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WHO Warns that 190,000 Could Die in Africa in One Year + Other COVID-19 Updates
386 fresh cases of COVID-19 has been recorded in Nigeria
Confirmed cases of coronavirus have increased to 3,912 in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) made this known on Friday after 386 new cases were recorded in the country. 679 patients have been discharged from various Isolation centers across the country, while 117 deaths have been recorded.
According to Nigeria Center for Disease Control NCDC, out of the 386 new cases of COVID-19, 176 were recorded in Lagos, 65 in Kano, 31 in Katsina, 20 in FCT, 17 in Borno, 15 in Bauchi, 14 in Nasarawa, 13 in Ogun, 10 in Plateau, 4 in Oyo, 4 in Sokoto, 4 in Rivers, 3 in Kaduna, 2 in Edo, 2 in Ebonyi, 2 in Ondo, 1 in Enugu, 1 in Imo, 1 in Gombe, and 1 in Osun State.
386 new cases of #COVID19;
176-Lagos
65-Kano
31-Katsina
20-FCT
17-Borno
15-Bauchi
14-Nasarawa
13-Ogun
10-Plateau
4-Oyo
4-Sokoto
4-Rivers
3-Kaduna
2-Edo
2-Ebonyi
2-Ondo
1-Enugu
1-Imo
1-Gombe
1-Osun3912 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria
Discharged: 679
Deaths: 117 pic.twitter.com/IUWL9ROjqQ— NCDC (@NCDCgov) May 8, 2020
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Federal Government directs NAFDAC to assess herbal mixture as a treatment for Covid-19
The Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to carry out necessary procedures for the assessment of a plant-based cough mixture as a possible treatment for COVID-19.
This was disclosed by the personal assistant to the president on new media, Bashir Ahmed on Friday.
FLASH: The Federal Government has directed the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) to carry out necessary procedures for the assessment of a plant-based cough mixture as a possible treatment for COVID-19.
— Bashir Ahmad (@BashirAhmaad) May 8, 2020
The permanent secretary in the ministry of health, Mashi Abdullahi, also released a memo to this effect addressed to the director-general of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye. The memo, dated April 28, 2020, was titled ‘Formulation of a Phyto-Medicine-Based Cough Mixture/Syrup for the Management of COVID-19 Patients by Traditional, Complementary, and Alternative Medicine Department of the Ministry’.
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WHO warns 190,000 could die in Africa in one year
Up to 190,000 people in Africa could die of coronavirus in the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail, the World Health Organisation has warned.
The UN health agency cited a new study by its regional office in Brazzaville which found that between 83,000 and 190,000 could die and 29 to 44 million be infected during the period. The research is based on prediction modeling and covers 47 countries with a total population of one billion, the WHO said in a statement.
But the virus has been slow to spread across the continent, which has yet not recorded the soaring number of infections or deaths seen in Europe, the United States, and elsewhere.
COVID-19 in Africa: watch a joint media briefing with WHO and WEF https://t.co/iuyFqZ0HxX
— WHO African Region (@WHOAFRO) May 7, 2020
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Google and Facebook extend work-from-home plans for employees till 2021
Giant tech companies Google and Facebook have told most employees to keep working from home for the rest of the year as part of a response by the tech giants to the deadly coronavirus pandemic.
According to BBC News, Google chief executive Sundar Pichai said that employees who need to return to the office will start being able to do so from July with enhanced safety measures in place. But the majority of employees who can carry out their jobs from home will be able to do so until the end of the year
Any return to offices was expected to be incremental and staggered, according to the company.
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Britain to introduce two-week quarantine for new arrivals
Britain plans to introduce a 14-day mandatory quarantine for most international arrivals, reports said Saturday, despite growing pressure on the government to relax virus lockdown measures.
It comes as the UK, which has the world’s second-highest coronavirus death toll after the US, cautiously charts a way forward after imposing strict stay-at-home orders in late March.
Apart from those entering the country from neighboring Ireland, all people coming into Britain by air, sea, and rail will be required to self-isolate for a fortnight, The Guardian reports.
The newspaper said the new rule would be enforced by spot-checks on the address given by travelers, with possible penalties including fines of up to pound sterling1,000 ($1,200, 1,100 euros) or deportation.
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US Vice President Mike Pence’s aide tests positive for COVID-19
Vice President Mike Pence‘s spokesperson Katie Miller, who also serves as a spokesperson for the White House Coronavirus Task Force, has tested positive for the disease.
According to BBC, six members of Pence’s team were abruptly taken off his plane, Air Force 2 after it was held on the tarmac outside Washington, DC for over an hour on Friday, as he prepared to travel to Iowa to meet religious leaders.
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Lionel Messi and Barcelona stars return to training after two-months in lockdown
Barcelona has returned to training after the La Liga champions allowed their stars to start preparing for a potential restart in Spain.
Lionel Messi and his teammates used the Joan Gamper center pitches for individual sessions, the players arriving alone, already in their kits, and without using the changing rooms. As well as going through their routines, they were tested to see how two months of coronavirus quarantine had effected their fitness.
Individual training sessions are the first step to what La Liga hopes will be a return to action in June that will complete the 2019-20 season behind closed doors.
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