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The Nigerian government on Monday received over three million doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccines donated by the Italian government. The Executive Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHCDA), Faisal Shuaib, while acknowledging receipt of the donated vaccine doses in Abuja, highly praised the Italian government for the good gesture. Mr. Shuiab said the donation is also a reflection of the commitment of the Italian government and European delegates to the global efforts in halting the pandemic which has claimed millions of lives. He said the rollout of the J&J vaccine across the country has rapidly improved vaccination coverage.

The Federal Government (FG) has issued a new international travel guideline on COVID-19 which would take effect from Monday, April 4, 2022. This was disclosed on Sunday by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha. He said, “This protocol is a revision of the Travel Protocol released on 29th November 2021 Interim Travel Guidelines for Passengers arriving in Nigeria. In-bound passengers to Nigeria, who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, are no longer required to carry out COVID-19 PCR test before boarding Nigeria-bound flights.

CIA Director William Burns has tested positive for COVID-19, on Thursday after taking a routine PCR test. The CIA said Burns is experiencing mild symptoms and working from home, with plans to return to the office after five days and testing negative. The director is fully vaccinated and boosted. He will continue his duties from home and plans to return to the office after isolating for five days and testing negative for the disease. Burns tested positive to the deadly disease at a critical time as the U.S. aids Ukraine’s defence against Russia’s aggression.

The Federal Government has on Monday announced that fully vaccinated travellers coming into Nigeria will no longer be required to take a pre-departure PCR COVID-19 test. The Chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee, Boss Mustapha disclosed this during a press briefing of the PSC, announcing a revision of the International Travel Protocols. Mustapha, however, said the fully vaccinated travellers will be subjected to a free rapid antigen test at the airport by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NSCDC) has reported that 60 out of 1,229 Nigerians evacuated from Ukraine tested positive for COVID-19. The 60 were among the 62 cases announced for the FCT Abuja by the NCDC on Wednesday.
“A backlog of 62 cases reported for FCT from 8th (3) and 9th (59) March 2022.”

The Federal Government has announced the rolling out of the Johnson & Johnson single dose vaccine in the country. The minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire made the disclosure during the launch of SCALES 2.0 Strategy for the ongoing nationwide COVID-19 vaccination, noting that the strategy entails the integration of the COVID-19 vaccination with childhood routine immunization for eligible adults of 18 years and above as well as children of age zero to two, respectively.