Daily COVID Tracker: N3bn for economic recovery in Kogi and Amazon staff get wrong test results

Kogi government has earmarked N3 billion to boost economic recovery in the state following the setback caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Wednesday. 

South Africa offers AstraZeneca COVID-19 jabs to African Union

South Africa says it would offer its doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine to the African Union (AU) — after suspending its use owing to efficacy concerns.

The country suspended the use of AstraZeneca vaccine earlier this month — after evidence from early trial found that the vaccine offers minimal protection against the country’s dominant virus strain.

Zweli Mkhize, South Africa’s minister of health, said the doses have been offered to the AU to distribute to countries who have already expressed interest in acquiring the vaccine.

“There will be no wasteful and fruitless expenditure. The continent’s hardest-hit country by the pandemic had acquired a million doses of Covishield, a copy of the AstraZeneca vaccine made by the Serum Institute of India, and was set to receive an additional 500,000”, Mkhize said.

Kogi earmarks N3 billion to stimulate economic recovery

Kogi state is set to bounce back from the economic setback caused by the pandemic.

The Kogi government has budgeted the sum of N3 billion to stimulate economic recovery and to alleviate the suffering caused by pandemic in the state.

Yahaya Bello, governor of the state, on Tuesday in Lokoja, inaugurated the COVID-19 the Action Recovery and Economic Stimulus (CARES) Committee to develop a roadmap to achieving economic recovery.

Bello who was represented by Folashade Arike, secretary to the Kogi state government, asked the committee to find ways of ensuring that poor and vulnerable people in the state are assisted.

Company to sell smartphone-enabled COVID-19 test 

A US-based company has developed a technology to help people carry out the COVID-19 test at a place of convenient for them.

Kroger announced plans to sell a smartphone-enabled COVID-19 test kit online and at pharmacies in the country.

The company said rapid COVID-19 test can be performed using a smartphone and without involving a lab, telemedicine visit or specialised electronics.

To take the test, users will follow video instructions provided in an app to collect a nasal swab, and complete the test on their own. Patients will be prompted to scan their rapid test to get their results after 15 minutes.

The test which was developed by Gauss and Cellex is yet to get authorisation from the US Food and Drug Administration, and cannot be sold until it receives approval.

Kroger said 1.5 million tests were produced last month, adding that the company will share a price once the test is authorised.

About 4,000 Amazon employees given wrong COVID-19 test results

UK Amazon staff were thrown into confusion following incorrect notifications.

About 4,000 Amazon employees were given fake positive COVID-19 results and were asked to self-isolate in the UK.

The company has been testing frontline UK workers privately since October using PCR tests, then reports the results to the Public Health England every day.

However, on Saturday 3,853 employees received a message from the NHS Test and Trace app asking them to self-isolate, prompting authorities to check the results.

Findings revealed that 3,853 Amazon employees were mistakingly told they had tested positive, whereas they had all tested negative for the virus.

“On Saturday, some Amazon staff members who tested negative for COVID-19 received notifications from NHS Test and Trace to say they have tested positive and asking them to self-isolate. Working closely with Amazon, NHS Test and Trace rapidly notified affected employees to let them know they did not need to isolate,” a spokesman for the Department of Health and Social Care said.

North Korea ‘tried to hack’ Pfizer to steal vaccine tech

South Korea’s intelligence agency says North Korea attempted to steal technology related to COVID-19 vaccines and treatments by hacking Pfizer, the US pharmaceutical firm.

Ha Tae-keung, an opposition member of South Korea’s parliamentary intelligence panel, said: “Seoul’s National Intelligence Service briefed us that North Korea tried to obtain technology involving the COVID vaccine and treatment by using cyberwarfare to hack into Pfizer.”

North Korea has been under strict isolation, closing its borders in January 2020.

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