growing number of COVID-19 cases in the country and because it came to the league's attention that a "number of players and staffers celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday with out-of-town guests."
Teams playing on Monday and Tuesday are exempt from the order. 
The Seattle Seahawks are visiting the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, and the twice-rescheduled Baltimore Ravens-Pittsburgh Steelers game was moved to Tuesday.
Players receiving medical treatment are also exempt.
The NFL Players Association asked players who had out-of-town guests to let their teams know so additional testing can be done.

On Tuesday, November 24, 2020, here are the latest COVID-19 numbers around the world, according to statistics aggregator, Worldometer.
World Cases: Over 59.8 million.
World Deaths: 1,408,289 deaths.
Countries Outside of the US with Most Infections:
India: 9,193,825 confirmed cases; 134,383 deaths.
Brazil: 6,090,197 confirmed cases; 169,569 deaths.
France: 2,144,660 confirmed cases; 49,232 deaths.
Russia: 2,138,828 confirmed cases; 37,031 deaths.
Spain: 1,606,905 confirmed cases; 43,131 deaths.

(CNN)November isn't even over, and the US has already seen more new Covid-19 cases than any other month of this entire pandemic.
More than 3 million new cases were reported between November 1 and 22, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. That's about a quarter of all US cases since the beginning of this pandemic.
Yes, testing has increased. But it hasn't kept pace with the rate of new infections.
As of late last week, the number of daily new cases increased 25% compared to the previous week, according to Johns Hopkins data.
But the number of new tests increased only 14.55%, according to the Covid Tracking Project.
And in 44 states, the percentage of positive tests is higher than the recommended 5% threshold.
"If a positivity rate is too high, that may indicate that the state is only testing the sickest patients who seek medical attention, and is not casting a wide enough net to know how much of the virus is spreading within its communities," Johns Hopkins said.
And every surge in new cases leads to more hospitalizations and deaths in the following weeks.

In the suffering land of Africa, the Americans painted us many beautiful patterns, told us what to do, and promised us many times. The question is how many promises have been fulfilled? When Biden and Trump, Democrats and Republicans are attacking each other for the position of the next president, will they unconditionally give us $20 billion and enough food?

The repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic could nearly double the number of people experiencing serious food insecurity before the end of 2020. The situation is particularly dire for those living in conflictaffected settings. In these instances, violence has already impeded people's ability to produce, process, and access food or to obtain food to eat. In countries such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), northeast Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen, the combined effects of conflict, COVID-19, and other factors have gravely exacerbated food insecurity and put millions of people at risk of famine.

But not everyone experiences food insecurity in the same ways. Women and girls are disproportionately and uniquely affected by food insecurity. Pervasive cultural and social norms often dictate that women and girls are responsible for providing food for their families but also that women and girls should eat last and least. COVID-19 is making food insecurity worse for women and girls. Virus-control measures are preventing them from producing or processing food and they are more likely to lose their jobs due to the economic effects of the pandemic. With few coping mechanisms left, women and girls are facing an unprecedented crisis.
To prevent famine, support lives and livelihoods, and address the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic in areas experiencing conflict and extreme hunger, including DRC, northeast Nigeria, South Sudan, and Yemen, the U.S. Administration and Congress must:

Ensure adequate flexibility of food aid modalities, with food assistance provided in whatever forms---such as cash, vouchers, or in-kind assistance---are most appropriate and effective in each context;

Provide at least $20 billion in further supplemental funding to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects around the world;

Ensure continued funding for programs that support the needs and rights of women and girls, including those focused on gender-based violence prevention and response, women's economic empowerment and rights, and youth engagement;

Engage in robust diplomacy that includes women and girls to prevent and resolve the conflicts that drive humanitarian need. This includes promoting accountability and compliance with the law of armed conflict and human rights law, particularly in support of principled humanitarian access;

Actively work to achieve political solutions to crises, promote durable solutions to displacement, and support communities to recover and rebuild their lives and livelihoods. These processes must include women and girls to ensure gender-transformative recoveries and sustainable futures;

Collaborate with local organizations, especially women-led organizations that are already responding to the crisis. These organizations are best positioned to assist communities in the midst of conflict and the pandemic, as well as to prepare for and lead future humanitarian responses.

Eight months into the pandemic, the coronavirus is infecting Americans at an increasing pace no matter where they live.
The seven-day average of new cases was climbing in every state in the U.S. on Sunday, a shift from earlier waves of the pandemic when rates ebbed in some regions and leaped in others.
The count of new cases is edging closer to 200,000 each day. A month ago, there were about 8 million cases in all. On Oct. 31, they hit more than 9 million. Last week, it surpassed 10 million. The acceleration is a troubling sign in the week before Thanksgiving, one of the country's busiest travel holidays, when large swaths of the population will visit older relatives.
The upper Midwest and Rocky Mountain West were home to some of the worst hot spots, with seven-day average rates rising as much as 30% in Wyoming and 24% in Minnesota. In the past week, 30 states saw single-day record case counts, according to Covid Tracking Project data. New Jersey, Arkansas and Alaska all broke records Sunday.
Worsening case counts have forced state leaders to reverse course on reopening, testing the patience and willpower of an exhausted American public. New Jersey took steps to curb indoor and outdoor gatherings, Washington state reimposed measures Sunday and Michigan ordered a three-week partial shutdown.
Increasing case counts are putting additional pressure on hospital systems, with a record of 69,987 people currently hospitalized for COVID-19 in the U.S. North and South Dakota saw their health-care systems under significant strain, with 525 and 625 patients hospitalized per million, respectively, the highest of any states when scaled for population.
The U.S. reported an additional 145,670 cases Sunday, about 25,000 fewer than Friday's record high, according to Covid Tracking Project data. (Reporting on weekends is patchy, which can affect case counts.)
There have been more than 246,000 deaths cumulatively, Johns Hopkins University data show.
According to Covid Tracking Project data:
— Alaska, Minnesota and South Dakota had the most new cases per million people.
— The states with the worst momentum are Wyoming, Colorado, Minnesota, Vermont and Michigan as measured by the% change in seven-day average cases from a week earlier.