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COVID-19: Ogun Extends Lockdown For One Week

Governor Dapo Abiodun of Ogun State has extended the lockdown in the state by another week.

The governor announced this on Friday while briefing journalists in the state.

The governor frowned at the flouting of social and safety guideline to ensure the eradication of the virus in the state.

He noted that the lockdown extension was a precautionary method, adding that residents must wear face masks.

He said, “Reports reaching us have shown that many of our people are showing utter disregard for the precautionary guidelines, international best practices and safety measures rolled out, especially, during the window of relaxation of the lockdown.

“We have heard and seen the havoc that COVID-19 continues to wreck in other lands. Let us learn from these experiences.

“Now, to preserve the lives of our people, we are persuaded to extend the currently modified lockdown, which has been slightly eased, for another one week alongside the current guidelines.

“Wearing a face mask is mandatory. It is important to note that we have provided, and continue to provide, facemasks to public servants, groups and association.”

Abiodun said the test had intensified its contact tracing and would continue to test and treat people suspected or infected with the virus.

He added, “As of today, we have screened over 10,000 people and tested over 700. In addition to that, we have intensified our contact tracing capacity and have traced over 551 contacts of the COVID-19 positive patients.

“We are doing this to detect and treat people who are already infected rather than leaving them undetected which will be more detrimental because this will increase community transmission.”

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May 9, 2020
Nigerians Suggest Lockdown Extension As Lagos Records All-time Daily High Of 183 COVID-19 Cases

Some Nigerians are piling pressure on the federal and Lagos State government to place a fresh lockdown on Lagos to reduce the spread of Coronavirus.

On Thursday, Lagos recorded an all-time high of 183 cases of COVID-19 in a single day.

A dusk-to-dawn curfew was announced by President Muhammadu Buhari last week after the outrage that greeted the lockdown.

Since the lockdown was lifted on Sunday, the state has recorded 423 cases.

While calling for the extension of the lockdown, some Nigerians are however, urging the government to provide palliatives to cushion the effects of the lockdown.Using the hashtag, #extendlockdown, many Nigerians took to Twitter to ask the government to do something before it gets out of hand.

@Irunnia_ said, “When I saw 183 cases in Lagos, I thought my eyes made a mistake. Please, the government should #extendlockdown before we turn to Italy.”

See Also

Breaking News

BREAKING: Lagos Projects 120,000 COVID-19 Cases By July, August

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@Danny_Walterr tweeted, “The idea of #extendlockdown is brilliant if this government provides palliatives for people just as in other countries but asking people who feed daily from sales to stay at home with nothing and eat what? sand?”

@ezraallen14 said, “183 cases in Lagos. At this rate, if the government doesn’t call for a second total lockdown of the nation, I’m afraid the number will increase drastically within days. How can the government see this happening and still decide to keep quiet?”

@debbietolz said, “183 cases in Lagos and the lockdown has only been lifted for four days. We don’t need a prophet to tell us what would happen if Lagos isn’t locked down. Everyone, please stay at home.”

@bimboro1 tweeted, “183 cases in Lagos! Very impressive! Is this government clueless? Another way to kill Lagosians. Numbers are now getting to this point and no one can think clearly that you should #lockdownLagos now.”

@toyinobaterulp said, “Once upon a time, the total number of cases was less than 300, now we are recording 381 cases in a day. God help us! #lockdownlagos.”

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May 9, 2020
JUST IN: Delta Discharges Third COVID-19 Patient

Delta State has discharged another person infected with COVID-19 after treatment.

This was disclosed by the state government via its official Twitter handle, with the latest discharge bringing the total number of persons discharged in the state to three.

The state now has 11 active cases after recording 17 cases with three deaths and three persons discharged.

The state government has in place a dusk-to-dawn curfew to restrict movement and contain the spread of the virus.

Also, wearing of face mask has been made compulsory for anyone, who goes to public place.

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May 9, 2020
Sarawak’s second active Covid-19 detection operation covers 2,100 people

KUCHING: A Covid-19 case detection operation is being conducted in Kampung Tabuan Lot here today involving more than 2,100 people from 423 houses, said Sarawak State Disaster Management Committee (JPBN) chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas.

He said the operation, the second such exercise in Sarawak, was being undertaken from 8.30am to 5pm to screen the close contacts of Covid-19 positive patients.

“A (Covid-19) victim from the village had died while there was another case which could not be linked to any existing cluster. This programme was launched because the Covid-19 carriers might have unknowingly spread the virus to their families, neighbours and the community,” he told reporters after visiting the village today.

He said 171 personnel from the Sarawak Health Department, Royal Malaysia Police and Civil Defence Force are involved in the operation.

Fast and early detection of the deadly coronavirus was important because there were asymptomatic Covid-19 cases, he added.

A total of 15,583 people from 5,300 houses in Taman Desa Ilmu and Taman Uni Garden in Kota Samarahan were screened in the first case detection operation conducted from April 27 to May 3. — Bernama

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https://www.thesundaily.my/covid-19/sarawak-s-second-active-covid-19-detection-operation-covers-2100-people-ML2386493

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May 9, 2020
Global leaders unite to ensure everyone everywhere can access new vaccines, tests and treatments for COVID-19

Heads of state and global health leaders today made an unprecedented commitment to work together to accelerate the development and production of new vaccines, tests and treatments for COVID-19 and assure equitable access worldwide.

The COVID-19 pandemic has already affected more than 2.4 million people, killing over 160,000. It is taking a huge toll on families, societies, health systems and economies around the world, and for as long as this virus threatens any country, the entire world is at risk.

There is an urgent need, therefore, while following existing measures to keep people physically distanced and to test and track all contacts of people who test positive, for innovative COVID-19 vaccines, diagnostics and treatments.

“We will only halt COVID-19 through solidarity,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Countries, health partners, manufacturers, and the private sector must act together and ensure that the fruits of science and research can benefit everybody.”

Work has already started. Since January, WHO has been working with researchers from hundreds of institutions to develop and test vaccines, standardize assays and standardize regulatory approaches on innovative trial designs and define criteria to prioritize vaccine candidates. The Organization has prequalified diagnostics that are being used all over the world, and more are in the pipeline. And it is coordinating a global trial to assess the safety and efficacy of four therapeutics against COVID-19.

The challenge is to speed up and harmonize processes to ensure that once products are deemed safe and effective, they can be brought to the billions of people in the world who need them. Past experience, in the early days of HIV treatment, for example, and in the deployment of vaccines against the H1N1 outbreak in 2009, shows that even when tools are available, they have not been equally available to all.

So today leaders came together at a virtual event, co-hosted by the World Health Organization, the President of France, the President of the European Commission, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The event was joined by the UN Secretary General, the AU Commission Chairperson, the G20 President, heads of state of France, South Africa, Germany, Vietnam, Costa Rica, Italy, Rwanda, Norway, Spain, Malaysia and the UK (represented by the First Secretary of State).

Health leaders from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), GAVI-the Vaccine Alliance, the Global Fund, UNITAID, the Wellcome Trust, the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (IFRC), the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers (IFPMA), the Developing Countries Vaccine Manufacturers’ Network (DCVMN), and the International Generic and Biosimilar Medicines Association (IGBA) committed to come together, guided by a common vision of a planet protected from human suffering and the devastating social and economic consequences of COVID-19, to launch this groundbreaking collaboration. They are joined by two Special Envoys: Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Gavi Board Chair and Sir Andrew Witty, former CEO of GlaxoSmithKline.

They pledged to work towards equitable global access based on an unprecedented level of partnership. They agreed to create a strong unified voice, to build on past experience and to be accountable to the world, to communities and to one another.

“Our shared commitment is to ensure all people have access to all the tools to prevent, detect, treat and defeat COVID-19,” said Dr Tedros. “No country and no organization can do this alone. The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator brings together the combined power of several organizations to work with speed and scale.”

Health leaders called on the global community and political leaders to support this landmark collaboration and for donors to provide the necessary resources to accelerate achievement of its objectives, capitalizing on the opportunity provided by a forthcoming pledging initiative that starts on 4 May 2020. This initiative, spearheaded by the European Union, aims to mobilize the significant resources needed to accelerate the work towards protecting the world from COVID-19.

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https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-04-2020-global-leaders-unite-to-ensure-everyone-everywhere-can-access-new-vaccines-tests-and-treatments-for-covid-19

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May 9, 2020
Commitment and call to action: Global collaboration to accelerate new COVID-19 health technologies
Our Vision and Mission

Grounded in a vision of a planet protected from human suffering
and the devastating social and economic consequences of
COVID-19, we, an initial group of global health actors (BMGF,
CEPI, Gavi, Global Fund, UNITAID, Wellcome Trust, WHO) and
private sector partners and other stakeholders, are launching
a landmark, global and time-limited collaboration to accelerate the
development, production and equitable global access to new COVID-19 essential health technologies.

We know that as long as anyone is at risk from this virus, the entire
world is at risk – every single person on the planet needs to be
protected from this disease.

We agree that alongside evidence-based public health measures,
innovative COVID-19 diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines are
needed – in record time and at record scale and access – to save
millions of lives and countless trillions of dollars, and to return
the world to a sense of ‘normalcy’.

We recognize the significant amount of critical work, investment
and initiatives already ongoing around the world to expedite
the development and deployment of innovative COVID-19 related
products and interventions.

We appreciate that while development and deployment of
innovative products is essential, it will not be enough. We must
simultaneously and urgently accelerate the strengthening of
sustainable health systems and capacities to enable delivery of
the new COVID-19 tools to those who need them and to mitigate
the knock-on impact on other diseases.

We remember lessons from the past, which have shown that even
when effective tools are available to the world, too often some
are protected, while others are not. This inequity is unacceptable –
all tools to address COVID-19 must be available to all. In the fight
against COVID-19, no one should be left behind.

We understand we cannot do this alone, and that we need to
work together in unprecedented and inclusive partnership with all
stakeholders – political leaders, public and private sector partners,
civil society, academia, and all other stakeholders across society
– jointly leveraging our comparative strengths and respective
voices to drive towards collective solutions, an accelerated path,
and access for all. We are stronger, faster and more effective
working together.

Our Mission is not only accelerated development and availability
of new COVID-19 tools – it is to accelerate equitable global access
to safe, quality, effective, and affordable COVID-19 diagnostics,
therapeutics and vaccines, and thus to ensure that in the fight
against COVID-19, no one is left behind.

Our Commitment
1. We commit to the shared aim of equitable global
  access to innovative tools for COVID-19 for all.
2. We commit to an unprecedented level of partnership
  – proactively engaging stakeholders, aligning and
  coordinating efforts, building on existing collaborations, collectively devising solutions, and grounding
  our partnership in transparency, and science.
3. We commit to create a strong unified voice to
  maximize impact, recognizing this is not about
  singular decision-making authority, but rather
  collective problem-solving, interconnectedness and
  inclusivity, where all stakeholders can connect and
  benefit from the expertise, knowledge and activities
  of this shared action-oriented platform.
4. We commit to build on past experiences towards
  achieving this objective, including ensuring that
  every activity we undertake is executed through the
  lens of equitable global access, and that the voices
  of the communities most affected are heard.
5. We commit to be accountable to the world, to
  communities, and to one another. We are coming
  together in the spirit of solidarity, and in the service
  of humanity, to achieve our mission and vision.
Our Call

We ask the global community and political leaders to
support this landmark collaboration, and for donors to
provide the necessary resources to accelerate achievement
of the objectives of this global collaboration, capitalizing
on the opportunity provided by the rolling pledging
campaign that will start on 4 May 2020.

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https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/24-04-2020-commitment-and-call-to-action-global-collaboration-to-accelerate-new-covid-19-health-technologies

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May 9, 2020
Hard fought gains in immunization coverage at risk without critical health services, warns WHO

Shutting down immunization services in the COVID-19 pandemic risks triggering a resurgence of diseases that can be prevented with safe and effective vaccines, warns WHO in the lead-up to World Immunization Week (24-30 April).

When immunization services are disrupted, even for brief periods during emergencies, the risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks, such as measles and polio, increase. Last year’s deadly measles outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, which took more than 6000 lives in a country already facing its largest Ebola outbreak, highlights the importance of maintaining essential health services, such as immunization in times of emergency. Further disease outbreaks will also overwhelm
health systems already battling the impacts of COVID-19.

“Disease outbreaks must not remain a threat when we have safe and effective vaccines to protect us,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “While the world strives to develop a new vaccine for COVID-19 at record speed,
we must not risk losing the fight to protect everyone, everywhere against vaccine-preventable diseases. These diseases will come roaring back if we do not vaccinate.”

WHO is working with partners all over the world to accelerate research and development of a safe and effective vaccine and ensure equitable access for the billions of people who will need it.

But even with an expedited process, development of a vaccine for COVID-19 will take time. Precautionary measures are essential now to help keep us safe from disease, including diseases for which vaccines already protect children and adults.

Too many people are still excluded from the benefits of vaccines

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, the world had made immense progress in ensuring that children are vaccinated. In 2018, 86 percent of children under the age of five globally were vaccinated with three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) and
one dose of the measles vaccine, up from 72 percent in 2000 and 20 percent in 1980. The number of children paralyzed by polio has been reduced by 99.9 percent worldwide.

Yet, global vaccination coverage is still far from the 95 per cent coverage needed to fully protect communities against outbreaks of this vaccine-preventable disease.

In 2018 nearly 20 million children worldwide – more than 1 in 10 – missed out on lifesaving vaccines, such as measles, diphtheria and tetanus. Roughly, 13 million of the children have never received any vaccines, putting them and their communities
at risk of disease and death. The majority of these children live in countries with already fragile health systems, further limiting their access to essential health services when they fall sick.

Measles continues to remain an ever-present threat, especially if vaccination rates drops. Current projections indicate that the number of reported measles cases for 2019 will be at least 800 000. In 2020 there are increasing concerns about another
resurgence, especially if vaccination rates fall due to delay or suspension of scheduled immunization activities as a result of COVID-19.

Outbreaks of polio, diphtheria and yellow fever are also of high concern, especially in the countries least able to respond quickly and decisively to address an emerging outbreak, as seen in previous emergencies such as the polio outbreak in Syria in
2013.

Maintaining immunization services during COVID-19

As the response to COVID-19 continues, countries must act now protect immunization services, in order to further minimize disease outbreaks and loss of life. This includes, facilitating urgent catch up programmes in places where
services have been disrupted, ensuring strong supply chains, disease surveillance and trained health workers. Caregivers should also make sure they continue to vaccinate their children in line with national policies.

New WHO guidelines on immunization and COVID-19 recommend that governments temporarily pause preventive immunization
campaigns where there is no active outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease. But it urges countries prioritize the continuation of routine immunization of children in essential service delivery, as well as adult vaccinations such as influenza
for groups most at risk. If immunization services must be suspended, urgent catch-up vaccinations should be rescheduled as soon as possible, prioritizing those most at risk.

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https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/23-04-2020-hard-fought-gains-in-immunization-coverage-at-risk-without-critical-health-services-warns-who

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May 9, 2020
MCO: Companies given permission to operate told to adhere to guidelines

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Chamber Of Commerce And Industry of Malaysia (NCCIM) urges all companies and industries that are allowed to operate in stages during the Movement Control Order (MCO) period to fully comply with the standard operating procedure and guidelines to ensure public health is not compromised.

The chamber said the government’s protection/prevention measures and MCO had managed to prevent exponential increase in new infected cases and deaths from Covid-19.

“But complacency must not be allowed to set in. The war against Covid-19 is not over,” stressed its president Tan Sri Ter Leong Yap in a statement.

He lauded the government’s decision to extend the MCO for another two weeks, from April 15 to April 28, 2020.

NCCIM believes the government had weighed all aspects in deciding to extend the MCO and through a special cabinet taskforce, review and consider allowing selected industries to resume their operations in stages albeit under strict compliance of standard operating procedures.

“We are grateful that the government and relevant ministries have taken into consideration NCCIM’s suggestions about the MCO approach in balancing macro and micro elements of the business ecosystem and public health in ensuring the best interest of the nation, survival of businesses, welfare of workers, and the livelihood of citizens,” said Ter.

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https://www.thesundaily.my/local/mco-companies-given-permission-to-operate-told-to-adhere-to-guidelines-CB2245631

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April 11, 2020
Speed of Covid-19 deaths shock doctors and nurses

NEW YORK: One medical worker called it “insane”, another said it induces paranoia – the speed with which patients are dying from the novel coronavirus is shocking even veteran doctors and nurses as they scramble to determine how to stop such sudden deterioration.

Patients “look fine, feel fine, then you turn around and they’re unresponsive”, said Diana Torres, a nurse at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, the epicentre of the pandemic in the US where the virus has infected nearly 430,000 people and caused more than 14,700 deaths.

“I’m paranoid, scared to walk out of their rooms.”

It isn’t just the elderly or patients with underlying health conditions, who can be fine one minute, and at death’s door the next.

It can happen for the young and healthy, too, health professionals told Reuters.

A young woman died unexpectedly while nurse Laurie Douglas was on duty at Our Lady of the Lake Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

After 34 years on the job, Douglas said she normally has “an intuition of who is going to fade and who may improve”.

“But these people are throwing that out the window.

“Last week, she was planning her wedding.

“This week, her family is planning her funeral,“ she said, referring to the deceased patient.

Patients might enter the hospital with strong oxygen levels and be engaged in happy conversation, said a resident emergency doctor at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, only to be “gasping for breath” and intubated a few hours later.

“The scary thing is there are no rules to it,“ the resident said on condition of anonymity.

These scenes are playing out everywhere as Covid-19 has infected more than 1.4 million worldwide and killed more than 85,000 as of Wednesday.

The quick turns for the worse are likely products of an “overly exuberant” reaction by the immune system as it fights the virus, said Dr Otto Yang, an infectious disease specialist at the UCLA Medical Centre in Los Angeles.

Called a cytokine storm, it occurs when the body overproduces immune cells and their activating compounds – cytokines – causing dangerously high blood pressure, lung damage and organ failure.

Emily Muzyka, 25, a nurse in the New York suburbs, said she reached her breaking point last week, when a relatively healthy 44-year-old woman needed sudden intubation.

“I had a meltdown that night,“ she said.

“I cried to my boyfriend.”

Intubation refers to inserting a tube into the mouth and through the airway of a Covid-19 patient struggling to breathe, so they can be hooked to a mechanical ventilator.

Journalist Anick Jesdanun, who was in good health and had run 83 marathons, died last week from Covid-19, according to a post on Facebook by his cousin Prinda Mulpramook.

Jesdanun, who was 51, at first didn’t need hospitalisation, according to the post.

He had begun to recover and showed clear lungs and strong vital signs during a doctor’s visit in late March. But “a sudden setback” sent him to the emergency room on April 1, and “13 hours later we lost him”, Mulpramook wrote.

A nurse at Mount Sinai’s intensive care unit recalled watching patients’ kidneys quickly shut down, adding that many require intravenous drips of the blood thinner Heparin.

“It’s insane how sick they get, how quickly.

“We’re really trying hard to figure out how to treat them.”

Some of those hospitals are experimenting with unproven drugs in hopes of helping patients, including the anti-malaria medication hydroxychloroquine.

“We’re essentially throwing the kitchen sink at these patients,“ a doctor said.

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https://www.thesundaily.my/home/speed-of-covid-19-deaths-shock-doctors-and-nurses-AF2241516

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April 10, 2020
‘Work out daily to stay healthy’

PETALING JAYA: Being forced to stay indoors is no excuse to let up on daily exercises. This is the advice from health instructor Jay Sharma, who is encouraging people to stay in shape for the duration of the movement control order (MCO).

He is urging Malaysians to continue with their daily workout to stay healthy, and has recommended several routines that are not time consuming, yet effective.

“Try body weight squats, which can be done with your hands either extended forward or crossed at the chest,” he told theSun yesterday.

“Do this at least 45 times, with breaks after every 15 squats. That will be three sets altogether,” he said.

Another is push-up.

“Do 10 push-ups, take a break and then go for another 10. Do at least three sets of 10 push-ups each.”

The final routine is the jumping squat, which is the most challenging.

“Try three sets of 10 to 12 times per set but pace yourself. Just do what you can,” he added.

Sharma said each person will likely burn up 300 to 400 calories with each session of these exercises. Those wanting to burn more calories should try these routines several times a day.

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https://www.thesundaily.my/local/work-out-daily-to-stay-healthy-EF2241464

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April 10, 2020