Nigeria Center for Disease Control on Wednesday reported 409 new cases of Covid-19 in Nigeria across 15 states and FCT. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 13,873. Out of which 4,351 have recovered with 382 deaths recorded. Based on these figures, the recovery rate in Nigeria is 31.36% while death rate is 2.75%.
41.14% of the new cases were confirmed in Lagos State. Details are as follows; Lagos-201, FCT- 85, Delta- 22, Edo- 16, Nasarawa- 14, Borno- 14, Kaduna- 14, Bauchi-10, Rivers-9, Enugu- 5, Kano- 5, Ogun- 4, Ondo- 4, Bayelsa- 2, Kebbi- 2, and Plateau- 2.
As at 10 June, 2020, total of 82,935 samples have been tested for Covid-19 in Nigeria since the outbreak began according to NCDC.
Nigeria remains the country with the largest number of confirmed cases and deaths in West Africa. Over 30% of the confirmed cases in the region is in Nigeria..
Total of 203,899 cases have been confirmed in Africa, with 91,398 recoveries and 5,530 deaths recorded according to African Center for Disease Control and Prevention. This figure puts the recovery rate at 44.83% and death rate at 2.71% in Africa.
South Africa holds the largest number of confirmed cases in Africa at 55,421. Out of which 31,505 have recovered with 1,210 deaths recorded. Recovery rate and death rate in the country are 56.85% and 2.18% respectively.
It is followed by Egypt with 38,284 cases. The country has recorded 10,289 recoveries and 1,342 deaths. Egypt has a recovery rate of 26.88% and death rate of 3.51%.
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A World Health Organization expert clarified on Tuesday that coronavirus can be spread by people who show no symptoms, a day after sparking widespread confusion by saying that such asymptomatic spread of COVID-19 was “very rare.”
Maria Van Kerkhove, head of the WHO’s emerging disease and zoonosis unit, said that during the news conference Monday, she was trying to respond to a journalist’s question about coronavirus transmission, when she said asymptomatic transmission was “very rare.”
Van Kerkhove’s response came as governments and public health officials worldwide have instituted lockdowns and issued guidance to socially distance and wear face coverings in an effort, in part, to stop asymptomatic spread.
WHO have backtracked on this comment by Maria on Tuedsay, after facing serious backlash from scientists.
“I wasn’t stating a policy of WHO or anything like that,” she said. “We do know that some people who are asymptomatic, or some people who do not have symptoms, can transmit the virus on.”
She also stressed that the observation she made was based on a relatively small set of studies.
It was not the “intent of WHO to say there is a new or different policy,” added Mike Ryan, head of emergency programs for WHO. “
The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has said 2020 Batch A corps members would complete their orientation course after the coronavirus lockdown. According to a statement by its Director, Press and Public Relations of NYSC, Mrs Adenike Adeyemi, on Wednesday.
The suspension of 2020 Batch ‘A’ Stream One Orientation Course came just one week into the exercise as a measure to avert the spread of COVID-19 to any of the orientation camps.
“The suspended 2020 Batch ‘A’ Stream One Orientation Course will be completed when the NYSC receives the green light from the Presidential Task Force.”
“Conscious of the possibility of the further or complete lifting of lockdown, the strategies mapped out by the NYSC management had taken care of various scenarios, and would be presented to the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 through the NCDC for guidance.” The statement read in part.
The Senate on Tuesday mandated its Committee on Health (Primary and Communicable Disease) to meet with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to ascertain the number of mysterious deaths so far recorded in Bonny Island, Rivers State.
The upper chamber also urged the Federal Ministry of Humanitarian Affairs and Disaster Management through the National Emergency Management Agency to provide support materials to the people of the area.
In Cross River, the State Government on Wednesday said a “trial resumption of schools” would commence on June 16, in a statement by the State Commissioner for Education, Godwin Amanke
“Students will wear face masks and face shields to school. Once at the school gate, the children will wash their hands and legs. Hand sanitisers will also be used. When the children enter their classrooms, they will remove their face masks and use only their face shields so as to get enough ventilation.”
“Upon closure, they will put on their masks and go back home. Teachers will wear the same and observe coronavirus protocols in the classrooms.”
This trial reopening of the school is based on Chinese model of school reopening according to the state governor. He said the need to reopen is because of moral decadence and laziness that will result from staying at home.
Meanwhile, the state governor, Ben Ayade, has said personal protective equipment which were produced at the state-owned garment factory will be distributed to the students.
Ayade said, “For Cross River State, we have a strong commitment that our children cannot continue to stay at home. The more they stay, the more the moral decadence, the more indiscipline, the more they become lazy of getting back to school and getting started because for every stage in life, there is a time where you have to be in class and once the children miss that delicate phase, it becomes very difficult.”
“I think it is wise for the kids to go back to school and I have seen this happen in China where kids are back to schools with their nosemasks and shields. So you wear your nose mask and you wear your face shield and when you get to school, you drop the mask and wear only your shield to allow for more ventilation and more breathing.”
In Ethiopia, the upper house of parliament has agreed to extend the prime minster and government’s term in office beyond October due to delay elections as a result of Covid-19 pandemic.
The election which is due in August will now be held within nine months to one year after the pandemic was no longer considered a threat to the public
This would have been first election since Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed assumed office in 2018. The country’s nine regional governments have also had their terms extended in a binding ruling by the House of Federation.
Ethiopia has recorded 2,506 cases of Covid-19 with 35 deaths.
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In Kenya, Six police officers will face charges of murder and assault, for their alleged involvement in shootings while enforcing the restrictions put in place curtail the spread of Coronavirus.
Kenyan police have killed at least 15 people during the nationwide dusk-to-dawn curfew, aimed at curbing the spread of coronavirus, according to the country’s Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA).
Among the dead was a 13 year old boy Yassin, who was allegedly shot in the stomach by police in Nairobi on 28 March, while standing together with his family on their third-floor balcony watching police storm the neighbourhood in search of people who were not abiding by the curfew
He was said to be shot just a day after the dusk-to-dawn curfew was implemented in a bid to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
In South Africa, the headquarters of South African Air Force in the capital, Pretoria, has been closed temporarily following the positive Covid-19 test of two workers, who have been placed under quarantine.
According to the statement released by the military, the building was evacuated on Tuesday as a precautionary measure and would be closed for two days for “deep cleaning”,
The military advised all employees who had had contact with the infected people over the last 14 days to get tested.
Globally 7,357,794 cases of Covid-19 has been confirmed, with 3,454,712 and 416,116 deaths recorded according to John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center.
Written by;
Ifunanya Ikueze
