Daily COVID Tracker: Nigeria records zero death and WHO reaffirms support for AstraZeneca

The World Health Organisation has asked countries to keep using AstraZeneca vaccine, noting that the benefits outweigh the risks. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Saturday morning. 

Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson to deliver 138 million vaccine doses to Brazil

Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson on Friday said they have signed deals with the Brazilian health ministry to provide a total of 138 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to the country.

According to a statement, Pfizer will deliver 100 million doses by the end of September.

On Monday, Brazil health ministry said they expect to receive 13.5 million Pfizer doses in the second quarter of 2021 and 86.5 million in the third.

Anvisa, Brazil’s health agency, has not approve emergency use of Johnson & Johnson, but the health ministry said it expects to receive 16.9 million doses from the company by the end of August and another 21.1 million by the end of November.

Brazil has so far approved three vaccines for emergency use during the pandemic, those by Pfizer, AstraZeneca, and Sinovac.

Brazil has witnessed a surge in infections and the fatality rate continues to rise. According to data from John Hopkins University, as of March 20, the country has recorded 11.7 million cases of the virus with 287,499 deaths.

WHO renews support for AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has asked countries to keep using the AstraZeneca vaccine, insisting that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of WHO, said this on Friday at a virtual news conference after the agency vaccine safety panel met on Tuesday and Friday to review all the available data to respond to concerns over possible side effects of the vaccine.

The WHO findings aligned with that of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) which on Thursday announced that it has come to a “clear scientific conclusion” that the benefits of AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine outweigh the risks.

Both the EMA and the WHO investigations came after several countries suspended the vaccine due to reports of blood disorders among some of its recipients.

Following the EMA announcement, Italy, France, Germany, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and Bulgaria were some of the countries that said they will resume administering the vaccine.

FG won’t force Nigerians to take vaccine

Olorunnibe Mamora, minister of state for health, says the federal government will not force anyone to take the Oxford/AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.

Mamora said this while speaking with journalists on Friday, shortly after he inaugurated some projects at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Asaba in Delta state.

He added that the federal government can only appeal to those who are unwilling to take the vaccine.

“Also, let me state clearly here that from the onset, the Federal Government made it clear that it will not force anyone to take the vaccine, but rather will continue to appeal to people in their own interests,” Mamora said.

Nigerian develop technology for tracing COVID-19 patients

COVID-19 Contact Tracer, a mobile application that could trace COVID-19 victims, was displayed at the concluded 2021 technology and innovation expo in Abuja.

Henry Ossamulu, director of research and training, Core Fundamental Inventors, said that the COVID-19 Contact Tracer is able to trace patients infected with the disease with the use of Global Positioning System (GPS).

He explained that with the contact tracer, one could easily know locations with COVID-19 victims and avoid such places.

“The app helps you to protect yourself by avoiding such places and it is an indigenous technology developed by a Nigerian inventor and displayed at the expo,” he said.

Nigeria records 130 fresh infections 

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the country recorded 130 COVID-19 cases within 24 hours on Friday.

According to the NCDC, 12 states and the federal capital territory (FCT) reported the new infections.

Lagos, the epicenter of the pandemic in the country, topped the list with 46 new cases, followed by Ogun with 19 cases and Kwara with 18.

Other states that recorded new cases include FCT (12), Kaduna (10), Ekiti (6),Abia (5), Edo(3), Sokoto(3), Osun (3), Niger (2), Oyo (2),and Akwa Ibom (1).

Meanwhile, 691 persons were recorded to have recovered from the virus on Friday which include 242 recoveries in Lagos state, 193 in FCT, and 103 in Kwara.

For the third time this week, Nigeria has recorded no new COVID-19 deaths.

Till date, 161539 cases have been confirmed, 147581 cases have been discharged and 2027 deaths have been recorded.

Of the confirmed cases in the country, 11,931 are currently active cases.

Boris Johnson receives AstraZeneca vaccine

Boris Johnson, UK prime minister, on Friday received the first dose of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine.

“I’ve just received my first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine dose. Thank you to all of the incredible scientists, NHS staff and volunteers who helped make this happen,” he tweeted.

“Getting the jab is the best thing we can do to get back to the lives we miss so much. Let’s get the jab done.”

I've just received my first Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine dose.

Thank you to all of the incredible scientists, NHS staff and volunteers who helped make this happen.

Getting the jab is the best thing we can do to get back to the lives we miss so much.

Let's get the jab done. pic.twitter.com/mQCTMAkB8d

— Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) March 19, 2021

Johnson contracted coronavirus in March 2020 and was admitted to St Thomas’ Hospital where he remained in intensive care for three nights. He was discharged after spending two weeks in the hospital.

COVID-19 IN NIGERIA