Live Breaking News & Updates on Enugu State Agency For The|Page 2
Stay updated with breaking news from Enugu state agency for the. Get real-time updates on events, politics, business, and more. Visit us for reliable news and exclusive interviews.
Govt to get 3.92m instead of promised 16m doses, says WHO, UNICEF, NPHCDA After shifting the goal post from January ending to late February and then March, the Federal Government says it will take delivery of 3.92 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine tomorrow, March 2. x A statement on February 1 by the National Primary Health Care Development (NPHCDA) had stated that Nigeria would receive 16 million doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines before the end of February, which would replace the initial 100,000 doses of the Pfizer and BioNTech approved vaccines expected in the country. However, NPHCDA, World Health Organisation (WHO) and United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) in a joint statement, yesterday, said tomorrow’s delivery would mark the first arrival of COVID-19 vaccine in the country and make Nigeria the next West African country to benefit from the COVAX Facility after Ghana, and Cote d’Ivoire. ....
• Experts say FG must conduct clinical trials on jab • Nigeria to isolate, confirm S’Africa strain of virus Nigeria’s plan to vaccinate 30 per cent of citizens against COVID-19 this year could be delayed for scrutiny, after South Africa paused its rollout of AstraZeneca’s coronavirus vaccine. The South African move had followed a study, which showed that the vaccine offered reduced protection from the COVID-19 variant first identified in the country. South Africa’s Minister of Health, Dr. Zweli Mkhize, said the hold would be temporary as scientists tried to figure out how to most effectively deploy the vaccine. ....
Crowded Idumota in Lagos Island bursting with buyers…yesterday. PHOTO: FEMI ADEBESIN-KUTI Concerns were, yesterday, heightened that another coronavirus variant had reportedly been detected in the country following reports from the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (ACDC). If confirmed, it would be the latest mutant strain to be identified after similar discoveries in the United Kingdom (UK) and South Africa. Head of ACDC, John Nkengasong, told reporters: “It’s a separate lineage from that of UK and South Africa.” x He said the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID) would analyse more samples. ....
Experts say UK variant is already in Nigeria but may not make current vaccines less effective Academy says benefits of vaccination far outweigh risks but discourage use in pregnant women Worried about concerns over the use of COVID-19 vaccines, the emergence of mutant strains in United Kingdom (U.K.) and South Africa as well as the commencement of second wave of the virus with attendant spike in new cases and deaths, medical experts have made recommendations of how best to contain the situation. Former Commissioner for Health and Permanent Secretary, Lagos State Ministry of Health, Dr. Jide Idris, told The Guardian: “Yes, there are reports of the emergence of mutant strains of covid-19 virus. To me, the public health efforts for containment (non-pharmaceutical interventions) should continue, more so since the knowledge is still evolving and we don’t fully know what effects the new vaccine would have on it. ....