Daily COVID Tracker: Deaths surge as Nigeria reports 16 fatalities, 129 infections

Nigeria on Friday recorded 129 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Saturday. 

UK prime minister asks people to get COVID boosters

UK prime minister Boris Johnson has asked the elderly and vulnerable people in the country to urgently get their booster shots to prevent a further spike in COVID-19 cases.

Johnson warned of “storm clouds” which he said is forming over parts of Europe.

Some European countries, including Germany, Austria and Croatia have seen a surge in COVID cases.

“I’m seeing the storm clouds gathering over parts of the European continent,” he said.

“And I’ve got to be absolutely frank with people: we’ve been here before, we remember what happens when the wave starts rolling in.”

Netherlands imposes lockdown measures to tackle COVID cases 

The Netherlands has introduced new COVID measures to stop the rise in infections.

The country is said to be the first western European nation to impose a partial lockdown since the summer.

The restrictions announced by prime minister Mark Rutte will last at for about three weeks and include the closure of bars, restaurants and essential shops from 8 pm.

“We must reduce the number of contacts and infections as fast as possible,” Rutte said.

“Tonight, we are bringing a very unpleasant message, with very unpleasant and far-reaching measures. The virus is everywhere and needs to be combated everywhere. I want every Dutch citizen to be asking, can I do more? Can I do better? We had hoped with the vaccines we wouldn’t have to do this, but we see the same situation all across Europe.”

Nigeria records 129 COVID cases

Nigeria’s single-day COVID cases increased by 143 percent on Friday.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 129 new cases have been reported in 10 states and the federal capital territory (FCT) — from 53 cases reported on Thursday.

The agency, in its update for November 12, said Katsina topped the list of infections with 53 new cases, followed by Kwara with 32 cases, and Osun with 8.

Other states that recorded new infections are Plateau (8), Rivers (6), Kaduna (6), FCT (5), Kano (5), Oyo (4), Jigawa (1) and Bauchi (1).

According to the agency, the report includes 53 new cases, 25 discharges and two deaths in Katsina on November 11; one in Lagos on November 11; 320 persons discharged in FCT, and a backlog of 11 deaths reported from Edo state.

The agency said 483 persons were discharged on Friday after recovering from the virus.

It also said 16 persons died from COVID-19, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,949.

To date, 213,076 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed — while 205,483 have been discharged.

Companies can require employee vaccination, Brazil’s supreme court rules

Brazil’s supreme court has stopped a government order that prevented companies from requiring employees to provide proof of COVID vaccination.

President Jair Bolsonaro is known for playing down on the virus and has criticised countries requiring vaccine certificates.

While ruling on the matter, Justice Luis Roberto Barroso said the pandemic had killed 610,000 Brazilians, and unvaccinated employees pose a threat to the health of the others.

“The lack of vaccination interferes with the rights of others,” he ruled.

WHO to set guidelines on COVID antiviral pills 

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says it will convene a meeting to set guidelines on COVID-19 antiviral pills soon.

TheCable had reported that the United Kingdom approved the pill, becoming the first country in the world to authorise the use of an oral antiviral drug for the treatment of COVID-19.

Janet Diaz, WHO’s official for clinical care responses, said a meeting may be convened in three weeks to consider guidelines for usage of the drugs.