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The House of Representatives yesterday adjourned plenary until next week following news that over 50 legislators may have been tested positive for Coronavirus A lawmaker confirmed the news that about 50 of his colleagues had been tested positive for the virus with some of them seriously ill. Findings also revealed that many of the lawmakers in both chambers of the National Assembly have tested positive for COVID-19 but refused making it known to the public. It cannot be ascertained if the recess will stretch to its usual two months due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Source: Sahara Reporters

Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State has tested positive for corona virus. The governor on Tuesday confirmed on his verified Twitter account that he contracted the virus and had gone on self-isolation. He explained that he had few days ago showed symptoms of malaria and had it treated. The governor added that he was later advised to take the malaria more serious by undergoing further tests. He said, "As at the time we had our party National Executive Council meeting, my colleagues called on me and I spoke with one of them who felt that malaria should not be treated lightly and I should go ahead and have a test of COVID-19. "The result came out today 30th June, 2020 and I tested positive but asymptomatic. I'm not feeling sick nor feeling hot in any way. "Let me assure our people that as you can see me, there are many of us that don't have the symptoms that is there and you cannot see it. "This time, we would conduct another test and we will

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved the extension of phase two of eased lockdown by another four weeks. This will take effect from Tuesday, June 30 through midnight of Monday, July 27, 2020. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha made this known to State House correspondents after briefing the president on the level of corona virus in the country. According to him, the extension has some modifications to the ease of lockdown protocols that allows inter-state travel outside the curfew hours which is 10: 00 pm to 4:00 am daily. The second phase of the eased lockdown also allows students who are taking their final examinations to resume schools. Source: Channels News

The federal ministry of education has proposed that schools must create temporary isolation spaces and fully-equipped clinics before reopening. The conditions are contained in a document entitled “Guidelines for Schools and Learning Facilities Reopening after COVID-19 Pandemic Closure”, submitted to the national assembly, a copy of which was obtained by The Nation on Wednesday. In the document, Adamu Adamu, minister of education, states that the conditions are key strategies for implementing safe, efficient, and equitable plans for school reopening and operations. “Given that COVID-19 may be with us for a while, the guidelines also highlight the urgent need to maintain and improve upon distance learning programmes,” the minister said. He added that the guidelines were drafted in close coordination with health, environmental, education, and school safety experts who were tasked with the responsibility of charting a pathway for safely reopening schools and learning facilities f

Benue State Government has announced that the first death from the coronavirus disease (COVID 19) has been recorded in the state. The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Sunday Ongbabo disclosed this to newsmen yesterday. Although he could not categorically confirm the cause of death, the Commissioner said the victim was being managed by the state government. According to him, the patient had other health complications arising from a surgery he had, adding that a post-mortem test conducted on the corpse came back positive for COVID 19. Source: Channels News

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has noted that Nigeria has been declared free from the polio disease. The UN health agency disclosed this on the official Twitter handle of its regional office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, @WHOAFRO. “Today, Nigeria’s complete documentation for Wild Polio virus free status was accepted by the Africa Regional Certification Commission for polio eradication (ARCC). “It is a historic day for Nigeria, Africa and the Global Polio Programme,’’ WHO said. Meanwhile, Faisal Shuaib, Executive Director and CEO of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), in a tweet at @drfaisalshuaib described the documentation as historical. “Amazing moment in history to have had our polio-eradication documentation accepted by (ARCC); the Nigeria team led by NPHCDA and partners demonstrated evidence of our polio-free status. “Nigeria achieving a Wild Polio Virus-free status today, is significant on multiple fronts. “I look back at the incre

The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have resolved to continue the nationwide strike despite the "no work no salary" threat NY the government. The NARD president, Aliyu Sokomba, described the government’s threat as “empty and the biggest joke of the century”, adding that the doctors are not intimidated and will go on with the strike until their demands are met. The government threatened to invoke the rule on Tuesday, a day after the NARD, the association of certified doctors undergoing residency to become consultants, began an indefinite strike over the failure of the government to meet their demands. The doctors said they downed tools over unpaid salaries, non-payment of hazard allowance, and a dearth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in hospitals, among several other reasons. Shortly after a meeting between officials of the NARD and that of the government ended in disagreement on Tuesday, the health minister, Osagie Ehanire, directed all medical

The Plateau Government has said that 29 of its health workers had contracted the coronavirus. Commissioner for Health, Dr Nimkong Lar, made the disclosure at a press briefing in Jos. According to the commissioner, the state has recorded 198 confirmed cases with 114 discharged and five deaths. “Update on Nigeria Centre for Disease Control says Plateau has 168 confirmed cases but results released now confirms we have 198 cases,’’ he said. Lar said the state had closed down a private hospital for two weeks, following its exposure to two COVID-19 patients, who were managed for other health conditions. He said that 17 staff of the hospital were confirmed with the disease, while all staff of the hospital have been quarantined. “We decontaminated the hospital yesterday and have closed it down for public safety.

The total number of COVID-19 cases on Monday has been put at 16,658. This is as 573 new cases were recorded. The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) announced this official Twitter handle. It said that as at June 15, Nigeria recorded four deaths while no new state reported any case in the last 24 hours. The NCDC said that Lagos reported the highest number of cases with 216 new cases and Rivers was second with 103 new infections. “The 573 new cases are reported from 20 states, Lagos (216), Rivers (103), Oyo (68), Edo (40), Kano (21), Gombe (20),FCT (17), Delta (13), Plateau (12), Bauchi (12), Niger (10), Kebbi ( (9) Ogun (8), Ondo (8), Abia (7), Nasarawa (5), Borno (1), Kwara (1), Benue (1), Anambra (1) The NCDC said that till date, Nigeria has 10,885 active cases while 5,349, patients have been treated and discharged. It added that Nigeria recorded 424 deaths in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory. The agency said that the increase in the number of COVID

The Nigerian government says it is still expecting President of the United States, Donald Trump, to fulfil his promise of giving ventilators to Nigeria. The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 said it told the US Embassy that the equipment was still needed in the fight against the pandemic. Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, made this known when the task force appeared before the House of Representatives Committee on Public Accounts in  Abuja. President Muhammadu Buhari had on April 28, 2020, quoted the US President as promising to supply ventilators to Nigeria. Mustapha told the House committee that the ventilators had not been delivered to Nigeria. The SGF said, “Most of the donations from the EU and other donor partners are not coming in the form of cash; they came in the form of equipment such as consumables. Even when President Trump spoke to our President, he promised to provide ventilators. We are waiting for the

Members of the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) have embarked on an indefinite nationwide strike. NARD President, Dr Aliyu Sokomba, announced this while addressing a press conference on Monday in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory. He noted that the union has decided to exempt its members working in various coronavirus (COVID-19) isolation and treatment centres across the country. This followed the virtual extra-ordinary National Executive Council meeting of the association held on Sunday. Dr Sokomba, however, stated that exemption of the members attending to COVID-19 patients was for two weeks before they join the industrial action. He explained that the union took the decision to go on strike as a result of the failed series of meetings between the doctors and the Federal Government in the last two weeks. According to the NARD president, the meetings have failed to resolve the lingering industrial disputes which include the non-payment of special allowa

President John Magufuli of Tanzania has declared the East African country “coronavirus-free”. The country however, refused to publish the number of corona virus cases This is coming after the World Health Organization (WHO) expressed concern over the government’s strategy on the pandemic. Magufuli, however, attributed the claimed success over the worldwide pandemic to prayers and fasting that the people of Tanzania offered to God. Magufuli said; “It gives me joy to be the leader of a country that puts God first, God loves Tanzania.   

President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil has threatened to withdraw Brazil from the World Health Organization, following in the footsteps of his US counterpart, Donald Trump, accusing it of “ideological bias.” “I’m telling you right now, the United States left the WHO, and we’re studying that, in the future. Either the WHO works without ideological bias, or we leave, too,” the far-right leader told journalists outside the presidential palace. Sometimes called a “Tropical Trump,” Bolsonaro has followed a similar script to the US president in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, downplaying its severity, criticizing state authorities’ stay-at-home measures and touting the purported effects of the drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine against COVID-19. Brazil has the third-highest death toll in the pandemic, after the US and Britain. The country of 212 million people has now confirmed more than 645,000 cases of the virus. Source: vanguardngr.com

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has announced that clinical trials of the drug hydroxychloroquine will resume as it searches for potential coronavirus treatments. On May 25, the WHO announced it had temporarily suspended the trials to conduct a safety review, which has now concluded there is “no reason” to change the way the trials are conducted. The UN health agency’s decision came after a study published in The Lancet medical journal suggesting the drug could increase the risk of death among COVID-19 patients. Hydroxychloroquine is normally used to treat arthritis but public figures including US President Donald Trump have backed the drug for COVID-19 prevention and treatment, prompting governments to bulk-buy. More than 3,500 patients have been recruited across 35 countries to take part in the trials. Source: Vanguard News

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the Federal Government would require hotels and school dormitories as quarantine and isolation centres because of shortage of hospital beds. He stated this on Thursday during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja. The minister noted that there were four levels of COVID-19 patients ranging from those on quarantine with zero or mild symptoms to those that would need to be in an intensive care unit. Ehanire said, “We have sadly recorded 254 deaths, most of them are persons associated with other ailments, confirming the general observation that risks are higher for those with illnesses such as hypertension, diabetes and non-communicable diseases. “We need to continue increasing bed capacity to match the probable number of patients so that we do not experience horrific scenes of bed space shortages seen in some European hospitals. “In event of overflow, we can require hotels and school dormitories to be prepar

The Minister of State for Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora, has warned  traditional medicine against treating patients suspected to have the corona virus disease. He however, advised the to refer the patients to relevant authorities such as hospitals. The Minister, made this known today while delivering a speech at a gathering with Traditional Medicine and Herbal Cure Practitioners against COVID-19. Mamora noted that the ravaging issue of the pandemic and the inability to get suitable vaccines called for a critical investigation into local solutions. Hence, the need for the government to intervene. He asserted that the government was prepared to use local solutions from traditionalists to ensure the virus was cured. This was however, in strict observance of relevant protocols and procedures. “The ministry recognises the role of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in health care delivery, especially at the primary health care level. Accordingly, the ministry ha

The Federal Government  has warned patients who recovered from the corona virus pandemic against revealing drugs used on them to members of the public. The chairman of the Presidential Task Force Committee on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha while expressing concerns that revealing the drugs could encourage self-medication. Mustapha who is also the Secretary to the Federal Government expressed his heart felt wishes and congratulatory messages to the recovered patient. He also said that five states in Nigeria were currently participating in the ongoing World Health Organization (WHO)-coordinated solidarity trial to find a cure for the pandemic. The outcome of this would reveal acceptable drugs to be used to cure the virus.

An Executive Director with the World Health Organisation, Mike Ryan, has said that the corona virus may just become one of the viruses around the world that kill people annually. The virus which first emerged in Wuhan, China, last year is said to have infected over 4 million people around the globe. According to Him, “We have a new virus entering the human population for the first time and therefore it is very hard to predict when we will prevail over it. This virus just may become another endemic virus in our communities and this virus may never go away. HIV hasn’t gone away". “I’m not comparing the two diseases but I think it is important that we’re realistic. I don’t think anyone can predict when or if this disease will disappear “HIV has not gone away — but we have come to terms with the virus.”

The Catholic Bishop Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has donated its over 400 hospitals across the country to the government as isolation centers. This was necessary to care  for victims who had tested positive to the corona virus disease. The Secretary to the Federal Government, Boss Mustapha, made this known today at the meeting of the presidential task force committee. He noted state governors can approach parish priests in their states to access the donated facilities. He also noted that the members of the Nigerian Institute of Architects have pledged their support towards redesigning all projects relating to COVID-19. In a similar dimension, the THISDAY Newspaper has also donated a dome testament and isolation project to assist the government in treating COVID-19 patients. This was to be commissioned before the week runs out.

The management of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC, has suspended the 2020 Batch A orientation camp. The statement read: “Sequel to the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic which led to the cancellation of the National Sports Festival, Management of the National Youth Service Corps Scheme wishes to announce the suspension of the on-going orientation for the 2020 Batch “A” Stream 1 Corps Members. “Therefore, the Corps Members shall be posted to commence their primary assignments forthwith, while they shall be invited back to the Orientation Camps when things improves, a bit like it happened a couple of years ago when the state was confronted by the Ebola virus threat.