BY Samuel Akpan
Nigeria on Thursday recorded 433 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Friday.
Psychologist asks government to step up fight against false information on COVID-19
Perpetua Chia, clinical psychologist, has asked the federal and state governments to put in more efforts in fighting false information about the COVID pandemic.
The vice-president, Nigeria Association of Clinical Psychologists, said high consumption of false information about COVID could lead to mental health breakdown and severe illnesses which may eventually cause death.
“The state of shock and anxiety is yet unabated despite efforts by medical science to provide succour and solution,” she said.
WHO backs Regeneron drug for treatment of COVID-19
A World Health Organisation (WHO) panel has recommended the regeneron antibody-drug cocktail — casirivimab and imdevimab — for the treatment of COVID-19.
The agency said the drugs are effective in patients who are not severely ill but at high risk of being admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
“WHO cautions in order not to exacerbate health inequity and limited availability of the therapy, patients who are non-severe and at higher risk for hospitalisation be treated and those that are severe or critical with seronegative status (those who have not developed natural antibodies against COVID-19 determined through accurate rapid tests) be treated; as these two patient groups are the patients that stand to benefit most from the treatment,” the statement reads.
EU drug regulator to decide on Pfizer COVID vaccine booster in early October
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has set early October to decide whether to endorse a booster shot of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine.
Marco Cavaleri, EMA head of vaccines strategy, disclosed this during a media briefing on Thursday.
“The outcome of this evaluation is expected in early October unless supplementary information is needed,” Cavaleri, said.
Nigeria records 433 infections
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 433 COVID infections.
The agency, in its update for September 23, 2021, said the cases were reported in 16 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).
The nation’s capital recorded the highest number of cases (191), followed by Lagos with 79 infections.
Other states that reported new cases are Anambra (63), Rivers (27), Plateau (13), Oyo (10), Delta (9), Ondo (8), Edo (7), Gombe (6), Akwa Ibom (5), Borno (5), Ekiti (4), Bayelsa (2), Zamfara (2), Enugu (1) and Kano (1).
The number of recoveries from the virus has been relatively high within the past few days as 341 people were discharged on Thursday.
The NCDC said two persons died of the infection, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,668.
So far, Nigeria has confirmed 203,514 infections and 191,942 deaths across the country.
Panama to achieve herd immunity against COVID in weeks, says president
Laurentino Cortizo, President of Panama, says the country is weeks away from achieving herd immunity against COVID-19.
Speaking at the United Nations general assembly on Thursday, Cortizo said more than half of the country’s population has been vaccinated.
Herd immunity is achieved when a substantial proportion of the population is immune to an infectious disease either through vaccination or previous infection.
COVID-19 IN NIGERIA
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