Daily COVID Tracker: NCDC reports 50 cases, and 136 students test positive for Delta variant in Ghana

July 6, 2021 7:32 am

Nigeria on Monday recorded 50 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Tuesday.

BudgIT, CODE launch website to track COVID intervention funds in Africa

BudgIT, a civic tech non-profit organisation, in partnership with Connected Development (CODE), has launched a website to track funds committed to the fight against COVID-19 in Africa.

Hamzat Lawal, founder of CODE, said the partnership between the two civic organisations will promote proper documentation of COVID-19 funds and ensure greater transparency and accountability.

Lawal said this at the launch of the COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP) website in Abuja, on Monday.

On his part, Gabriel Okeowo, chief executive officer of BudgIT foundation, said the long-term objective of the initiative is to see that Africa is positioned on the right path, so as to ensure the continent projects the right image before the international community.

England set to lift COVID restrictions

Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, says the government will end COVID restrictive measures on July 19 — with a final decision to be taken next week.

Johnson said this during a media briefing on Monday.

“We must be honest with ourselves that if we can’t reopen our society in the next few weeks when we will be helped by the arrival of summer and by the school holidays, then we must ask ourselves when will we be able to return to normal?” he said.

“We will move away from legal restrictions and allow people to make their own informed decisions about how to manage the virus.”

In February, Johnson laid a roadmap for the reopening of the country — with all restrictions to end on June 21.

But the deadline was extended owing to the rise in infections.

Nigeria logs 50 COVID cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 50 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria.

According to the agency’s update for July 5, the new cases were reported in four states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The states that reported new infections are Lagos (31), Yobe (11), FCT (4), Ogun (3), and Rivers (1).

The agency said one person died of the infection on Monday, bringing the total number of fatalities to 2,122.

Eighteen people were discharged after recovering from the infection.

Since the index case in February 2020, 167,909 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed — and with 164,400 recoveries across the country.

Japan to donate millions COVID vaccine doses to Taiwan, Asian neighbours

As a part of the continuation of its bilateral donations, Japan will ship millions of doses of the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine to neighbouring countries this week.

Speaking on Tuesday, Toshimitsu Motegi, foreign minister, said 1.1 million doses will be shipped to Taiwan on Thursday — after the delivery of 1.24 million doses in June.

According to Motegi, additional one million doses each will be sent to Thailand, the Philippines, and Vietnam this week, following previous donations to Indonesia and Malaysia.

136 students test positive for COVID-19 Delta variant in Ghana

At least 136 students in Achimota high school, Ghana, have tested positive for the COVID-19 Delta variant, according to Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Speaking during the national COVID updates, Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, director-general of the GHS, said 136 out of 550 samples taken among the students came out positive.

Aboagye said three students from the school went to the hospital last month with symptoms of influenza, but tested positive for the infection.

“Subsequently, other symptomatic students and contacts were identified, listed and tested for COVID-19.
“However, majority of the students, who tested positive, are day students,’’ he said.

“We are doing the strategic testing of day students so that the infection does not spill into the community.’’

At the weekend, Ghana recorded a community infection of the Delta variant. This was after the country first confirmed six cases of the same variant among passengers who arrived in the country on June 22.

COVID-19 IN NIGERIA

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