The Special Assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr Tunde Ajayi, has disclosed that six of the patients at the Infectious Disease Hospital have recovered.
Ajayi via his twitter handle, @thetundeajai, said the patients would be discharged soon.
“Six of our #COVID19 inpatients have recovered and will be discharged soon. There is something Lagos is doing right. Lagos takes the lead,” he wrote.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, 51 cases were confirmed in the country as of 11:25 pm on March 25.
“Out of the 51 confirmed cases, two have been discharged, while one death has been recorded. Lagos has 32 confirmed cases,” the NCDC wrote on its website.
Also, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, at a briefing on Wednesday said the state was tracing over 2,000 contacts.
Heavyweight world champion Anthony Joshua is at home in self-isolation after the news that Prince Charles has contracted coronavirus, with the two meeting 16 days ago at Westminster Abbey.
Joshua was in attendance at the Commonwealth Day service on 9 March alongside Prince Charles, 71, as well as The Queen, and a spokesman for the British boxer confirmed that he is “fit and well” while remaining at home following the UK government’s coronavirus lockdown.
It was announced on Wednesday morning that the Prince of Wales had become the highest member of the British establishment to test positive for coronavirus, with Clarence House confirming that he had shown mild symptoms “but otherwise remains in good health”.
An official spokesman said that Joshua has not shown any signs of coronavirus and has spent this week self-isolating at home regardless due to the government’s enforced lockdown.
“AJ is at home following government guidelines, he is fit and well,” a spokesman said. “He wishes everyone affected a speedy recovery and a huge thank you to all the front line key workers.”
Air Peace, Arik Air, Dana Air, Azman and Max Air have said they will be suspending all their domestic flight services as part of efforts to curtail the spread of the coronavirus.
While Air Peace, Arik Air and Azman’s suspension will become effective from midnight of Friday, March 27, Max Air will begin on Saturday, March 28.
Dana said its service would be suspended from midnight of Wednesday March 25.
The Media and Communications Manager of Dana Air, Kingsley Ezenwa, said the airline’s suspension would be for two weeks.
The Chief Operating Officer of Air Peace, Mrs Toyin Olajide, however said the airline’s flight operations would be suspended for 23 days but other airlines gave no date for when their suspension will be lifted.
She said, “This difficult decision was reached in order to, not only, support the efforts of the Federal Government and other stakeholders in curbing the spread of this virus in our nation but also to protect our teeming passengers and our staff from becoming victims of the pandemic.”
“Continuation of flight operations in the present circumstances we find ourselves as airlines could lead to the total collapse of any airline hence the need to quickly stem the rising financial burden and cost of operations.”
Olajide said normal scheduled flight operations would resume on April 20, adding that the airline would be willing to operate special flights both for the government and the people.
The Chief Executive Officer of Arik Air, Capt. Roy Ilegbodu, said the airline would also be available to support government emergency, humanitarian and charter flight requests during the period of suspension of air transport operation.
Aero Contractors had on Tuesday said its flight services would be suspended from the midnight of Thursday.
The Lagos State Building Investment Company, LBIC plc (Mortgage Bankers) has immediately commenced skeletal operations to ensure the safety of customers and members of the public.
The Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Mr Oluwatobi Lawal speaking in his office today states that the new LBIC operational guidelines are to support the efforts and proactive leadership of Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and the Lagos State Government in combating the spread of the coronavirus also known as COVID-19.
According to him, the Head office of the foremost Mortgage bank will open to essential banking services between the hours of 9am to 12 noon daily, while the Abesan branch will only open on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Appealing to customers, Mr Oluwatobi Lawal said the skeletal operations is a safety measure in combating the spread of the pandemic (COVID-19)and therefore in the interest of the safety and the health of the Banks customers.
As an alternative, he explained that electronic service channels will be available 24 hours to customers to transact their businesses with the Bank. This report was made available to Ekohotblog by Kayode Jackson.
Oluwatobiloba Lawal is a highly dedicated, dynamic and visionary banking and financial expert with close to three decades experience in banking, financial management, project management and funding for both private and public sector organizations. He has handled numerous portfolios within and outside the Nigerian banking sector.
Lagos Building Investment Company PLC (LBIC) was established as a corporate entity on the 14th February 1980 with the aim of providing Mortgage Finance Facilities to allottees of the various Low- Cost Housing Schemes built by the Lagos State Government (between 1979-1983). With the promulgation of the Mortgage Institution Act No.53 of 1980, the company became a full-pledged Primary Mortgage Bank (PMB), subsequently; it extended granting of mortgages to the middle- incomes segment.
The Bank has contributed immensely to housing development in the country with the creation of over twenty-two thousand (22,000) mortgages across Lagos State.
The death toll from an outbreak of coronavirus in Italy has grown by 743 to 6,820, the head of the Civil Protection Agency said on Tuesday, reversing a decline in fatalities seen over the last two days.
On Monday 602 people died. That followed 650 deaths on Sunday and 793 on Saturday — the highest daily figure since the contagion came to light on Feb. 21.
The total number of confirmed cases in Italy rose to 69,176 from a previous 63,927, an increase of 8.2%, in line with Monday’s growth rate, the Civil Protection Agency said. —
Worrying graphs compare Italy’s coronavirus trajectory to America’s amid fears US will become the new epicenter of the killer disease as the death toll rises to 628 and the number of infections increases to 50,000
Italy’s dramatic rise in coronavirus cases has been feeding the fear of what possibly lies ahead for the United States as health officials desperately track the trajectory of the outbreak
Italy has so far suffered the world’s deadliest outbreak of the pandemic with 6,077 deaths after abruptly overtaking China where the outbreak began in late December
The US, which is third in terms of fatal cases globally, is almost two weeks behind both Italy and China in terms of the outbreak
As of Tuesday, the United States had recorded 600 deaths and 50,000 cases but it is likely the US will soon overtake hard-hit Italy in the number of infections
Italy and the US are 12 days apart in terms of reporting its first coronavirus deaths – with Italy’s first death confirmed on February 20 and the US on March 3
Monday marked two weeks since Italy imposed a nationwide lockdown on March 9 in a bid to stop the spread
There is no national lockdown in place currently in the US but 17 states have issued stay at home orders that are affecting about 187 million Americans
The World Health Organization revealed a grim outlook for the US, saying on Tuesday that the United State could quickly become the global epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic
Coronavirus: what are they and should you see a doctor?
Billionaire philanthropist, Bill Gates, predicted doom for Africa when he told the American Society for the Advancement of Science in Seattle, USA, that Africa was in danger of up to 10 million deaths, should the continent be hit by coronavirus. This was due, he added, to the continent’s familiar challenges of poor health systems.
Luckily for Africa, the number of cases has not entered an exponential stage, unlike in Italy where the confirmed cases almost run neck-to-neck with the number of deaths. As of Sunday, March 22 alone, over 651 Italians had succumbed to the pandemic, thereby bringing the total number of deaths in that country to over 5,000.
In Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, the Federal Government, through the Ministry of Health and the Centre for Disease Control have been very active in rallying resources and logistics to contain the spread of the disease. At the time of writing, the country has recorded 35 confirmed cases and one death. That number may not represent the actual spread of the incidence of the pandemic in the country, as the cases cluster around areas that are in proximity with the designated test centres and the points of entry into the country.
Although the government has moved to impose a ban on travels into Nigeria from the coronvirus hotbeds, a considerable number of suspected cases from badly hit countries had already gained entry before the ban. For this reason, we must be worried for the country.
While the global statistics of confirmed cases have shot over 300,000 with about 13,000 deaths recorded worldwide, Nigerians are still treating the pandemic with levity. The country already lacks the infrastructure to handle the seismic effects of an epidemic of the proportion we see in Italy, but there are other socio-cultural factors, which add to this to provide a gloomy prognosis, should COVID-19 gain a foothold in the country. These are outlined below and readers must take care not to be found guilty of any.
Number one thing to worry about Nigerians in the face of this pandemic is the ‘Not My Portion Syndrome.’ This concept has been popularised by a University of Nigeria consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, Prof Cyril Dim. NMPS is based on the religious belief of many Christians that they are exempted from diseases or illnesses, hence they become complacent about health checks or safety. This may explain why most churches in Nigeria remain open and public events still go on, despite the initiative of most countries to shut down, including the capitals of the popular religious groups in Nigeria: Mecca, Rome and England. Religious leaders have a primary duty to secure their members. By remaining open, they are unfortunately going to be the major factor for a high incidence of COVID-19 in the country.
The second issue to worry about is the reluctance of Nigerians to obey instructions. This one has nothing to do with religious beliefs. Our people seem to be generally unconcerned about safety and precautions until they are directly affected. For example, the NCDC has called on individuals showing the symptoms of the disease to self-isolate. However, we have heard that some of the cases already went to general hospitals before the NCDC became involved, even though toll-free lines to contact them were made available. This is the wrong attitude in a scenario where the goal is to limit spread.
Conspiracy theories also constitute a major obstacle to efforts aimed at curtailing the spread of COVID-19. When it was announced that an Italian infected with the virus was being isolated in Lagos, many Nigerians on social medial called it a hoax contrived by the government to siphon money. To this moment, there are naysayers who remain incredulous about the existence of coronavirus in Nigeria. They include popular personalities like Femi Fani-Kayode, who recently shared a lengthy conspiracy theory on Facebook that COVID-19 was a lie concocted by the Illuminati in concert with the World Health Organisation to create fear in the world and then launch a lethal vaccine that would reduce the world’s population. Such nonsense has continued to influence the attitudes of many people, regarding response to calls for social distancing and other containment measures. Hopefully, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently announcing on Twitter that his son had been infected with the virus, conspiracy theories surrounding the authenticity of a coronavirus will continue to wane.
The fourth source of concern is the problem of general ignorance in the population. Stories have been flying about, regarding the cure for the disease. President Donald Trump of the United States has not helped matters, too, with his hasty press conferences where he named chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine as cures for COVID-19. Consequently, there have been unconfirmed reports of a mad rush for these drugs in Nigeria and when taken as a precaution as many have erroneously recommended, this can pose more health risks. Although hydroxychloroquine and Azithromycin have been reported in the medical journal and the US CDC website as having positive outcomes for COVID-19 patients, the public must wait until qualified medical practitioners prescribe the needed doses, if necessary. Ignorance also means that others may resort to local remedies or superstitions to get cure.
Finally, the fifth issue to dread is the paucity of health facilities in the country that can cope with a pandemic of this proportion. There are probably more cases than have been reported by the NCDC. This suspicion is supported by the lamentation of the WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, that there are not enough testing centres in Africa, hence the cases are underreported. Nigeria does not have the health system to cope with millions of deaths. This further strengthens the need to adhere strictly to preventive measures, which, unfortunately, are being ignored at the moment.
In the final analysis, government must enforce social distancing and allow only movements where essential needs for survival, such as shopping are required. Citizens must in turn cooperate and maintain strict personal hygiene to avert deaths in millions. The clock is ticking.
Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari has tested negative for the COVID-19 virus (Coronavirus), following a test for the disease that was carried out yesterday on the president by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), THISDAY can report.
The NCDC has informed the president on the outcome his negative result this morning in Abuja.
According to presidential sources, the test for the president was necessitated after his Chief of Staff, Mr. Abba Kyari tested positive for COVID-19 on Monday.
Kyari had travelled to Germany on Saturday, March 7th to meet with officials of Siemens in Munich on the Nigerian electricity expansion programme.
He returned exactly one week later on Saturday, March 14th, but did not show any symptoms.
He was said to have been at a meeting on containing the COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria all through Sunday, where he reportedly started to cough.
Subsequently, he voluntarily submitted himself for testing and was informed of his status yesterday.
Kyari has however gone into absolute isolation following the test result.
THISDAY gathered that he is hale and hearty and showing no symptoms apart from the occasional cough.
A Peoples Democratic Party member representing Cross River North Senatorial District in the National Assembly is dead.
One of her aides who confirmed to our correspondent on condition of anonymity in Abuja on Tuesday morning, said the late Senator Rose Oko died on Monday at the age of 63 last night in a hospital in the United Kingdom.
She was a second term member of the National Assembly and until her death, the chairman, Senate Committee on Trade and Investment.
She was born on September 27, 1956.
She was a member of the House of Representatives when she represented the Yala/Ogoja Federal Constituency in the 7th National Assembly.
She was elected into office as the first female representative from her constituency in June 2011 and was Deputy Chairman House Committee on Education.
She was elected as the first female representative from her Senatorial District in June 2015, and re-elected in 2019.
Lagos State Police Command, on Monday, announced that three pastors were arrested for flouting the government’s directive on gatherings.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Mohammed Ali in charge of Operations, Lagos Command, confirmed the arrest to NAN.
Lagos had declared that the number of people social and religious gatherings should not exceed 50, a figure further reduced to 20.
Ali stated that one of the pastors arrested is from a Pentecostal Church.
Ali disclosed that the pastors were not detained but warned to comply with the government’s directive to prevent further spread of coronavirus.
“We did not hold our weekly prayers in the mosque at the police headquarters because we had to comply with the directive of the Lagos State Government.
“I also implore churches and other religious organisations to follow suit,” he said.
Ali added that the operations to ensure the public complies would continue and warned religious leaders to obey or face the consequences.
The Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore-Fulani Socio-Cultural Association has directed its members to close their markets and return to the bush following the spread of Coronavirus.
The National President of the Association, Bello Bodejo, gave the directive telling all members to close down all cattle markets across the country.
Bodejo said that the measure became necessary to prevent its members from contracting the virus, according to the Sun.
“Let my people remain in the bush until the prob- the problem is all over; even those who are outside should join those in the bush until the situation is brought under control.
“They should close all cattle markets in every place in Nigeria because, in the market, you don’t know who is who; you don’t know who has tested positive to coronavirus and you don’t know who has contracted it.
“The best thing to do is take precautionary measures to safeguard my people and to halt the spread,” he said.
Bodejo maintained it is only the living that eat meat when asked how Nigerians will cope if his members shut down.
“Of what benefit will it be to our association if our people contract the disease while in the market? The best bet is to keep away from the market.
“The herdsmen who are in the bush or forest should remain there, as coming out to meet those in the market portends danger,” he said.
He, however, added that it was possible for those who are in need of cows to meet the sellers in the bush and forest to buy them.
He warned that in doing so, the herdsmen must make sure they have nobody contacts with the buyers, advising them to use nose mask during transactions.
