Displaying items by tag: COVID19

The wait is finally over for Cameroon, which hosts the Africa Cup of Nations three years later than initially planned as its own Indomitable Lions seems to be ready to face Burkina Faso in their first AFCON 2021 match.

"If we give it our all and do what is necessary, I think we will win the game. No game is easy against African teams. All African teams have reached a certain level. We have to give our best, be united and be really, really ambitious to be able to win the matches," said Cameroon captain Vincent Aboubakar.

Meanwhile, Burkina Faso captain Bertrand Traore has deplored as "a scandal" coronavirus testing procedures at the Africa Cup of Nations after up to five players and coach Kamou Malo tested positive in the run-up to Sunday's opener against hosts Cameroon.

The Aston Villa forward told a press conference in Yaounde on Saturday: "It's a scandal, we cannot be deprived of first team players 24 hours before the match."

Assistant coach Firmin Sanou, standing in for Malo, said: "We have four or five Covid cases, mainly first team players, we're not going to name names."

"It calls everything into question, but we have confidence in the players who will replace them," continued Sanou, who hit out at the organization with two different medical teams arriving to test the team.

"Yesterday morning (Friday) a medical team showed up at our hotel for tests, when we tried to understand who had sent them, the CAF (African Football Confederation) clearly told us that they hadn't sent them so we refused to do the tests," said Sanou.

"Another team arrived at 10 p.m., apparently the CAF team, we carried out the tests which informed us of 4 to 5 cases of Covid.

"I say 4 or 5 because they say that our first player tested did not carry out the test ... " he continued.

The Burkinabè delegation are disputing the fact that the tests were not PCR tests, which must be carried out 48 hours before the match, and have requested a second opinion.

Traore said: "The authorities must review the organisation. We cannot accept this decision. We can redo tests of our positive players."

[africanews]

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed two cases of the Omicron variant of coronavirus in Nigeria.

The variant was discovered in two passengers, who arrived the country from South Africa.

LEADERSHIP reports that the World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified Omicron as a variant of concern.

Director-General, NCDC, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, who disclosed this in a statement, said the two cases of the variant were discovered through genomic sequencing, adding that the two patients were asymptomatic and contact tracing had begun.

Adetifa said, “In line with the routine travel tests required of all international travellers and genomic sequencing at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control through its National Reference Laboratory, Abuja, confirms Nigeria’s first case of the Omicron variant.

“Genomic sequencing of positive cases from routine day two testing for travellers to Nigeria identified two cases of Omicron variant among travellers from South Africa who arrived in Nigeria last week. Retrospective sequencing of previously confirmed cases among travelers to Nigeria also identified the omicron variant among samples collected in October 2021.”

LEADERSHIP

Adegbola Dominic, chairman of the Lagos state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), is dead.

In a statement on Wednesday, Taofik Gani, the publicity secretary of the party in the state, said Dominic died of COVID-19 complications.

He described the late party chairman as a grassroots politician who stood for the development of the state.

“The late senior medical practitioner has been an exceptional politician who had deployed much of his hard earned money into philantropism. He was the Medical Director of Santa Maria Hospital,” Gani said.

“Dr Dominic was a grassroots politician from the days of Action Group. He had held many political positions, notable amongst being State SDP officer; State Chairman of PAC; National Chairman of APN (Founded by late Jakande); State Chairman of Lagos PDP.

“He had also contested lagos state governorship under the platform of APGA. He was the Jakande group candidate for the lagos west senatorial primary of the SDP, a contest between him and Bola Tinubu.

“He stood for the development of lagos and he sure regrets that this lagos is not as he wished. He will be forever remembered in Lagos Politics. We condole with his family. All PDP flags In the state shall fly at half-mast. All PDP meetings at this time are to be prayers for him.”

He stated that burial arrangements for the deceased will be announced by the family.

[TheCable]

More than 100,000 people in France on Saturday protested against the government’s latest measures to encourage people to get vaccinated and reduce the number of coronavirus infections caused by the Delta variant.

Separate far-right and far-left protest marches weaved their way through Paris’s many neighborhoods. Demonstrations were also organized in Strasbourg, Lille, Montpellier, and other cities throughout France.

Thousands of people responded to Florian Philippot’s call to take to the streets, a fringe far-right politician and former right hand of Marine Le Pen who stated earlier this month that he would run for president in 2022. Protesters gathered near the Louvre Museum, chanting “Macron, clear off!” and “Freedom,” banging metal spoons on saucepans.

While Philippot has organized small but regular protests against the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, Saturday’s rally drew a larger and more diverse crowd of people dissatisfied with politics, including yellow vest activists angry over perceived economic injustice, far-right supporters, medical staff, and royalists.

They denounced the government’s decision on Monday to make vaccines compulsory for all health care workers, and to require a “health pass” proving people are fully vaccinated, have recently tested negative or recovered from the virus in order to access restaurants and other public venues. President Emmanuel Macron’s government is presenting a draft law Monday to enshrine the measures.

While France already mandates various vaccinations to join public school, many say if the coronavirus vaccine becomes required, they will withdraw their children from school.

The State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu in a statement on Sunday noted that the government is worried about the increasing cases of positive infection which has been on the rise since the beginning of July.

In an update on Sunday, Sanwo-Olu said there is a potential third wave in Lagos State.

He expresses need for caution to curb the further spread of the virus.

To this end, the Governor ordered full compliance with all protective protocols including the compulsory use of masks in all public places, social distancing, temperature checks, provisions for hand-washing and sanitizers, and a maximum of 50 percent occupancy in enclosed spaces.

The statement reads: “From the beginning of July, we started to experience a steep increase in the number of daily confirmed cases, with the test positivity rate going from 1.1% at the end of June 2021 to its current rate of 6.6% as at 8th of July 2021.”

“The rapid increase within a week gives great cause for concern. Also, within the last two weeks, the occupancy rate at our 2 isolation centres increased from an average of 1% to 6%. This is the new and disturbing reality that now confronts us.

With gratitude to the Supreme Being for a life well spent, I announce the passing on of my beloved husband, Comrade Yinka Odumakin to the great beyond after a brief illness.

The sad event happened this morning (Saturday, 3/4/2021) at the intensive care unit of LASUTH where he was being managed for respiratory issues due to complications from COVID-19 which he had recovered from about a week ago.

I appreciate the outpouring of grief and sympathy from home and abroad as I mourn my irreplaceable soulmate. I urge us all to remain steadfast in the cause of the masses to which he dedicated his life.

Burial arrangement will be made public in due course.

Signed: Dr Joe Okei Odumakin

Thirty cases of rare blood clotting have been recorded in Britain among more than 18 million people who have had the AstraZeneca vaccination, the national medicines regulator said Friday.

“The benefits of the vaccines against Covid-19 continue to outweigh any risks,” the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said, urging the public to keep taking the vaccine.

Up to 24 March, 22 reports of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) and eight of other thrombosis events with low platelets were logged.

“The risk of having this specific type of blood clot is very small,” the agency noted.

“The number and nature of suspected adverse reactions reported so far are not unusual in comparison to other types of routinely used vaccines,” the MHRA online statement said.

However there were no such reports for the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine.

The agency said vaccination was the most efficient way to reduce the number of deaths and serious illness from coronavirus.

The Netherlands on Friday became the latest in a line of European countries to halt vaccinations with the AstraZeneca jab for people under the age of 60 amid fears of links to rare blood clots.

The move came after five new cases in the Netherlands affecting women between 25 and 65 years of age, one of whom died.

Germany had taken a similar decision earlier this week.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA), which has also previously declared the AstraZeneca vaccine safe, as has the World Health Organization, is expected to announce updated advice on the issue on April 7.

The EMA said again on Wednesday it believes the vaccine is safe and that experts have found no specific risk factors such as age, gender or medical history.

Britain, where the vaccine was developed with the University of Oxford, has been one of the countries worst-hit by coronavirus with nearly 127,000 dead.

AFP

The Lagos State Honourable Commissioner for Health, Prof Akin Abayomi described Covid-19 as a dynamic infection that we are still trying to understand a lot more information around it.

Many concerns have been raised concerning the covid vaccine, Prof Abayomi in an interview on CityTalks with Reuben Abati, provided insights about the Covid-19 Vaccination in Lagos.

The Commissioner mentioned that the flurry of a sudden emerging information on the Social media about the Covid Vaccine, the incident Commander, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the Governor of Lagos State called for an emergency meeting, where we started going through the scientific data just to double check all the clinical trials presented.

According to him, “the scientific data did not suggest that there was an excessive risk with administering Astrazeneca, so Mr Governor, Sanwo-olu gave the permission to go ahead, and of cause we are liaising with the National Primary HealthCare Development Agency (NPHCDA) and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the World Health Organization (WHO) in Nigeria, across and Africa Union.

“We are not acting on our own.

“We are acting within a global scientific network.”

Prof Abayomi voiced that Forty thousand people in Lagos was vaccinated last week.

He disclosed the observation noticed on the Forty thousand people that have been vaccinated.

“We have only seen the initial pain and swelling around the injection side with body pains, a bit of fever, not many cases.

“It is something that Panadol or some anti-inflammatory will take care of, a good night rest and the person will be fine.

“We have one or two faints or collapses but that happens with all vaccinations.

“People are scared of needles.

“There are some chemicals inside the vaccine that perhaps one can react to and that is what we call vasovagal attack or an anaphylactic shock.

“All our personnel are trained, we have adverse event kit, so we’re able to immediately look after participants or vaccine that have these symptoms.

“Nobody has developed a blood clot so far, out of the 40,000 people vaccinated in Lagos, Prof Abayomi said.

The Commissioner for Health said that Lagos was able to set up 88 vaccination centres that was Flag off on Friday at Yaba, LASU, and FMC Ebute Meta and the Flag off was observed by Mr Governor, the Deputy and some key members of the Cabinet.

Prof Abayomi acknowledged the complains by people in the immunization centre in Palomo and the challenges participants are having with the portal.

He expressed apologies and assured Lagosians that everybody will be vaccinated in Lagos

Professor Adesegun Fatusi, Professor of Community Medicine and Public Health, Chaired the Ondo State Inter-Ministerial Committee on Covid-19, and Vice Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences Ondo State discussed about the immunization programme for the Covid-19 vaccine.

Nigerians have also have distrust between the government and the governed and many people are of the view that the Covid-19 is not real, the Immunization roll-out and Committees that have being set up, is seen as a medium to make money.

Prof Fatusi answered the question deep seated in the mind of those in denial as to who will take the vaccines, so that they can be in sync with the rest of the population around the world.

Speaking on the Programme The State of the Nation, CityTalks with Reuben Abati on City105.1 Prof Fatusi mentioned persons that should take these vaccines.

According to him, vaccines should be focused on the risk profile of health workers on the frontline, those in isolation wards, those in accident and emergency wards, people who meet a large number of people everyday are at a high risk of infection and those who are eighteen and above.

“It also focuses on strategic leaders. Giving vaccines to Strategic leaders will be boost the confidence of the people,” he said.

He said that Vaccine has a layer of challenges, that if the governor and those at the local government level takes the vaccine, it will engender the public confidence.

Another category he mentioned is about older people within the age bracket of 60-69, who are classified as those with higher risk of infection as compare to ages 50-59

He added that if anyone has an underlying health conditions, the risk of getting the infection is higher or even dying from Covid-19.

Prof Fatusi also mentioned that the system of vaccinating children, the National Immunization scheme at the State and local Government level are structures we have on ground so that the vaccine can be easily distributed by the National Primary Health Care.

He said that extra steps of quality assurance is taken by the National Primary Health care Development Agency (NPHCDA) so that the vaccine is not leaked in the open market for people to start producing fake.

He echoed that once we don’t coordinate this mechanism, the people will buy fake vaccines, because everybody wants to be vaccinated, the demand is higher than the supply.

Prof Fatusi alluded that if we use the Primary Healthcare system, the question of age, health condition, state will overcome inequity and access to the vaccine.