A private hospital in Lagos State, Vedic Lifecare, has urged its visitors to undergo self-isolation.

The hospital made the request while confirming that two of its staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Vedic Lifecare, on its official Twitter page on Monday, said its staff contracted the disease after treating a patient who later tested positive for the disease.

The hospital located at Lekki phase one area of Lagos State advised its visitors to get tested if possible, stating that its staff and the patient are asymptomatic.

“The patient and our staff are now being managed by the NCDC at their isolation centre.

”As per the Government COVID-19 management protocol, the facility is currently closed off for decontamination and the fumigation activities.

It further stated that it had provided PPEs for staff members adding that the fumigation might take up to four days.

”We are currently testing the remaining staff members of the hospital and we will continue to update everyone once the testing is concluded and the hospital can open.”

The Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Ramat Aliyu, has denied claims that palliatives being distributed for FCT residents are meant for political party supporters only.

Aliyu, in an interview on Channels Television programme, Sunday Politics, described the claim as a figment of the imagination of some people who do not understand the processes for the distribution.

While explaining the modalities, she said the focus was on cushioning the effect of COVID-19 lockdown on all vulnerable residents as the virus was no respecter of any political party or affiliation.

“It is a figment of their imagination.

“Maybe before now, they are used to politicising everything, but we are moving away from that now.

“We are facing reality because COVID-19 knows no barrier.

“COVID-19 knows no tribe, religion or even political party.

“From the composition of the organogram, the structure is replicated down to the grassroots,” she said.

She added volunteers and representatives from various groups, including the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), League of Imams, political parties, civil society groups, among others were part of the distribution process.

According to Aliyu, over 600,00 households are targeted to receive the package which is made up of 5kg of rice, 3kg of garri, 3kg of semovita, 2kg of beans, 10 sachets of tomato paste, and one litre of groundnut oil, among others.

Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, on Sunday, revealed that the state has not tested anyone for Coronavirus.

Speaking on Channels TV on Sunday, Bello said this was because it developed an application for tracking symptoms and no one has so far manifested signs in the state.

Bello boasted that its COVID-19 sensitization campaign was yielding good results.

He said, “So far, so good, we have launched an app, and if nobody shows any sign or symptoms, we will not go out and catch anyone because we want to test anybody.

“We do not have any testing centre in Kogi but is in FCT, and we have test kits in case there is any need to collect samples.

“But if no one comes out with any issue or reported case, what are we going to collect to send to any of the testing centres?

“I think our sensitization program is working excellently well, and our people are following our instruction.

“When asked why Kogi State is yet to order total lockdown even as neighbouring states recorded so many cases of COVID-19 recently, he said, “FCT is not the only state close to us.

“We have ten borders, and we have technically shut down and enlightened our people. By technically shutting down, we are not locked up.”

Kogi State has not recorded any case of Coronavirus.

Soldiers have repelled the attack by Boko Haram insurgents on Geidam local government Area of Yobe state.

The attack by the insurgents came few hours after several key Boko Haram Terrorists/ISWAP leaders were killed in multiple airstrikes conducted by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole at Durbada in Borno.

Sources within Geidam confirmed that the insurgents stormed the town through the southern part of Gumsa village in the early hours on Monday.

He said people ran helter-skelter to reach their destination as the attacked came at the time that residents were out for their businesses.

Residents are worried as this was the first time the insurgents attacked Geidam in the morning.

Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters has said that several Boko Haram leaders have been killed during airstrikes.

The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, added that structures belonging to the terrorists were also destroyed.

Enenche disclosed that the operation, which was executed on April 17, came on the heels of credible human intelligence reports.

He said that the intelligence was confirmed by a series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions and indicated that the settlement was one of the locations where some of the terrorists’ hierarchy often hibernate.

According to him, the fighter jets dispatched by the Air Task Force took turns in attacking the location scoring accurate hits within the target area which resulted in the death of some of the terrorists.

“Others, who were seen attempting to flee the area were taken out in follow-on attacks.

“The Armed Forces of Nigeria, in furtherance of the objective of restoring peace and security in the North East, will sustain the offensive against the enemies of our nation,” he said.

Nigeria and other African countries need an estimated $114bn to fund the campaign against the outbreak of the coronavirus disease on the continent.

This was disclosed in a statement posted on the website of the International Monetary Fund on Sunday.

The statement was issued after a meeting of African leaders, bilateral partners and multilateral institutions, which was jointly convened by the World Bank and the IMF.

The World Bank and the IMF, in the statement, said they had mobilised partners in the fight against COVID-19 in Africa.

According to the statement, together, official creditors have mobilised up to $57bn for Africa in 2020 alone – including upwards of $18bn from the IMF and the World Bank each.

The fund is meant to provide the front-line health services, support the poor and vulnerable, and keep economies afloat in the face of the worst global economic downturn since the 1930s.

It was also disclosed that private creditor support to the continent in 2020 could amount to an estimated $13bn.

“This is an important start, but the continent needs an estimated $114bn in 2020 in its fight against COVID-19, leaving a financing gap of around $44bn,” the statement added.

The meeting convened by the World Bank and IMF to spur faster action on COVID-19 response in Africa was attended by African Union Chairman and President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, and the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres.

Director-General of the World Health Organisation, Dr Tedros Ghebreyesus, African Union Commission Chairperson, Moussa Mahamat, and officials of individual countries also attended the meeting, where plans were outlined for effective use of resources to curb the spread of the disease.

The statement noted that bilateral partners, at the meeting, reemphasised their commitment to a debt standstill beginning May 1.

The World Bank and the IMF had called on creditors to suspend debt repayments in order to provide much-needed support to the poorest countries.

Ramaphosa, at the meeting, said African countries required greater support to surmount the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This pandemic has already had a devastating impact on Africa and its effects will deepen as the rate of infection rises.

“It is a setback for the progress we have made to eradicate poverty, inequality and underdevelopment,” he said while noting that “large financing gaps remain” despite the assistance so far extended to African countries.

The statement also disclosed that the World Bank and the IMF suggested a range of financing options and policy tools as part of the pandemic response, many of which African countries were looking to implement as they planned for the medium and long-term impact of the crisis.

The options include further financing from official and private sector creditors.

World Bank President, David Malpass, and IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, in separate speeches, said the organisations were fully behind Africa in the global campaign against the pandemic.

Malpass said the World Bank had so far provided emergency support to 30 countries across Africa, with more still to come, and would continue to advocate debt relief and increased resources, especially for countries hardest hit by COVID-19.

Georgieva added that the IMF would provide more concessional financing while also counting on others to step up and do their parts to shield the economy and the people, and provide the foundations for a strong and sustainable recovery.

The statement noted that it would be critical for African countries to work together especially on the health response and on limiting trade disruptions to ensure freer movement of medical and food supplies.

The World Bank and the IMF also applauded the decision taken by G20 countries to temporarily suspend debt payments by least developed countries.

The World Bank is deploying up to $160bn in financial support – $55bn of which will be for Africa – over the next 15 months to help countries protect the poor and vulnerable, support businesses, and bolster economic recovery.

The IMF is also leveraging its $1tn lending capacity to provide comprehensive support for member countries.

The Fund said it was doubling annual access limits for rapid disbursing vehicles to about $100bn to respond to unprecedented calls for emergency financing from more than 100 countries.

It added that it had revamped its Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to help 29 of its poorest and most vulnerable members through rapid debt service relief.