Daily COVID Tracker: Nigeria records 47 cases, and UN highlights vaccine inequality danger

May 12

08:05 2021

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 47 cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Wednesday.

FG denies reports of new COVID-19 lockdown

The federal government has denied reports that it introduced a new COVID-19 lockdown.

Speaking on Tuesday, Lai Mohammed, minister of information and culture, said the presidential steering committee (PSC) on COVID-19 only invoked the existing regulations to control the spread of the disease.

The minister added that Mukhtar Mohammed, the national incident manager, was quoted out of context during the briefing of the PSC on Monday.

“What we did was the need to remind people of the existing extant regulations on COVID-19,” he said.

AstraZeneca pledges $1m to support India and other hard-hit communities

AstraZeneca has pledged $1 million as humanitarian aid to India and other communities around the world.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the company said the grant will be used to procure relief items to combat the pandemic.

“Today, AstraZeneca pledges $1 million USD in humanitarian aid to support relief activities in India as well as other communities around the world hardest hit by the pandemic,” the statement read.

“This includes directing $250,000 USD to Direct Relief to support their efforts in India, which includes the distribution of oxygen concentrators, medicines, other supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) to provide treatment and care for those with COVID-19.”

Nigeria records 47 infections

Nigeria has recorded 47 new cases of COVID-19 in six states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The states that recorded new infections are Adamawa (19), Lagos (16), Enugu (3), Kaduna (3), Akwa Ibom (2), Delta (2), and FCT (2).

The NCDC said 50 persons were discharged after recovering from the virus on Tuesday.

No deaths were recorded on Tuesday for the sixth day running, leaving the total fatality toll at 2,065.

So far, 165,515 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in the country with 156,358 recoveries.

EU may introduce COVID-19 certificate by summer

The European Commission says it expects to introduce the COVID-19 certificate this summer.

The certificate would allow citizens from the 27-nation bloc — who have been vaccinated, recovered from the virus, or tested negative — to travel without restriction.

Speaking after a meeting with European affairs ministers on Tuesday, Maros Sefcovic, vice-president of the commission, described the plan as a “priority”.

“This is a priority for our citizens and therefore I believe we will deliver (on the certificate) before summer,” he said.

UN makes case for global vaccine access

The United Nations (UN) says vaccine inequality between countries is stunting global economic recovery.

According to an economic forecast published on Tuesday, the agency called for “timely and universal access” to vaccines.

“Vaccine inequity between countries and regions is posing a significant risk to an already uneven and fragile global recovery,” WHO said.

“Timely and universal access to COVID-19 vaccinations will mean the difference between ending the pandemic promptly.”

The agency said universal vaccine access would place the global economy on a “trajectory of a resilient recovery” and would avert the tendency of losing “many more years of growth, development and opportunities”.