Daily COVID Tracker: 55 lineages in Nigeria and UK pledges ‘surplus’ vaccines to poor countries

February 20, 2021 7:28 am

With coronavirus on my mind, l bid bye bye to 2020

About 55 lineages of the SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is currently circulating in Nigeria — a red alert that Nigerians must not let down the guard against the virus. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Saturday morning.

UK PLEDGES ‘SURPLUS’ OF COVID-19 VACCINE TO POORER COUNTRIES

As the call to tackle “vaccine inequality” rages on, the United Kingdom (UK) has disclosed its plans to help developing countries.

Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, has pledged to donate most of the country’s surplus of COVID-19 to poorer countries.

According to BBC, UK has ordered more than 400 million doses of various vaccines, so many will be left over once all adults are vaccinated.

Speaking at a virtual G7 meeting on Friday, Johnson said world leaders need to ensure that everyone gets the vaccine to pull through the pandemic together.

“Science is finally getting the upper hand on COVID. Around the world (we need to make) sure everyone gets the vaccines that they need so that the whole world can come through this pandemic together,” he said.

“There is no point in us vaccinating our individual populations — we’ve got to make sure the whole world is vaccinated because this is a global pandemic and it’s no use one country being far ahead of another, we’ve got to move together.

FIRST DOSE OF PFIZER’S COVID VACCINE 92.6 PER CENT EFFECTIVE

A single dose of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine can reduce symptoms of the coronavirus by more than 90 percent, a new study by Danuta Skowronski and Gaston De Serres has proven.

According to the researchers based in Canada, there may be a need to delay administering the second dose of the vaccine, considering the effectiveness of the first.

They noted that with the results, there would be better chances of ensuring that a larger population receives the COVID vaccine, since the first dose offers significant protection in terms of reducing severe symptoms.

It requires about 21 days to get the second dose of the Pfizer.

Meanwhile, another study carried out with the support of the Israeli health ministry found that Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine greatly reduces risk of transmission of the virus.

According to Reuters, the research showed that the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reduces infection in asymptomatic cases by 89.4 percent, while in patients showing symptoms, it decreased by 93.7 percent.

55 LINEAGES OF COVID CIRCULATING IN NIGERIA

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says there are about 55 lineages of the SARS-COV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, currently circulating in the country.

In a statement on Friday, the agency noted that that the lineages are changing rapidly, and are significant of the effects of community transmission of the coronavirus.

“As at February 14 2021, there are about 55 different lineages of SARS-CoV-2 known to be circulating in Nigeria and they are changing rapidly,” the statement reads.

“The diversity of SARS-CoV-2 strains indicate multiple introductions of the virus into Nigeria from different parts of the world and adds to evidence of community transmission in different states of Nigeria.”

BILL GATES CALLS FOR INVESTMENT TO TACKLE FUTURE PANDEMICS

Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft and co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has called for investments in pandemic response and preparedness.

Gates said the investments would allow experts to work towards ambitious goals like creating universal coronavirus and flu vaccines, drugs that block virus transmission and diagnostics that could cover 20% of the population.

“It is a tragedy that the modest steps that would have been required to contain this epidemic weren’t taken in advance,” he said.

“Given the trillions of dollars of damage and the other deficits that are tough to measure, we should make the investment, the small number of billions that we need to ensure ourselves that this never happens again.”

TWO FLORIDA WOMEN DISGUISE AS GRANNIES TO GET COVID-19 VACCINE

The quest to get the COVID-19 vaccine has led many to indulge in dishonest gains.

Two Florida women aged 34 and 44 who dressed up as “grannies” — wearing bonnets and gloves in an attempt to get COVID-19 vaccinations were turned away and issued trespass warnings in Orland.

Raul Pino, the state health officer in Orange County, where Orlando is located, said the women “dressed up as grannies” and disguised themselves to get the vaccine.

“I don’t know how they escaped (detection) for the first time, but they came with the gloves, the glasses, the whole thing, and they are probably in their 20s,” Pino said.

Michelle Guido, sheriff’s spokeswoman, said the trespass warning implies that they cannot return to the centre for any reason including a vaccine, COVID-19 test, convention or show, adding that if they return, they could face arrest.

COVID-19 IN NIGERIA