Nigeria Records 160 New Cases of COVID-19

New COVID-19 Variant Discovered In US, Israel, Denmark - WHO

Nigeria has recorded 160 new cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total infections in the country to 56,177.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this on Saturday.

The new cases were recorded in 13 states with the Federal Capital Territory and Plateau states recording 39 new infections each, the highest figures.

Lagos followed with 30 new cases, Kaduna with 23, Katsina with seven, Rivers and Oyo with six each, Yobe and Benue with three each, Bayelsa, Abia, Edo and Ekiti with one each.’

The NCDC also noted that 44,088 patients have recovered and been discharged, while 1,078 persons have died.’

Although the number of new cases appears to be reducing by the day and activities in the country are gradually returning to normal, the government is still making efforts to find a lasting solution to the virus.

Last week, the government received samples of Russia’s COVID-19 vaccine.

Russia’s Ambassador to Nigeria, Alexey Shebarshin presented the samples to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire during a visit to the Ministry in Abuja on Friday.

The Russian Ambassador also handed over to the Minister, an aide-memoire which gives details about the vaccine to help the Nigerian Government conduct further research on it.

“We are exploring all knowledge in terms of therapeutics and vaccines,” the Ministry quoted Ehanire as saying.

“We are expressing our interest in the COVID-19 vaccine so that we will have the opportunity to work elaborately.”

He explained that the country has been taking part in a series of knowledge exchange and contact with several research bodies and nations in a bid to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

Vaccine trials Resume Around The World

Across the globe, clinical trials of one of the most advanced experimental Covid-19 vaccines resumed Saturday after a brief safety pause, as infection numbers continued to march upward.

The world’s hopes for a reprieve from the pandemic were dealt a blow earlier in the week when pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and Oxford University announced they had “voluntarily paused” their vaccine trial after a UK volunteer developed an unexplained illness.

But on Saturday the trial was given the all clear by British regulators to resume following a safety review.

The global death toll from the coronavirus has risen to 916,000 with 28.5 million infections, while France and the United Arab Emirates posted grim new milestones for daily infections on Saturday.

And with billions still suffering from the fallout of the pandemic, a worldwide race for a vaccine is underway, with nine companies already in late-stage Phase 3 trials.

Even during the pause, AstraZeneca said it remained hopeful that the vaccine could still be available “by the end of this year, early next year”.

Oxford University said that “in large trials such as this, it is expected that some participants will become unwell and every case must be carefully evaluated”.

Charlotte Summers, lecturer in intensive care medicine at Cambridge University, said the pause showed the researchers’ commitment “to putting safety at the heart of their development programme.”

“To tackle the global Covid-19 pandemic, we need to develop vaccines and therapies that people feel comfortable using, therefore it is vital to maintaining public trust that we stick to the evidence and do not draw conclusions before information is available,” she said.

Source: Channels TV

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