Daily COVID Tracker: NCDC logs 541 infections in 13 states, 306 recoveries

Nigeria on Sunday recorded 541 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Monday. 

Serbia approves third dose of COVID-19 vaccine

Serbia has approved a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine for people with compromised immune system, health workers and those who were vaccinated six months ago.

Darija Kisic Tepavcevic, labour minister, said this on Sunday, adding that health authorities will start administering the third dose from Tuesday.

“Citizens who received their shots at least six months ago may also request to receive the third dose,” Kisic Tepavcevic said.

Serbia has seen a spike in coronavirus infections owing to the highly contagious Delta variant.

England to vaccinate all 16 and 17-year-olds by August 23

England says all 16-and-17-year-olds will be offered their first COVID-19 vaccine dose by August 23.

Sajid Javid, the British health secretary, said this in a statement on Sunday.

Javid said this will enable the teenagers within the age bracket to build maximum immunity before returning to school in September.

“I have asked the NHS in England to ensure they offer a first dose of the vaccine to everyone aged 16 and 17 by next Monday, Aug. 23, this will make sure everybody has the opportunity to get vital protection before returning to college or sixth form,” the statement reads.

Paralympic Committee chief arrives in Japan amid surge in COVID cases

Andrew Parsons, head of the International Paralympic Committee, has arrived in Japan for the Tokyo Paralympics scheduled to begin next week, amid concerns over the safety of the games.

Like the Olympics, the Paralympics is expected to be held mostly behind closed doors when it opens on August 24 as Japan battles to contain the fifth wave of coronavirus infections.

Nigeria records 541 new cases 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 541 people tested positive for coronavirus on Sunday.

The latest positive samples of COVID-19 were recorded in 12 states and the federal capital territory (FCT), according to the agency’s update for August 15.

Lagos, the hardest-hit state by the pandemic, topped the COVID-19 infection chart with 242 new cases, while Akwa Ibom reported 94 cases, Enugu and Oyo logged 48 infections respectively.

Other states include Anambra (34), Rivers (19), Ogun (17), Ekiti (15), FCT (9), Kwara (7), Abia (5), Delta (2) and Niger (1).

There were no fatalities on Sunday. The coronavirus death toll in the country stands at 2,219.

The NCDC said 306 people were discharged on Sunday after recovering from the infection.

With the new figure, a total of 167,132 patients have so far recovered from COVID-19 in Nigeria.

A total of 182,503 coronavirus cases have now been confirmed across the country.

WHO: Nigeria’s COVID response fourth most successful globally

The World Health Organisation (WHO) says Nigeria’s response to COVID-19 has been ranked as the fourth most successful in the world.

Walter Mulombo, WHO country representative in Nigeria, stated this at an event to mark the arrival of the first batch of 177,600 doses of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine.

Mulombo, however, did not give specifics on how and when the ranking was done, and checks by TheCable so far have not found any report relating to WHO’s claim.

The country representative also commended Nigeria’s preparation for the roll-out of the phase two vaccination, and encouraged citizens to keep safe by adhering to the COVID-19 protocol.

COVID-19 IN NIGERIA