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Nigeria on Tuesday reported 34 COVID-19 cases. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Wednesday. 

One percent of Lagos residents vaccinated against COVID

Akin Abayomi, Lagos commissioner for health, says about 260,000 people have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in the state.

Speaking during a ministerial media briefing on Tuesday, Abayomi said the figure represents less than one percent of the state’s population.

“The latest wave in India has been proven to be as a result of new mutant strains that have resulted in a dramatic increase in sickness and deaths for two weeks running,” he said.

“Whilst we commiserate with these countries, it is important that we protect our environment and residents against this virus, especially as we have less than one percent of our population that have received their first dose of the Oxford Astra-Zeneca COVID-19 vaccine similar to India that has about eight percent.”

According to NAN, Abayomi said Lagos is working to ensure 60 percent of Lagos residents, representing 14 million people, are vaccinated.

EU regulator reviews Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) says it has started a review of China’s Sinovac COVID-19 vaccine.

The EU medicine regulator said preliminary results from animal and human trials suggest that the vaccine produces an immune response against the coronavirus.

“These studies suggest that the vaccine triggers the production of antibodies … and may help protect against the disease,” the agency said in a statement.

The Sinovac vaccine is said to have shown efficacy rates between 50 and 90 percent in different studies.

Nigeria records 34 COVID cases

Nigeria’s COVID-19 fatality toll has continued to decline over the past weeks.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded 34 infections in four states on Tuesday but no death has been reported for a week.

The cases were reported in Enugu (19), Lagos (13), FCT (1), and Kaduna (1).

The agency said Tuesday’s report “includes data from Enugu state recorded between 28th April to 3rd May, 2021”.

No recoveries were recorded on Tuesday.

According to the NCDC, a total of 165,215 cases have been confirmed in 36 states and the FCT, while 155,371 recoveries have been reported. The country’s active cases stand at 7,789.

US to send 60 million AstraZeneca doses to other nations

President Joe Biden says the US will send 60 million doses from its stockpile of AstraZeneca vaccine to other countries by July 4.

“We are going to be, by the fourth of July, have sent about 10 percent of what we have to other nations including some of the ones you mentioned,” Biden said on Tuesday.

“With regard to the AstraZeneca vaccine which we had, we have sent that vaccine to Canada and to Mexico. And there are other countries that we’re talking to now, as a matter of fact, I talked to a head of state today.”

Argentina supreme court overrules president’s closure of schools

Argentina’s supreme court has ruled against President Alberto Fernandez’s decree to close schools in Buenos Aires, the country’s capital.

Fernandez had ordered schools in and around the capital to temporarily close, owing to the spike in infections and deaths. He also ordered other public health restrictions including nighttime curfews.

But in its ruling on Tuesday, the court said the presidential decree constituted a violation of the legally enshrined autonomy of Buenos Aires.

The court added that the state’s authority should be in charge of deciding whether to close schools or not.

COVID-19 IN NIGERIA