News
UN Secretary-General Wants Everyone Everywhere to “Stand Up Against Hate” | #COVID19
381 new case of coronavirus has been recorded in Nigeria
According to Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC), out of the 381 new cases of COVID-19, 183 cases were recorded in Lagos alone, 55 in Kano, 44 in Jigawa, 19 in Zamfara, 19 in Bauchi, 11 in Katsina, 9 in Borno, 8 in Kwara, 7 in Kaduna, 6 in Gombe, 5 in Ogun, 4 in Sokoto, 3 in Oyo, 3 in Rivers, 2 in Niger, 1 in Akwa Ibom, 1 in Enugu and 1 in Plateau.
Nigeria now has 3526 confirmed cases of COVID-19. 601 survivors have been discharged from various isolation centres across the country, while 107 deaths have been recorded.
A breakdown of cases by state can be found via https://t.co/Z5x7UFFOyD#TakeResponsibility pic.twitter.com/KMzJkVV4qp
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) May 7, 2020
**********
Akin Abayomi discredits reports of testing positive for coronavirus
The Commissioner for Health in Lagos State, Akin Abayomi, is discrediting reports claiming he has tested positive for coronavirus.
On Thursday, May 7, he took to Twitter to announce that 10 associates of the Lagos State House in Marina tested positive for the virus.
However, 10 persons associated with Lagos State House in Marina have tested positive to #COVID19.
On behalf of @followlasg, I therefore implore you all to continue to embrace the #MaskUpLagos initiative and observe all precautionary measures
— Prof. Akin Abayomi (@ProfAkinAbayomi) May 7, 2020
In a new disclaimer post on his Twitter handle on today, Friday, the commissioner urged the public to disregard reports of him testing positive for the virus.
He tweeted:
”I hereby implore the general public to disregard the fake and misleading news circulating in the media to the effect that I have tested positive to #COVID19 infection.
It is evident that the fake news is calculated at causing panic and unnecessary anxiety amongst the populace.
I therefore urge the public to disregard any news on #COVID19 that does not emanate from @followslasg official communication channels and other verifiable sources.
#COVID19Lagos News Alert?
I hereby implore the general public to disregard the fake and misleading news circulating in the media to the effect that I have tested positive to #COVID19 infection.@jidesanwoolu @drobafemihamzat@NCDCgov @SegsDr @JokeSanwoolu @NGRPresident@LSMOH pic.twitter.com/VoPmmoNkuz
— Prof. Akin Abayomi (@ProfAkinAbayomi) May 8, 2020
Remain vigilant and continue to play your part as responsible citizens in curtailing the spread of #COVID19 in our communities.#StaySafe, healthy and #MaskUp #ForAGreaterLagos! pic.twitter.com/hQF6hG9GBu
— Prof. Akin Abayomi (@ProfAkinAbayomi) May 8, 2020
**********
48 COVID-19 patients discharged in Lagos State
Lagos State Ministry of Health has announced the discharge of 48 COVID-19 patients, which includes the discharge of 16 females and 32 males, all Nigerians.
The ministry made the announcement via a Twitter handle, which reads:
*️⃣The patients; 28 from IDH, Yaba, 6 from Lekki, 1 from Onikan & 13 from @LUTHofficial Isolation Centres have fully recovered & tested negative twice consecutively to #COVID19
*️⃣With this, the number of patients successfully managed & discharged in Lagos has risen to 406.@WHO— LSMOH (@LSMOH) May 7, 2020
**********
We’re under pressure to announce false COVID-19 cases — Kogi
On Thursday, the Kogi State Commissioner for Health, Saka Haruna, made a claim that the state is under pressure to declare that it has COVID-19 cases where there is none, however, said the state would not succumb to the pressure, PUNCH reports.
According to PUNCH, the Commissioner alleged that the aim of those putting pressure on the state was to politicise the situation as they are not happy that the current administration has been scored high by local and international observers on health care.
He said:
First and foremost, it is imperative that the public realise that there is no state government that can deliberately put her people in harm’s way for whatever political reason and the current administration has been scored high by local and international observers on health. We have and will continue to put the health of our people as first priority.
We have been in an annual fight against Lassa fever as the state is located in the Lassa fever belt, recording several cases with regrettable losses. We were first to establish a Biosafety Laboratory for Lassa fever in Nigeria and this year alone we have confirmed 30 cases of Lassa fever that was duly announced. To accuse the state of a cover-up of COVID-19 cases is mischievous and at best politically inclined.
**********
UN secretary-general says the pandemic is unleashing a “tsunami of hate and xenophobia”
The United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres said, the coronavirus pandemic is unleashing “a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering”.
In a message on Twitter, the UN chief called on people to “stand up against hate” and begin an “all-out effort to end hate speech globally.”
He tweeted:
COVID19 does not care who we are, where we live, or what we believe. Yet the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering. That’s why I’m appealing for an all-out effort to end hate speech globally.
In the video, he said, “I call on the media — especially social media companies — to do much more to flag … and remove racist, misogynist, and other harmful content. And I ask everyone, everywhere, to stand up against hate.”
Watch the video below:
#COVID19 does not care who we are, where we live, or what we believe.
Yet the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hate and xenophobia, scapegoating and scare-mongering.
That’s why I’m appealing for an all-out effort to end hate speech globally. pic.twitter.com/ojh957xhQq
— António Guterres (@antonioguterres) May 8, 2020
**********
ECOWAS denies endorsing any herbal drug for COVID-19
The ECOWAS Commission has dismissed reports that its health institution, West Africa Health Organisation (WAHO) had ordered a package of COVID Organics (cvo) medicine developed by the Malagasy Institute of Applied Research, Madagascar, for COVID-19 treatment.
The statement read in part, “We wish to dissociate ECOWAS and its health institution, West Africa Health Organization from this claim and to inform the general public that we have not ordered the said CVO medication.
“We are working with member states on some of the medications available for clinical trials and for use on a compassionate basis in selected severe cases. Some of the traditional medicine centres of excellence in the ECOWAS region are also currently investigating products of potential efficacy.”
Read the statement below:
#COVID-19: ECOWAS Commission and WAHO Refute Endorsement on CVO… https://t.co/RYftI0z5zF pic.twitter.com/oobvtv9lNl
— ECOWAS-CEDEAO (@ecowas_cedeao) May 7, 2020
*********
Boris Johnson says coronavirus fight demands the same “spirit of national endeavour” as World War II
Today marks 75 years since the end of World War II in Europe. Traditionally, the event is celebrated with pomp and pageantry, but this year will be celebrated very differently.
Tonight I lit a candle by the grave of the Unknown Warrior in Westminster Abbey in remembrance of those who gave their lives for the cause of freedom in the Second World War, which ended in Europe 75 years ago tomorrow.#LestWeForget #VEDay75 pic.twitter.com/bbSLEpmNAz
— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) May 7, 2020
In his speech today, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the struggle against coronavirus “demands the same spirit of national endeavour” as the fight against Hitler and Nazi Germany.
He said: “We survived and eventually triumphed thanks to the heroism of countless ordinary people who may be elderly today, but once carried the fate of freedom itself on their shoulders…All of us who were born since 1945 are acutely conscious that we owe everything we most value to the generation who won the second world war.”
Watch the video below:
75 years on, we are a free people because of everything they did. Our gratitude will be eternal. #VEDay75 pic.twitter.com/r7ufQKfuYS
— Boris Johnson #StayHomeSaveLives (@BorisJohnson) May 8, 2020
**********
WHO warns that COVID-19 could linger for some time in Africa
The World Health Organization said on Thursday that as many as 190,000 people in Africa could die of COVID-19 during the first year of the pandemic if containment measures fail.
During Thursday’s press conference with World Economic Forum, the WHO regional director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, said COVID-19 would likely not spread as exponentially in Africa as it has in other parts of the world, but it could linger for some time. She highlighted that countries must use data-driven and evidence-based approaches to tackle COVID-19.
Watch the video below:
New medicines must be tested & be in line with ethical & scientific standards. We caution countries against adopting products that have not undergone rigorous clinical trials to ensure their safety & effectiveness against #COVID19. One fight. pic.twitter.com/K1XPsJwNPP
— Dr Matshidiso Moeti (@MoetiTshidi) May 8, 2020
**********
The US records more than 28,000 new cases
According to Johns Hopkins University, at least 28,420 new coronavirus cases and 2,231deaths were recorded in the United States on Thursday.
The total number of infections recorded in the country has now reached at least 1,257,023, with at least75,662 related deaths, according to JHU. The totals include cases from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and other US territories, as well as repatriated cases.
