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Nigeria Has 54 Cases Of UK COVID-19 Variant

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Scientists Identify New COVID-19 Variant In France

The Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu has disclosed that Nigeria now has 54 cases of the United Kingdom’s (UK) variant of the COVID-19 virus,

During the briefing of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 in Abuja on Monday, Ihekweazu said: “Concerning the updates on the variants of concern, at the moment, last week, the update so far is that we have had 54 cases of the b117 variant – the variants of concern first detected in the United Kingdom, which is now the dominant strain; almost 100 per cent of the circulating strain in the UK are made up of these variants.

“We found 54 of them between November and February – that is a significant number out of those we have sequenced. We have sequenced about 400 altogether since the beginning of the outbreak. We continue to watch that strain and understand how much it is circulating in Nigeria.

“There were reports on a new strain b1525, which we began to detect in Nigeria and a few other countries. It is important to note that this variant has not been classified as a variant of concern. Researchers and scientists are still working hard to understand if this variant has any impact on transmissibility, severity, immunity, diagnostics of vaccines or therapeutics, but we haven’t found any yet,” he added.

The NCDC DG added that 80 to 90 per cent of residents in Lagos, Enugu, Nasarawa, and Gombe states are still susceptible to the COVID-19 virus, according to the recent COVID-19 Household Seroprevalence Surveys carried out by the NCDC and the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR).

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He noted that the results of the survey also showed that there are higher rates of infection in urban areas compared to rural settlements, with persons aged 18-64 years being more infected.

He, therefore, stated that 100,000 representative samples would be sent weekly to the Africa Centre for Excellence in Genomics in Ede for sequencing, even as it continues to improve the country’s sequencing capacity.

“Concerning the COVID-19 household prevalence survey just completed, between September and October 2020, a household seroprevalence for covid-19 was carried out in four states in Nigeria – Lagos, Nasarawa, Gombe and Enugu states.

“Following up on our epidemiological analysis, we now have the results, which we will include in shaping public health response. We tested representative samples for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies so we can identify people who have been infected but not detected by the national surveillance system because if you are asymptomatic, many people are unlikely to come forward for testing.

“The findings for this survey showed that the highest estimated prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the population were 23 per cent in Lagos and Enugu States, 19 per cent in Nasarawa State, and nine per cent in Gombe State. This means that as many as 1 in 5 individuals in Lagos, Enugu and Nasarawa State would have ever been infected with SARS-CoV-2. In Gombe, the proportion is about 1 in 10.

“We are still working to have a better understanding of the SAR-COV-2 and the duration of the immunity that it offers. There is a possibility that immunity wanes over time and antibodies may not have been detected in people that were infected earlier in the outbreak.

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Stop Panic Buying, Fuel Subsidy Removal Not Immediate – Tinubu

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Why I Stopped Using Social Media - Tinubu
President Tinubu

President Bola Tinubu on Tuesday assured Nigerians that the removal of subsidy would not be immediate and that they should stop panic buying of petroleum.

The president’s position was stated by the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Media Centre.

In a statement, the centre urged the public to relax panic-buying that has ensued as a result of his speech.

The statement explained the development is neither new nor an action of his new administration.

The Tweet reads: “The public is advised to note that President Bola Tinubu’s declaration that “subsidy is gone” is neither a new development nor an action of his new administration.

“He was merely communicating the status quo, considering that the previous administration’s budget for fuel subsidy was planned and approved to last for only the first half of the year.

“Effectively, this means that by the end of June, the Federal Government will be without funds to continue the subsidy regime, translating to its termination.

“The panic-buying that has ensued as a result of the communication is needless; it will not take immediate effect.

“Furthermore, President Tinubu was clear about his plans to re-channel the funds previously devoted to the payment of subsidies into better investments that will cushion the effects of the removal on the general public, especially the poor of the poor. This includes but is not limited to investments in public infrastructure, education, healthcare and jobs that will materially improve the lives of millions of Nigerians and increase their earning potential.”

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BREAKING: Court Okays Death Sentence For Hilton Hotel Owner Adedoyin For Murder Of OAU Student Adegoke

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Dr. Adedoyin

Dr Rahman Adedoyin, the owner of Hilton Hotel Ile-Ife, where Timothy Adegoke, an Obafemi Awolowo University postgraduate student was allegedly killed, will die by hanging.

This was the ruling of the Osun State Chief Judge, Justice Oyebola Ojo.

Earlier, the court found Adedoyin culpable of murder.

The Chief Judge in her judgement said the owner of the hotel and two of his workers, based on the circumstances of the case established by the prosecuting counsel, Femi Falana, SAN, are found culpable of conspiracy to commit murder, and unlawful killing of the deceased.

Adegoke had lodged in Hilton Hotels and Resorts at Ile-Ife upon his arrival from Abuja on November 5, 2021, to enable him to arrive early for his examination at the OAU Distance Learning Centre, Moro, Osun State, on November 6 and November 7, 2021.

He later went missing and was found dead buried in a grave following a police investigation of the hotel owner, Dr Rahman Adedoyin and its workers.

After Adegoke was declared missing, the police were invited and seven suspects were arrested after which an investigation commenced.

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Tinubu Names Dele Alake As Spokesman

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Dele Alake

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced Mr Dele Alake as his Presidential Spokesman. He also appointed his SA on Digital Media and the State Chief of Protocol.

Ambassador Victor Kunle Adeleke is the State Chief of Protocol (SCOP) to the President while Olusegun Dada is SA Digital Media.

This were the first set of appointments by President Tinubu as the 16th Commander-In-Chief of the Army Forces in the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Dele Alake is a journalist and editor. He was a commissioner for information while Tinubu was a governor in Lagos State.

 

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