High COVID-19 Cases In Kano Not Surprising – NCDC

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April 28, 2020

The spread of COVID-19 risks devastating countries across East Africa, where food insecurity could more than double in just three months, the United Nations warned Tuesday.

The UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that some 20 million people currently do not have secure provisions of food across nine countries in the region: Burundi, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Uganda.

Compared to other parts of the world, these countries have so far registered few confirmed COVID-19 cases, with numbers still counted in the dozens or hundreds.

However, due to their often weak economies and poor health infrastructure, they are considered highly vulnerable to the impacts of the mounting crisis.

“WFP projections are currently that the number of food-insecure people in the region is likely to increase to 34 or up to 43 million during the next three months due to the socioeconomic impact of COVID-19,” spokeswoman Elisabeth Byrs told journalists in a virtual briefing.

In the worst-case scenario, “food insecurity will have more than doubled,” she stressed, adding that nearly half of the projected 43 million people affected were expected to be acutely food insecure.

She said the WFP urgently needed more than $500 million for just the next three to six months to scale up its operations in the Horn of Africa and wider East Africa.

The pandemic, which to date has killed more than 210,000 people worldwide out of more than three million infected, has created an “unprecedented crisis,” Byers said.

“It is not just a supply-side problem, such as drought or locusts, or a demand-side issue, such as a recession. It is both, at the same time and on a global scale,” she said.

Lockdown Is Necessary To Curb Spread Of COVID-19, Says Minister

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April 28, 2020

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mrs Ramatu Aliyu, says the lockdown imposed by President Muhammadu Buhari is necessary to curb the spread of COVID-19 across the country.

She stated this on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

“No nation prays for that and I will not speak for Mr President. But from what we have seen in other developed climes, lockdown seems to be one of the best ways out of the pandemic ravaging and spreading.

“So to curb this spread and to reduce it to the barest minimum, the lockdown is better. So many parameters have to come to play here. That is why it is the decision of the leadership,” she said.

The Minister also asked residents of the FCT and indeed all Nigerians to avoid unnecessary movements around their environment to curb the spread of COVID-19

While asking the masses to wear face masks and maintain the social distancing measures, she wants the citizens to follow the directives set out by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Aliyu’s remarks come a few hours before President Muhammadu Buhari is to address the nation on the next step taken by his administration to curb COVID-19 in the country.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina confirmed this development in a statement today.

President Buhari is expected to address Nigerians on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as some residents in Lagos, Ogun, and the Federal Capital Territory expect to know whether the lockdown would be extended or not.

There are way over a million positive cases of COVID-19 confirmed across the world, with thousands of deaths recorded in many countries.

COVID-19: Buhari Bans Inter-state Travel

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April 28, 2020

The President, Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday, says non-essential inter-state travel within the country is banned till further notice as part of measures to curb the spread of the pandemic.

ABN TV had reported that the Nigeria Governors’ Forum appealed to the President to include its resolution on the restriction of interstate movement in his next address to the nation.

Buhari made the announcement during an address to the nation, ordering “a ban on non-essential inter-state passenger travel until further notice”.

He added that partial and controlled interstate movement of goods and services would be allowed.

He also ordered “a phased and gradual easing of lockdown measures in FCT, Lagos and the Ogun States effective from Monday, 4th May 2020”.

He, however, stated that there would be an overnight curfew from 8 pm to 6 am in the three cities.

“We will strictly ensure the mandatory use of face masks or coverings in public in addition to maintaining physical distancing and personal hygiene,” he added.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, over 1000 cases of coronavirus and 40 deaths have been reported in the country.

More Than Three Million COVID-19 Cases Recorded Worldwide

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April 28, 2020

More Than Three Million COVID-19 Cases Recorded Worldwide

More than three million cases of coronavirus have been officially registered across the world, with nearly 80 per cent in Europe and the United States, according to a tally by ABN TV on Monday using official figures.

At least 3,003,344 infections have been detected, including 209,388 deaths, mostly in Europe where there are 1,393,779 cases and 126,233 deaths.

The United States, the country where the pandemic is progressing the most rapidly, has 980,008 cases including 55,637 deaths.

The number of detected cases is believed to represent only a fraction of the true number of infections because most countries carry out only limited testing.

Coronavirus in Africa: 27,385 cases; 1,297 deaths; 8,172 recoveries

There are now more than over 27,600 confirmed cases of coronavirus across the continent, with a number of African countries imposing a range of prevention and containment measures against the spread of the pandemic.

According to the latest data by the John Hopkins University and Africa Center for Disease Control on COVID-19 in Africa, the breakdown remains fluid as countries confirm cases as and when. The whole of Africa has rising cases with only two countries holding out as of April 23.

We shall keep updating this list largely sourced from the John Hopkins University tallies, Africa CDC and from official government data. The classifications are based on where the countries are located especially in the case of countries that belong to two different blocs, like Tanzania in East Africa, despite belonging to EAC and SADC.

Major African stats: April 24 at 7:00 GMT:

Confirmed cases = 27,385
Number of deaths = 1,297
Recoveries = 8,172
Infected countries = 52
Virus-free countries = 2 (Lesotho, Comoros)

Countries in alphabetical order

Algeria – 3,007
Angola – 25
Benin – 54
Botswana – 22
Burkina Faso – 616
Burundi – 11
Cameroon – 1,334
Cape Verde – 82
Central African Republic – 16
Chad – 33
Comoros – 0
Congo-Brazzaville – 186
DR Congo – 394
Djibouti – 986
Egypt – 3,891
Equatorial Guinea – 84
Eritrea – 39
Eswatini – 31
Ethiopia – 116
Gabon – 167
(The) Gambia – 10
Ghana – 1,154
Guinea – 862
Guinea-Bissau – 50
Ivory Coast – 1,004
Kenya – 330
Lesotho – 0
Liberia – 101
Libya – 60
Madagascar – 121
Malawi – 33
Mali – 309
Mauritania – 7
Mauritius – 331
Morocco – 3,568
Mozambique – 46
Namibia – 16
Niger – 671
Nigeria- 981
Rwanda – 154
Sao Tome and Principe – 4
Senegal – 479
Seychelles – 11
Sierra Leone – 64
Somalia – 328
South Africa – 3,953
South Sudan – 5
Sudan – 174
Tanzania – 284
Togo – 88
Tunisia – 918
Uganda – 74
Zambia – 76
Zimbabwe – 29

Three Siblings Drown In Ebonyi River

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April 28, 2020

Three siblings in Ebonyi State have drowned in a river at Amaeze in Ishiagu, Ivo Local Government Area of the state.

The three siblings whose names were withheld as at press time got drowned mysteriously on Saturday after they left home to the river but never returned alive.

ABN TV learnt that the three siblings were girls attending Comprehensive secondary school in Ishiagu and aged between 14-20 years.

However, their bodies were found floating on the water while the circumstances surrounding their deaths remained unknown.

The Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Ivo Divisional Police Post, Mr. Nwornu Daniel who confirmed the incident said it was a case of sudden and unnatural death.

COVID-19 Patient Delivers Baby At LUTH

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ABN TV EDITOR

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April 27, 2020

A COVID-19 patient has been delivered of a baby at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos State.

ABN TV reports that LUTH made this know in a tweet on the micro-blogging site, Twitter on Monday afternoon, saying the mother and child are well and alive.

“A team of LUTH Drs, anesthetists & nurses delivered a woman with Covid19 of a baby girl this afternoon 40yr old mother & 3.3kg baby are doing fine. Our gratitude go to these gallant men & women & all warriors making d nation proud in d face of this scourge,” the tweet read.

In other news, Ekiti State Government has last week confirmed the death of the pregnant woman with Coronavirus.

She reportedly died on Wednesday. But her baby is said to be alive.

The Commissioner for Health, Mojisola Yahaya-Kolade, confirmed this to journalists in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital.

“The deceased, a pregnant 29-year-old female community health worker based in Lagos, was said to have sneaked into Ekiti in spite of the lockdown order in place”, the Commissioner added.

BREAKING: Bola Tinubu’s Personal Aides Test Positive For COVID-19

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ABN TV EDITOR

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April 27, 2020

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, one of his aides had tested positive for COVID-19 after his late Chief Security Officer, Alhaji Lateef Raheem, died from COVID-19 complications.

He explained that another aide, who also tested positive after the death of Raheem, had been isolated in accordance with the guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

Tinubu said he and his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, however, tested negative for the virus.

The former Lagos governor, in a statement on Monday by his media aide, Tunde Rahman, warned Nigerians never to take the coronavirus for granted.

He said, “Following the death of our well-respected and beloved Chief Security Officer, Alhaji Lateef Raheem, NCDC medics took the wise precaution of taking samples from his body for testing to actually determine the cause of death. Today, the test results are back. The samples tested positive for COVID-19.

“As a precautionary measure taken soon after the death of Alhaji Raheem, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, and all their aides took COVID-19 tests on Saturday, April 25. The results of the tests were returned this morning. Test results for both Asiwaju and Senator Tinubu were negative.

“The result of one aide was positive. The rest of the staff was negative. The one staff member has been isolated in accordance with NCDC guidelines. Further contact tracing and COVID-19 tests are being conducted by the NCDC with regard to the relatives and possible contacts of that staff member.”

The APC chieftain stressed that openness and transparency were key if Nigeria would defeat the disease while noting that people who contracted the virus should not be stigmatised.

“We cannot overcome this challenge by acting like it does not exist or by trying to conceal that someone may have it due to social shame. The culture of denial is counterproductive and will do great harm in our current situation,” he added.

He said everyone must play their part to contain the spread of the virus and support those who had been infected.

BREAKING: UK To Pay £60K For Families Of NHS Workers, Carriers Who Die From COVID-19

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ABN TV EDITOR

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April 27, 2020

Health workers and carriers who die from coronavirus will receive a payment of £60,000, Health Secretary Matt Hancock has announced.

He said: “Of course, nothing replaces the loss of a loved one. But we want to do everything we can to support families who are dealing with this grief.”

Speaking at the daily Downing Street press conference, he said 21,092 people had now died of Covid-19.

Mr Hancock said: “Sadly these deaths figures include 82 NHS colleagues and 16 colleagues who work in social care.

“They dedicated their lives to caring for others, and I feel a deep personal sense of duty that we must care for their loved ones.”

“The Government is setting up a life assurance scheme for NHS and social care front line colleagues.

“Families of staff who die from coronavirus in the course of their essential frontline work will receive a £60,000 payment.”

He said the government was also “looking closely” at other professions where people may need help.

Mr Hancock also issued a plea for people with illnesses other than coronavirus to use the NHS and seek help. He said the NHS had capacity to treat other illnesses, but people appeared to be staying away in a bid to help the health service.

Earlier, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the Government would announce changes to the lockdown “in the coming days”.

But Mr Johnson, who is back at work full time after recovering from coronavirus, dampened any hopes of a swift end to the lockdown.

He said: “I refuse to throw away all the effort and the sacrifice of the British people and to risk a second major outbreak and huge loss of life and the overwhelming of the NHS.

“And I ask you to contain your impatience because I believe we are coming now to the end of the first phase of this conflict.”

Mr Johnson will observe the minute’s silence for frontline workers who have lost their lives to coronavirus on Tuesday.

And he plans to speak to Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer this week, as he seeks to build a consensus approach to altering the lockdown, Downing Street said.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak set out the devastating impact the lockdown is having on the economy, as he warned that the Government could not stop jobs being lost.

He told the House of Commons: “More than 1.5 million new claims have been made to Universal Credit.

“Over four million jobs have now been furloughed.

“Survey evidence suggests a quarter of businesses have paused trading.

“These are already tough times. There will be more to come.

“And while our interventions have saved millions of jobs and businesses, we can’t save every job and every business.”

Mr Sunak announced new measures to support small businesses during the lockdown, including loans worth up to £50,000 with the Government guaranteeing 100% of the risks.

He said the “bounce back loans” would have the interest paid by the Government for the first 12 months. Mr Sunak acknowledged that some small firms were struggling to access credit, and by guaranteeing the full value of the loan he hopes that lenders will allow companies to borrow the funds they need.

The latest daily update from NHS England showed a further 329 people have died, bringing the total number of confirmed reported deaths in hospitals in England to 18,749.

The number of deaths by region were as follows:

East of England 34

London 87

Midlands 55

North East & Yorkshire 55

North West 41

South East 38

South West 19

“We Charge Zamfara Bandits N6000 For Sex Per Night” – Siblings Confess

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April 27, 2020