• PSC says Nigeria won’t accept vaccines from private, unverified sources
• Academy urges FG to close international airports to check spread
• WHO’s survey reveals disruptions in health services
• FG keeps mum as East Africa destroy expired AstraZeneca vaccines
As India continues to set a new global record for a rise in daily coronavirus cases for a fifth straight day, while deaths from COVID-19 also jumped by an all-time high over the last 24 hours, the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 (PSC) has warned Nigerians to brace up for a third COVID-19 wave.
On Sunday, India reported 346,786 new cases of COVID-19 for the previous 24 hours, with 2,624 deaths – the world’s highest daily toll since the pandemic began last year. Overall, nearly 190,000 people have died from COVID in the country, while more than 16.6 million have been infected.
COVID-19 Resurgence: Shut our International airports now, medical experts tell FG
On
By Sola Ogundipe & Chioma Obinna
TO mitigate a possible third wave of COVID-19 infections in Nigeria, amid the escalating cases and deaths in India and other countries, eminent experts in medicine and related field, have charged the Federal government to temporarily shut the nation’s international airports to flights from the high-burden countries.
The experts, who made the call in an urgent advisory under the aegis of the Academy of Medicine Specialties of Nigeria, cautioned that transmission of the virus is still active in the country although at a low level.
Academy Advises FG to Shut Airports to Avoid COVID-19 s Third Wave thisdaylive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from thisdaylive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
• Medical Guild Decries Vaccine Nationalism By West
After several months of waiting, Nigeria eventually began nationwide COVID-19 vaccination last week Friday, in Abuja. But despite the excitement that greeted the occasion, there are several concerns and unanswered questions over the vaccination. x
Besides, accessing COVID-19 vaccines has become an issue, especially with Western countries trying to ‘own’ them.
Also, it has been alleged that the West wants to ‘fleece’ developing nations, particularly African countries of their foreign reserves domiciled in Europe through the vaccines, coupled with the politics involved in accessing the vaccines, as the West buys up more than they need, leaving other countries struggling to access them.
Experts caution pregnant women, others over COVID-19 vaccine
Dayo Ojerinde
The Academy of Medicine Specialties has advised pregnant women and other eligible populations to consult their doctors before taking COVID-19 vaccine.
The group in a statement by its Chairman on Scientific Committee, Prof. Oladapo Ashiru, on Monday, said it was unfortunate that pregnant and lactating women were not included in the vaccine trials.
“As vaccination becomes available, the Academy of Medicine Specialties believes that both preventing the spread of existing COVID-19 infections and widespread vaccination is essential to control the pandemic and save lives.
“It is especially important that certain eligible patient populations, including pregnant women, consult with their trusted physicians when considering whether to take the vaccine. Since the beginning of the pandemic, various medical bodies urged that pregnant and lactating people to be included in the vaccine trials and research, unfortun