COVID-19: Doctors, health workers, and policemen test positive for coronavirus

The travail of frontline Coronavirus pandemic workers in Nigeria is far from over as more doctors, other health workers and police officers have reportedly contracted the virus.

As at last week, the Federal Government confirmed that no fewer than 133 doctors as well as some security personnel have either  been infected or had died from COVID-19 complications.

In Kano, Abubakar Nagoma, chairman of the Association of Resident Doctors of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) announced, yesterday, that samples taken from 10 medical doctors working at the hospital returned positive.

He said the doctors were infected in the course of their duties, adding that those affected included resident doctors and consultants.

He said he was aware that eight of the doctors have been moved to the isolation centre where they have commenced treatment while two had remained  self-isolated in their homes largely because they had not shown any symptom.

Nagoma said the test results followed a screening of over 100 workers last week.He explained that the doctors were exposed to the virus following the failure of patients to use face masks while visiting the hospital as well as the absence of sufficient PPEs.

He alleged that some patients were not truthful about the information they provide and threatened that doctors may discontinue attending to patients if the management would not provide them with the needed PPEs even as he acknowledged that the hospital management was unhappy that it had not been supplied with sufficient PPE.

In Ondo, three workers of the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) and three policemen attached to Yaba Police Division, Ondo town, have also tested positive.

It was gathered that the policemen, who have been admitted at the IDH in Akure, contracted the disease from a female colleague who allegedly refused to go for testing despite showing COVID-19 symptoms.

She was, however, exposed by a relative who posted on a WhatsApp platform that her sister had been taking herbs at home to treat herself rather than go to the hospital. She said she cried out so that innocent people around her would not be infected in case she tested positive.

“I’m ready to give all information needed. It’s my blood sister. The family members did not know. Our neighbours too don’t know about her health condition and she is drinking herbs,” she said.

Police spokesman in the state, Mr. Tee-Leo Ikoro, confirmed that there was an officer infected at Yaba Police Division.

Also, Governor Rotimi Akeredolu has confirmed that three workers, including two health officers and one driver have contracted the disease.

He said the workers who are casual staff at the state -owned IDH have been given automatic employment into the state civil service. They are among the 13 cases currently recorded in the state.

A driver with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has also tested positive for the virus in Nasarawa State, Governor Abdullahi Sule disclosed during an expanded state security meeting in Lafia, yesterday. He said the driver transported test samples to the NCDC in Abuja and got infected in the process. He said the driver who resided at Ado in Karu Local Government Area of the state, was confirmed positive yesterday morning.

According to the governor, the patient had been moved to an isolation centre at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Keffi, for treatment.Sule said all coronavirus patients were receiving treatment at the Dalhatu Araf Specialist Hospital, Lafia, and the FMC.

He said the state had taken delivery of 6,000 personal protective equipment, 50,000 imported face masks and 50,000  face masks made by the National Youth Service Corps.

He urged the people to adhere to directives on COVID-19  prevention in order to stem the tide of the virus.

Meanwhile, Governor Akeredolu has approved new special hazard allowances for health workers as a result of their role in the fight against COVID-19.

“I have also approved that all Health workers in the state be paid 50 percent of their consolidated basic salary as hazard allowance.Furthermore, all healthcare workers working directly in the isolation and treatment centres are to get additional 20 percent of their 50 percent  as special risk allowance, they will also get a top-up lump sum from the funds of the PTF.

“I must quickly express our deep solidarity with the brave workers at our Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) who, in the course of saving other people’s lives, contracted this deadly disease. Both the driver who carries samples to test centres outside the state and the two casual workers in the wards took the highest risk in helping their fellow human being. They are our heroes.

“To live in service of humanity in preserving social existence and continuity, is perhaps the greatest sacrifice for mankind. These three individuals are junior workers in that establishment, yet their contributions are critical and very essential to all our operations to fight COVID–19. They faced the daily risks of worst dimension with candour. At the end, they are infected with the deadly Virus.

“I want their families and loved ones to know that Ondo State government stands firmly with them and will walk with them through these difficult times until they recover and fully get back their daily lives. Their tribulation is our burden and their total recovery will be our joy.

“To further demonstrate our understanding and total commitment to supporting the frontline risk bearers, I have directed immediate absorption into the public service of the infected casual workers at the IDH,” he said.

Buhari waives import duty for medical supplies

President Muhammadu Buhari has approved that import duty be waived for medical equipment and supplies to “strengthen health infrastructure” in response to the pandemic.

This was announced in a tweet by presidential aide, Tolu Ogunlesi, yesterday.

The waiver on imported medical equipment joins the list of fiscal policies that have been introduced by the Federal Government to combat the economic implications of the pandemic.

Announcing the government’s fiscal response, Zainab Ahmed, minister of finance, budget and national planning, said the government would engage other corporates to know what they want the most.

At the time, the minister had said the 2020 finance act has catered for micro, small and medium scale enterprises by offering them tax exemptions.

“We don’t want to go and say that we are reducing taxes for companies. Some of the companies, for example, the pharmaceutical industry, what they would want is fast track processes to bring in materials to produce more drugs.

“We’ll be giving them import duty waivers, we’ll be giving them support to air freight their cargo because supply chains are broken across the world, there is a need to fast track import of materials that are needed to produce drugs within the country so we have to have those engagements to be more specific.”

US shuns fund raising for vaccine as world leaders pledge $8bn

World leaders have pledged $8 billion to fund vaccine. But United States President Donald Trump skipped the chance to contribute, with officials in his administration noting that the US was pouring billions of dollars into its own research efforts.

During a three-hour fund-raising conference organised by the European Union and conducted over video link, representatives from around the world – from Japan to Canada, Australia to Norway – took turns announcing their countries’ contributions to fund laboratories that have promising leads in developing and producing a vaccine. For Romania, it was $200,000. For Canada, $850 million.

The European Commission, the executive branch of the EU that spearheaded the initiative, said the money would be spent over the next two years. The goal is to deliver universal and affordable access to medication to fight COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.

The multilateral effort stood in sharp contrast to the solo road the United States was on as scientists scrambled to develop a vaccine.

In Washington on Monday, senior Trump administration officials did not explain the US absence at the European-organised conference. Instead, they pointed to American contributions to vaccine efforts worldwide and noted that the government had spent $2.6 billion on vaccine research and development through an arm of the Department of Health and Human Services.

Ehanire: Nigeria using remdesivir

As the confirmed cases hit 2,808 with 93 deaths, Mnister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said Nigeria has started using remdesivir, an anti-retroviral drug in managing COVID-19 patients.

Addressing members of the House of Representatives, yesterday,  he said the drug has been administered to patients in Lagos.He, however, did not say the outcome of the treatment.

“We have been using that (remdesivir); we have tried that in Lagos too. So, we have tried the antiretroviral drug to see what effect it has,” he said.

The minister said the drug, originally developed as a potential treatment for Ebola, is one of the options which Nigeria has adopted in treating COVID-19 patients.

But he said no herbal medicine has so far been approved for the disease.

No fewere 150 patients recovered after being treated with the experimental anti-retroviral drug.

Gilead Sciences, the pharmaceutical company that developed the drug, said it was found to be effective on the patients during the trial which began in February, but added that the optimal duration of treatment is still being studied in ongoing clinical trials.

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the use of the drug for hospitalised COVID-19 patients. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has not approved any drug or vaccine for COVID-19.

AU discusses herbal remedy with Madagascar

The African Union (AU) has opened talks with Madagascar on a herbal remedy recently announced by the Indian Ocean island nation for the reported prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

The Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) in a statement, yesterday, said the talks, focusing on technical data regarding its safety and efficiency, was held through Madagascar Embassy in Addis Ababa.

It said the AU Commissioner for Social Affairs, Amira ElFadil, convened a meeting with the Madagascar Chargé d’Affaires in Ethiopia, Mr. Eric Randrianantoandro, on April 30.

The statement said it was agreed that Madagascar would furnish the AU with necessary details regarding the herbal remedy.

“Once furnished with the details, the Union, through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), will review the scientific data gathered so far on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 Organics. This review will be based on global technical and ethical norms to garner the necessary scientific evidence regarding the performance of the tonic,” it said.

It said that the developments followed the participation of Madagascar’s President, Andry Rajoelina, in a teleconference meeting of the Bureau of the Assembly of AU Heads of State and Government with Chairpersons of the AU Regional Economic Communities (RECs) on April 29. (Daily Sun)