Covid 19 / News

COVID-19: PSC lifts midnight curfew, movement restriction

The Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19 has reviewed the country’s response to the pandemic in view of declining number of cases.

Boss Mustapha, the Chairman of the committee and Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said on Wednesday in a statement in Abuja that the decision followed reduced risk of importation of new variants.

He said the decision was also due to availability of vaccines and increasing number of people vaccinated in Nigeria and globally.

Mustapha said the social restriction recommendations were revised in line with the three established thematic areas – movement, industry and labor, as well as community activities.

The SGF stated that the safety protocols provide a baseline from which state governments could further build on to strengthen their responses based on their local circumstances.

“States should continue to consider them as the minimum guidelines required to ensure acceptable level of epidemic control nationwide,” he stated.

He said there were no more formal restrictions on movement within the country as the nationwide curfew imposed from midnight to 4 a.m. had been lifted.

He added that the advisory limiting Nigerians to essential travels had been lifted, although citizens need to refrain from non-essential movements and comply with non-pharmaceutical guidelines such as the mandatory use of facemask/facial coverings in public, given the risks involved.

“Use of face mask to be mandatory for indoor activities but at individual’s discretion during outdoor activities.

“Those aged 60 and above or with co-morbidities such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease are advised to uphold the use of universal precaution which includes the use of face mask, avoid crowd and frequent use of hand sanitizers,” he added.

According to him, no limitation on air travels – both domestic and international flights; but both international and domestic travelers must abide by existing protocols, including the use of face mask while onboard and taking personal precaution measures.

He stated that all arriving international passengers must register with the Nigeria International Travel Portal (https://nitp.ncdc.gov.ng) and abide by the travel guidelines.

“No limitations on …

Covid 19 / Education / News

School resumption: NCDC calls for vigilance, adherence to COVID-19 protocols

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has called for vigilance and adherence to safety regulations in the face of coronavirus as students return to school.

The Director-General, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, made the call at the Presidential Steering Committee briefing on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that schools resumed on Monday, while those in model colleges and upgraded schools will resume in batches due to the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.

Ihekweazu said: “This brings me to a very important topic today, that I am sure affects everyone.

“This week, children will be going back to school because schools are resuming, principals and others are having to deal with this situation of taking responsibility from  students who might get infected and might spread the virus.

“It’s important to be aware that children are not immune to this disease.

“They can get it as easily as anyone else, and can also spread it as easy as anyone else, even themselves don’t get generally severely ill.

“But they are very good spreaders of the virus.”

The NCDC boss noted that the second challenge was that children do not present the same symptoms as adult, who, very commonly, present shortness of breath or they do not carry the most common symptoms of smell or taste.

Ihekweazu added: “They present very unusual normal symptoms.

“It can be very difficult to distinguish from what we call common cold or malarial fever.

“And if caregivers, teachers and parents do not take such symptoms seriously they’ll go ahead and spread.

“And we’ve seen instances of large outbreaks of going completely unnoticed.”

He said even if they may not be severely ill, they were unlikely to prevent parents or guardians, all of whom may be a little bit more vulnerable.

Ihekweazu said: “In addition to the vaccines, we also now have rapid tests that we can test the whole school community.”

Ihekweazu added that the agency was ready to work with school owners and that any school needing more information …

Covid 19 / News

Nigeria logs 610 additional COVID-19 infections – NCDC

Nigeria on Tuesday logged 610 additional COVID-19 infections, the second highest in nearly six months.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control revealed this on its website on Wednesday in the pandemic update.

It said the new infections took the country’s total of confirmed cases to 179,118, from the 422 cases registered a day earlier.

The NCDC added that the country’s active cases also soared to 10,324, noting that the 610 additional infections were reported in 12 states and the FCT. The public health institute said Lagos, Rivers and Akwa Ibom States drove the country’s COVID-19 surge in new infections on Tuesday.

The agency said Lagos State, the country’s center for the virus, had continued to rank highest in daily reports with 281 infections.

The NCDC said Lagos was followed by Rivers with 152 infections, noting that Akwa Ibom, the second hardest-hit with the Delta variant in the country, recorded 85 cases.

Other states recorded new infections as follows: Ogun-21, Oyo-21, Ekiti-14, FCT-13, Delta-7, Edo-6, Ondo-4, Bayelsa, Kano and Plateau two each.

The NCDC noted that its Tuesday reports included Kaduna and Sokoto States recorded zero cases, while two new deaths were recorded.

It added the country’s fatality count since the start of the pandemic had risen to 2,194.

The NCDC stated that 149 people had recovered and were discharged from various isolation centers in the country on Tuesday.

It noted that till date, 166,131 recoveries had been recorded nationwide in 36 states and the FCT.

The NCDC, however, said the country had tested more than 2.5 million samples for the virus, out of the country’s roughly 200 million population, noting that the country’s COVID-19 average test positivity rate was six per cent.

Meanwhile, the agency stressed the need for the public to adhere to the COVID-19 guidelines, following increasing reports of people flouting the rules.

It urged Nigerians to help stop the spread of the virus and save lives.…

Covid 19 / News

Nigeria records huge spike in deaths, new cases of the Corona Virus

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has confirmed additional 203 new COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 166,518.

The NCDC made this known on Monday night via its official Twitter handle, where it disclosed that the additions were recorded in five states, including the Federal Capital Territory.

The public health agency stated that Benue State led the chart with the highest number of infections, with 178 new cases, followed by Lagos State with 10 and Ondo with six infections.

The FCT and Kaduna State also reported four cases each, while Plateau State confirmed one case.

It noted that its report for May 31 included a backlog of data from Benue and Nasarawa States, recorded from February to May 2021.

The agency added that zero cases were registered from Ekiti, Enugu, Kano, Nasarawa, Ogun, Osun, Oyo, Rivers and Sokoto States.

The public health institution said that with 39,818 tests processed across the nation in one week, the country had now conducted a total of 2,133,061 tests since the first case relating to the disease was announced in 2020.

The agency also disclosed 28 additional COVID-19 related deaths in the past 24 hours.

It, however, said that 2,223 people who have been successfully treated have recovered from the virus and have also been discharged from isolation centres across the nation.

According to it, till date, a total of 166,518 cases have been confirmed, 158,781 cases have been discharged and 2,099 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the FCT.

Meanwhile, the agency noted that the number of active cases of COVID-19 in the country remains below 10,000.

It added that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre, activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities.…