Depression, anxiety may become common as COVID-19 enters second year
Yusuff Moshood
As the COVID-19 pandemic enters the second year, mental health experts say the pandemic is already fueling a surge in cases of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues.
They also warn that except proactive measures are taken, there could be more cases of mental health issues long after the pandemic might have subsided.
According to a World Health Organisation survey of the impacts of COVID-19 on 28 African countries, the pandemic has increased the demand for mental health services.
The assessment, conducted last August, was part of the first global examination of the devastating impact of COVID-19 on access to mental health services
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Yusuff Moshood
Public health experts say poor power supply, especially in the rural areas, may hinder Nigerians at the grassroots from gaining access to COVID-19 vaccine.
According to the experts, while the cold chain storage has not been a problem in the developed countries where vaccination has taken off full blast, lack of power supply infrastructure in Nigeria, particularly in the rural areas, could be a big challenge to ensuring proper storage of the COVID-19 vaccines at the appropriate temperature.
They noted that while the power supply is a general problem in the country, the challenge may be worse in the rural areas where irregular power supply is very rampant.
Why FG may not rush to give Nigerians COVID-19 vaccines Scientists
Yusuff Moshood
Nigerian scientists say that immunising Nigerians with COVID-19 vaccine when clinical trials have not been done in the country is very risky and should be reconsidered.
They also expressed worries over its likely long-term effects.
Nigeria expects its batch of vaccines by first quarter of 2021, with the Director-General of the National Centre for Disease Control, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, saying that 20 percent of the population would have access to the vaccine.
Speaking on the issue, a virologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Prof. Sunday Omilabu; and a Pharmaceutical Research Scientist with the National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, Prof. Martin Emeje, are of the view that immunising Nigerians with COVID-19 vaccine when clinical trials were not done in the country is very risky and should be reconsidered.
Physicians urge caution as American scientist says worm expeller prevents COVID-19
Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis
A lung and ICU specialist who has cared for dying COVID-19 patients, Dr. Pierre Kory, says Ivermetcin a medication used to treat many types of parasitic infestations could have ‘miraculous’ impact in the treatment of coronavirus.
Kory, who is president of the Frontline COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance, based his claim on almost 30 studies conducted by him and a team of physicians for nine months, indicating that Ivermetcin is very effective in the preventive treatment of the viral condition.
Public health experts in Nigeria, however, called for caution, saying the claim should be properly looked into before being accepted.