TheCable

Nigeria on Monday recorded 393 cases of coronavirus. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Tuesday. 

Pfizer: COVID vaccine safe for children aged five to 11 years

Pfizer and BioNTech say trial results show their COVID-19 vaccine is safe and produces a robust immune response in children aged five to 11.

Albert Bourla, chief executive officer (CEO) of Pfizer, said plans are underway to submit data to the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) for approval.

“Since July, pediatric cases of COVID-19 have risen by about 240 percent in the US — underscoring the public health need for vaccination,” Bourla said in a statement.

“These trial results provide a strong foundation for seeking authorization of our vaccine for children 5 to 11 years old, and we plan to submit them to the FDA and other regulators with urgency.”

Currently, the vaccine is being administered to children above 12 and adults in countries around the world.

Vatican to require COVID health pass for visitors

The Vatican says a health certificate showing proof of immunity from coronavirus will be required for workers and residents to access the city from October 1.

In a statement issued on Monday, the Vatican said an exception will be granted for those attending mass “for the time strictly necessary for the rite”.

The COVID health pass shows that someone has been vaccinated, tested negative or has recently recovered from the COVID-19. Many European countries including Italy have made the pass mandatory for workers.

US to lift COVID restrictions on vaccinated foreign air travellers in November

The United States says it will lift restrictions on international air travellers who are fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, starting in November.

Jeff Zients, the White House pandemic coordinator, on Monday, said foreign travellers who provide evidence that they are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 will be able to fly to the US starting from “early November”.

Fully vaccinated travellers will also be expected to show proof of negative COVID-19 tests done three days before flying to the US.

“International travel is critical to connecting families and friends, to fueling small and large businesses, to promoting the open exchange of ideas and culture,” he said.

Nigeria logs 393 COVID infections

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 393 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 14 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The new figure represents a 57 percent increase from that of Sunday.

The agency, in its update for September 20, 2021, said the FCT topped the list of infections with 121 new cases, followed by Lagos with 86 cases, and Edo with 70.

Other states that recorded new infections are Delta (30), Rivers (24), Plateau (16), Benue (11), Cross River (10), Abia (8), Bayelsa (4), Gombe (4), Bauchi (3), Kano (3), Adamawa (2) and Taraba (1).

According to the NCDC, the report for Monday includes a backlog of one confirmed case for Taraba state on September 18.

The agency said 338 persons were discharged on Monday after recovering from the infection.

It also said six persons died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,661.

To date, 202,191 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed while 290,901 recoveries have been made across the country.

India to resume exports of COVID vaccine

India says it will resume exports of COVID-19 vaccines from the next quarter.

Mansukh Mandaviya, health minister, said COVAX, the global vaccine-sharing platform, and neighbouring countries will be prioritised.

India, the world’s largest producer of COVID vaccines, suspended exports in April to focus on vaccinating residents owing to the surge of infections in the country.

“We will help other countries and also fulfil our responsibility towards COVAX,” Mandaviya said on Monday.