Health

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has yesterday warned that a blanket booster programme for covid-19 may likely prolong the pandemic and increase equity. The WHO Director-General, Tedros Ghabreyesus, gave this warning at the Geneva Headquarters of WHO yesterday while giving a brief for the end of the year. Ghabreyesus said, “No country can boost its way out of the pandemic.
He added, “And boosters cannot be seen as a ticket to go ahead with planned celebrations, without the need for other precautions,”
The WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Expert on Immunisation (SAGE) has in the interim issued some guidelines saying, mass programmes for countries that can afford it will worsen vaccine imbalance.

Following the protest by Nigeria and other nationals on placing the country on a red list by the United Kingdom Authorities (UK) over the Omicron variant, the UK authorities have rescinded their decision by removing Nigeria and 10 other countries from the list. The UK Health Secretary, Sajid Javid, made this known when he briefed the British Parliament today. Javid affirmed to the lawmakers that today by 04:00GMT all the 11 countries will be removed from the red list by England authorities. He explained to the parliament that the red list has been short-lived because it was found to have failed to checkmate the spread of the Omicron variant. The Health Secretary said, “So I can announce today that whilst we’ll maintain our temporary testing measures for international travel, we will be removing all 11 countries from the travel red list effective from 4 am tomorrow.” Accordingly, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe are the Africa countries that made the red list. 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has disclosed it confirmed a fresh 1,588 new cases of the coronavirus in the country. The health agency revealed this in their new update record of yesterday saying the cases were reported in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja.

Nigeria, on Wednesday, recorded 1,386 new COVID-19 cases in the country. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed the figure in a tweet via its Twitter handle Wednesday night. Lagos, Rivers and FCT top the list with 476, 163 and 116 cases, respectively. This brought the total number of infections in the country to 114,691. The NCDC said 14 new COVID-19 patients were confirmed dead in the last 24 hours, while the total death toll stood at 1,478. The public health agency said the new cases were reported in 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA), on Tuesday, January 12, demolished five local entertainment centres known in Hausa language as “Gidan Drama” and “Gidan Dembe”, and also arraigned 25 persons including motorists and commuters for allegedly violating COVID-19 protocols, including lack of observance of social distance and refusal to wear facemask. The head, Media, Public Enlightenment and Advocacy of the FCT Ministerial Enforcement Taskforce, Comrade Ikharo Attah, while addressing reporters during the three hours exercise said: “the removal of the structures became inevitable following repeated warnings to the owners and operators of the Gidan Drama and Gidan Dembe to stop operations because they are prohibited to do so under the COVID-19 Protocols and Guidelines”.

The Minister of State for Health, Dr. Olorunnimbe Mamora, on Monday has hinted that the ongoing National Identification Number (NIN) registration may be suspended over COVID-19 risks accompanied by rise in cases. Mamora Stated this while speaking on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday. He urged the National Identity Management Commission (NIMC) to go back to the drawing board and re-order the process to avoid large crowds at its centres nationwide. Mamora who is also a member of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, said the government has a duty to ensure citizens are protected at all times.