Team Begins Hunt For COVID-19 Origins In China After Quarantine – WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) researchers on Thursday, after the end of their quarantine in China, began investigations hoping to learn more about the origins of COVID-19. China had required that the team spend a 14-day quarantine period in a hotel before they could begin their investigations in the city of Wuhan, where the virus is believed to have crossed from animals to humans in 2019

The African Union (AU)has said it has secured nearly 300 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for distribution to its member states. Dr Nicaise Ndembi, the Senior Science Adviser for the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed this on Wednesday, saying that the vaccines have been secured independently of the COVAX global effort to be distributed to low-income countries.

COVID-19: WHO Endorses Pfizer Vaccine For Immunization In Nigeria

The World Health Organization (WHO) has on Tuesday announced that it has authorized the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for Nigeria, ahead of the delivery of the vaccine to the country. This was announced by Dr. Walter Kaza Mulombo, the WHO Country Representative during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 press briefing in Abuja, saying that the Pfizer vaccine which requires to be stored in -70 degrees Celsius has been approved for Nigeria by WHO and will be made available for emergency use. Also, the government has commenced talks with the Chinese government to make the COVAX vaccine accessible with Nigeria hoping to get about 42 million doses.

UK Coronavirus Strain Detected In At Least 60 Countries ― WHO

The UK coronavirus strain has been detected in at least 60 countries, the World Health Organization said Wednesday, 10 more than a week ago. With the global death toll now well past two million, and new variants of the virus causing deep concern, countries across the world are grappling with how to slow infections until vaccines become widely available.

COVID-19: FG May Impose Fresh Lockdown - PTF

The Federal Government has on Thursday said it will impose a fresh lockdown across the country if the rising COVID-19 cases persist, the National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on Covid-19, Sani Aliyu announced. Aliyu said this during the PTF daily press briefing in Abuja explaining that the rise in new COVID-19 infections was alarming and may require a fresh lockdown to curb the spread. “If these numbers continue to go up and we start having significant deaths, we will have no option. If we do not want to lock down, now is the time to make sure that we follow the non-pharmaceutical interventions,” the National Coordinator said.

NAFDAC Shuts Six Defaulting Pharmaceutical Firms

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has on Monday announced the shutting of six local manufacturers of pharmaceutical products for failure to meet minimum manufacturing practice. The Director-General, NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye made this known in a statement in Abuja, saying the development was in line with the agency’s zero-tolerance for substandard products in Nigeria, adding that Nationwide surveillance on the activities of manufacturers was carried out which later revealed the defaulting firms.
“The current actions are to serve as deterrents to all local and foreign manufacturers who may not want to comply with basic GMP requirements and join the agency in its renewed campaign to rid the country of SF medicines.