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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says it has activated three additional laboratories, bringing the total number that can carry out PCR testing for Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in Nigeria to 33.
Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, the Director-General of NCDC, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Tuesday in Abuja that the health agency had stayed on track in its goal to rapidly scale up laboratory testing for COVID-19 in Nigeria. Ihekweazu mentioned the three new laboratories as: Biorepository and Clinical Virology Laboratory UCH, Ibadan, Oyo; Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory, Infectious Disease Unit, General Hospital, Ituk Mkpang, Akwa-Ibom and Jigawa State Molecular
The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the continuous abuse and unauthorised use of antibiotics to treat COVID-19 may cause antibiotic resistance by some bacterial infections over time, resulting in avoidable deaths.
The WHO Country Representative, Dr. Fiona Braka, gave the warning on Monday in Abuja at the 41st joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19. According to her, more people may die during and after the COVID-19 pandemic because the available antibiotics may not be sufficient and able to treat their infections.
Nigeria now has 13873 persons suffering from the Coronavirus, following the discovery of 409 new cases on Wednesday night. A tweet from the Nigeria Center for Disease Control showed that Lagos State recorded 201 new cases with the Federal Capital Territory, (FCT) having 85 cases.
Results from other states further show that Delta State has 22 cases, Edo State has 16 cases, Nasarawa Kaduna and Borno State recorded 14 cases each, Bauchi State had ten cases, and Rivers State had nine cases.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says new genetic sequence analysis by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has found that the newly-identified Ebola virus in the Equateur Province is different from the previous one.
The WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, said this in a statement posted on its website. According to the UN agency, the newly-identified Ebola virus in Equateur province in Western DRC is different from the one which infected more than 3,400 people in the eastern part of the country.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) says confirmed novel coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in Africa are more than 200,000. The WHO Regional Office for Africa in Brazzaville, Congo, gave the update on its official twitter handle @WHOAFRO.
“There are over 200,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases on the African continent – with more than 90,000 recoveries and 5,400 deaths,’’ it said. WHO said that South Africa, Nigeria and Algeria had the highest reported cases on the continent.
Reject Patients, Have Your License Withdrawn, FG Threatens Medical Doctors
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The Federal Government on Thursday threatened to withdraw licenses of medical doctors who deliberately reject and turn back patients from their hospital without attending to them or offering necessary advice on what to do.
Describing it as unethical and unacceptable, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, while speaking at the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, said, doctors who engage in such unprofessional conduct will be reported to the Nigeria Medical, and Dental Council, and if found guilty would have their licenses withdrawn.
There is a possibility of a new strain of the deadly COVID-19 in the country as a result of mutation, probably from people who recently returned from other countries. The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, made this known during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, on Thursday in Abuja.
He said: “As for the strain of COVID-19, yes, when Nigerians were coming back in batches from different countries – US, Saudi Arabia, Europe, China, the question did arise and some of them tested positive for COVID-19.
Medical Council to intern doctors, dentists: don’t go on strike
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The Medical and Dental Council of Nigeria (MDCN) has warned doctors and dentists undergoing internship across the country to desist from participating in industrial actions. It warned it could lead to them repeating postings without remuneration.
The council said the guidance became necessary because of recent developments in the health sector. The Nigerian Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) on May 30 issued a 14-day ultimatum to the Federal Government to meet it demands or risk an indefinite strike.
The National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) of Nigeria on Monday commenced a nationwide indefinite strike. This is coming after the expiration of a 14-day ultimatum issued on the 30th of May. The President of NARD, Dr. Aliyu Sokomba, announced this in a press briefing in Abuja.
He stated that the Association’s decision is predicated on the fact that the healthcare delivery system is characterised by the perpetual unavailability of personnel protective equipment (PPEs) for healthcare workers, which has caused an increase in infection rates.
A coalition of Nasarawa State Health Professionals Association has alleged that 26 health workers, including six medical doctors, have died of COVID-19 in the state.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday in Lafia while declaring a seven-day total warning strike, the coalition spokesman and Chairman of Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Dr. Peter Bulus, said the state government has neglected the health sector, a situation that allegedly led to the death of 26 health workers due to COVID-19.
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The Enugu state Primary Healthcare Development Agency (ENS-PHCDA), says it has trained 1,875 health workers on COVID-19 case identification and response to stem the further spread of the pandemic.
The four-day step down training started on June 11, was organised by ENS-PHCDA in collaboration with National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA). Executive Secretary of the agency, Dr. George Ugwu, told newsmen on Sunday in Enugu, that the training was designed to expose health workers and volunteers to all aspects of COVID-19 knowledge and what they were expected to do.
Rivers State Government has denied claims credited to the Nigerian Medical Association in Rivers State that 82 health care workers in the state recently contracted coronavirus disease while discharging their duties.
NMA in the state, according to the state government, also claimed that the situation was as a result of the unavailability of personnel protective equipment at the state treatment centres.
About 24,483 units of blood were collected and screened from voluntary blood donors through the 17 centres of the National Blood Transfusion Service network in 2019, the Federal Government said on Sunday.
The government also stated that in same year, 19,676 units of blood were issued to various hospitals nationwide for transfusion. The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said this on Sunday in a statement in Abuja in commemoration of the 2020 World Blood Donor Day with the theme, ‘Safe Blood Saves Lives.’
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has described the initial clinical trial results from the United Kingdom (UK) that shows dexamethasone can be lifesaving for treating patients critically ill with COVID-19 as a welcome development.
It however said an in-depth analysis of the intervention will be carried out before issuing clinical guidance on how and when the drug should be used.
The WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, made this known on Wednesday in a statement.
