Day: May 2, 2020

President Donald Trump announced Friday that the experimental drug remdesivir has been authorized by US regulators for emergency use against COVID-19. It comes after the antiviral made by Gilead Sciences was shown in a major clinical trial to shorten the time to recovery in some coronavirus patients, the first time any medicine has had a proven benefit against the disease. “It is really a really promising situation,” Trump said at the White House, where he was joined by Gilead’s CEO Daniel O’Day. “We are humbled with this first step for…

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Chief Raymond Dokpesi, founder of DAAR Communications, his daughter-in-law and six members of his family have tested positive for coronavirus. This comes three days after his son and Chairman of the board of the company, Raymond Dokpesi Jnr, tested positive for the virus. A test conducted by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on the Dokpesi family came out positive for the eight members of the family. It stated that other affected family members were, on Friday, conveyed by the NCDC to the isolation centre at the University of Abuja…

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Dapo Abiodun, Ogun State Governor,  on Friday extended the lockdown of the state by one week from May 4 to 11, 2020. Abiodun also extended the relaxation period from seven to 10 hours. The governor said this in a broadcast at his office in Oke-Mosan, Abeokuta. He said his decision was in line with the order of the President Muhammadu Buhari. Buhari had in his presidential broadcast announced a curfew to be imposed on Ogun, Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory between 8pm and 6am from May 4. But Abiodun…

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Controversial bill empowers FG to convert private properties to isolation centre A controversial bill sponsored by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, and two of his colleagues, seeking to empower the Federal Government to convert any property in the country, including private properties, to isolation centres has continued to attract criticisms. Apart from members of the House who protested that they were not served copies while it was read at plenary on Tuesday, before it hurriedly passed first and second readings on the same day, lawyers…

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Kano state Health Ministry has revealed via Twitter that the state has recorded three new coronavirus fatalities, shortly after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced 92 new infections in the state, bringing the total confirmed cases to 311. “As at 11:25pm 1st May 2020, 92 new cases of COVID-19 cases confirmed. Total confirmed cases in Kano State are now 311. “3 additional COVID-19 deaths were recorded. Total COVID-19 deaths are now 8,” the state Health Ministry tweeted. Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said on Friday that a 14-man team…

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NAFDAC, the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, on Friday said it was concerned about claims in the social media that the agency had approved drugs and vaccine for COVID-19, describing the claim as misleading. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said in a statement that although a research was ongoing to find cure for COVID-19, there was no drug or vaccine for the virus yet. She said, “NAFDAC is concerned about several reports and claims on social media and other media on drugs or vaccine…

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