Frontpage News (3259)
Nigeria Can’t Produce COVID-19 Vaccines without Pharmacy Law, Says PSN
Site Admin
The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) has raised concern that Nigeria may not be able to produce COVID-19 vaccines and others unless the National Assembly and President Muhammadu Buhari sign the Pharmacy Bill into law.
Speaking at a media briefing on roll-out of the COVID-19 vaccine, yesterday, in Lagos, the PSN insisted that the vaccines were safe and should be accepted in Nigeria, even as the group urged caution on the use of Ivermectin for treatment of the pandemic.
Woman contracts COVID-19 from donor lungs, dies during surgery
Site Admin
A woman died of COVID-19-related causes after undergoing a double lung transplant with organ suspected to have been infected with coronavirus. The woman, who underwent the double lung transplant, had a chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and had tested negative for the coronavirus 12 hours before surgery.
The organ donor, a woman from the Upper Midwest who had suffered brain death following an auto accident, also had a negative PCR test using a nasopharyngeal swab within 48 hours of when her organs were procured.
People Who Suffer Side Effects from COVAX Vaccine to Be Compensated – WHO
Site Admin
The World Health Organisation has agreed to a no-fault compensation plan for claims of serious side effects in people in 92 poorer countries that are yet to get COVID-19 vaccines via the COVAX sharing scheme, resolving a big concern among recipient governments.
This is revealed in a statement posted on the WHO website. According to the statement, the new programme makes compensation available to eligible individuals in 92 low- and middle-income countries without need to resort to law courts, NAN reports.
An apple a day may boost brain function, prevent Alzheimer’s disease –Dietician
Site Admin
Phytonutrients in apple help to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease, a study suggests. The study notes that the benefits for the brain were observed from apple peel and flesh, but not from juice, indicating that apples should be consumed whole in order to derive the benefits.
Scientists say that the pro-neurogenic compounds in both an apple’s peel and flesh help in improving brain function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease; and that the quercetin and hydroxybenzoic, which are phytonutrients in apple, help boost brain function and reduce risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
Warning signs of COVID-19 in kids, shared by parents who lost six-year-old girl to virus
Site Admin
Parents of a six-year-old girl who died of COVID-19 have shared what they describe as ‘telltale symptoms’ of the virus in children. According to the Centres for Disease Control, while fewer children have been sick with COVID-19 compared to adults, children can be infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, can get sick from COVID-19, and can spread the virus that causes COVID-19 to others.
“Children, like adults, who have COVID-19 but have no symptoms (asymptomatic) can still spread the virus to others,” CDC says. The centre notes that most children with COVID-19 have mild symptoms or have no symptoms at all. However, some children can get severely ill from COVID-19.
COVID-19 Vaccines: NPHCDA Conducts Nationwide Preparatory Training Of Healthcare Workers
Site Admin
Preparatory to the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines into the country in a few days, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) has rolled out a nationwide training programme for health care workers that will be involved in the COVID-19 vaccination at the national and state levels.
The Executive Director/CEO, NPHCDA, Dr. Faisal Shuaib has enjoined Nigerians, particularly health care workers nationwide to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the Federal Government to protect themselves and curb the spread of COVID-19.
Woman contracts Hepatitis B during nose piercing, undergoes liver transplant
Site Admin
A 37-year-old woman who underwent a nose piercing has developed what doctors later diagnosed as Hepatitis B after the process.
The woman, Dana Smith, a New York resident, said she had the procedure for $60 and that not long after, her health took a drastic turn for the worst as the nose piercing infection led to a life-threatening condition, causing her to need a liver transplant.
NPHCDA invites Nigerians to register for COVID-19 vaccination
Site Admin
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency has released guidelines on registering for COVID-19 vaccination in Nigeria. Recall that the agency on Sunday said that Nigeria would take delivery of 3.92 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, March 2.
According to the NPHCDA, the delivery would mark the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines in the country and make Nigeria the next West African country to benefit from the COVAX Facility after Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
Nigeria has received the first batch of AstraZeneca vaccines from the COVAX Facility, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency says. So far, Nigeria is the third country in West Africa to receive the vaccines, coming after Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire.
The country took delivery of the 3.92 million doses of vaccines on Tuesday [today] morning via the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, Abuja. In a tweet posted by the agency on its Twitter handle @Nphcda on Tuesday, it said “I AM HERE, NIGERIA!!! #YesToCOVID19Vaccine.”
Hydroxychloroquine has no meaningful effect on COVID-19 -WHO
Site Admin
The World Health Organisation Guideline Development Group panel of international experts warns strongly against the use of hydroxychloroquine to prevent COVID-19.
Their strong recommendation against the anti-inflammatory drug is based on high certainty evidence from six randomised controlled trials involving over 6,000 participants with and without known exposure to a person with COVID-19 infection, published in the journal, The British Medical Association.
More...
Ensure COVID-19 vaccines reach right people, not politicians that can afford them, NMA, NARD tell FG
Site Admin
The Nigerian Medical Association and the National Association of Resident Doctors have urged the Federal Government not to politicise the COVID-19 vaccination. The medical associations advised the government to ensure that the vaccine gets to the people that need it, rather than politicians that can afford it.
The NMA and NARD said the vaccines are meant for Nigerians and not for some special persons. The associations called for transparency in the distribution and prioritisation of COVID-19 vaccination in the country.
Why anyone who takes COVID-19 vaccine must get second dose
Site Admin
An Assistant Professor of Biology at the Penn State University, David Kennedy, says skipping the second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine could lead to mutation and allow the virus to spread. Another expert warned that the second dose of vaccine gives you the most protection and prevents you from becoming seriously ill and/or hospitalised due to COVID-19.
This is even as experts say Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, and other COVID-19 vaccines require two doses each. For instance, the recommended dosage for the AstraZeneca vaccine is two doses given intramuscularly (0.5ml each) with an interval of eight to 12 weeks, according to the World Health Organisation.
Oncologists allay fears over breast cancer-like reaction triggered by COVID-19 vaccine
Site Admin
As mass vaccination against COVID-19 continues across the globe, oncologists have allayed fears over a recent side effect of the vaccine that resembles symptoms of breast cancer. They noted that the side effect, which appears like swollen lymph nodes and is being mistaken for breast lumps, is the body’s normal response to the vaccine.
The experts revealed that the side effect has been associated with the mRNA vaccines and can be detected through mammograms and other imaging machines. The experts, in a report published by USA Today, urged patients intending to undergo a mammogram to carry out the procedure before getting a COVID-19 vaccine or to have the two well-spaced out.
Over 2 Million Nigerians Registered On COVID-19 Vaccine Website In A Day, Says FG
Site Admin
About 2.3 million Nigerians have registered on the online registration portal for COVID-19 vaccinations, Nigeria’s primary healthcare agency boss said on Wednesday. “In less than 24 hours, 2.3 million Nigerians have registered to take the vaccines and the numbers keep increasing,” Faisal Shuaib said during a Channels TV interview.
Osindeinde Ademilayo Abodede, a healthcare worker, was the first to register for the vaccine, the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) said in a Tweet on Monday. Her appointment was scheduled for March 12 in Abuja.
