TheCable

Nigeria on Thursday recorded eight cases of COVID-19 infections. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Friday. 

COVID pandemic particularly harsh on women, says WHO

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa has had particularly devastating effects on women.

Matshidiso Moeti, WHO regional director for Africa, said: “It’s been a huge burden for women, not only a physical, but also a psychological one.”

“Many women working in the informal sector had lost income as a result of the pandemic and had spent more time caring for children due to closed schools.”

FG receives over 850,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses from Japan

The federal government has received 859,600 doses of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and 175 solar direct drive refrigerators donated by the government of Japan.

Speaking during the official handover of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine and solar direct drive refrigerators, Faisal Shuaib, executive director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency, said: “I am pleased to welcome and inform you that the government of Japan through the COVAX facility has donated 859,600 doses of AstraZeneca vaccine and 175 solar direct drive refrigerators to aid COVID-19 response in Nigeria.”

He said the donation will further strengthen the country’s vaccination coverage.

France to suspend rules requiring COVID vaccine passes on March 14

French Prime Minister Jean Castex said rules requiring people to show a COVID-19 vaccine passport to access venues will be lifted in France on March 14 as the country gradually eases COVID health protocol amid signs the virus is receeding in France.

“The health situation is improving,” Castex said.

“The vaccine pass, however, remains mandatory to access elderly home care centres.”

Face masks will also no longer be needed indoors from March 14, with the exception of public transport.

Arthritis drug could help save COVID patients, says study

UK researchers have found that a drug used to treat rheumatoid arthritis could help to save the lives of patients with severe COVID-19.

Experts involved in the randomised evaluation of COVID-19 therapy trial say baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory drug taken as a tablet, can reduce the risk of death from severe COVID by about a fifth.

However, they added that when the impact of other medications used alongside the drug are also taken into account, the risk of death could be lowered by well over 50 percent – though the figure will vary from patient to patient.

Martin Landray, joint chief investigator of the trial at the University of Oxford, said: “What we have now is a suite of drugs which tackle the immune system at different levels, and slightly different ways, which depending on the patient and their circumstances, and their other illnesses and so on, can be used either alone or in combination and further reduce the risk of death.”

Nigeria logs eight infections

Eight fresh COVID-19 infections have been reported across the country.

The new infections were logged in two states — Rivers (5) and the FCT (3).

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this in an update for March 3, 2022.

The agency said 16 people were discharged after they recovered from the infection. No fatality was reported.

With the newly-confirmed cases, a total of  254,606 infections have been recorded with 249,154 recoveries and 3,142 fatalities.