Nigeria on Monday recorded 21 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Tuesday.
NPHCDA to detect workers with fake COVID vaccination cards
The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) says random checks to “assess antibody titre” will be conducted to ensure that civil servants do not procure COVID vaccination cards “fraudulently”.
An antibody titre is a type of test that shows how many antibodies are present in a person’s blood.
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Speaking on Monday, Faisal Shuaib, NPHCDA executive director, said from December 1, all civil servants employed by the federal government will be required to present their vaccination cards or negative COVID test results before they can access their offices.
Moderna to produce Omicron vaccine by early 2022
Moderna says a new vaccine to fight the omicron COVID-19 strain could be ready by early 2022 if required.
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Paul Burton, chief medical officer, said the company mobilised hundreds of workers on Thanksgiving Day last Thursday to start work on Omicron.
Edward Tenthoff, an analyst, said Moderna’s mRNA technology is capable of adapting vaccines to new variants.
“Moderna is in a better position to develop novel COVID-19 vaccines, and now has the capacity to manufacture several hundred million vaccine doses every month,” Tenthoff said.
Nigeria records 21 COVID cases
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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 21 new cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria.
In its update for November 29, NCDC said the new cases were reported in six states.
The states that recorded new infections are Lagos (6), Cross River (5), Rivers (5), Abia (3), Bauchi (1), and Kaduna (1).
No death was reported on Monday and the number of fatalities stands at 2,976.
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According to the agency, 38 persons were discharged after recovering from the infection.
So far in Nigeria, 214,113 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, with 207,292 recoveries.
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China promises 1bn COVID-19 vaccine doses to Africa
Xi Jinping, China president, says the Asian country will offer one billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine to African countries.
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Xi said his country will encourage companies to invest no less than $10bn in Africa in the next three years.
The pledge of one billion doses is in addition to about 200 million doses China has already supplied to the continent amid concerns of new variants.
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“We must continue to fight together against COVID,” Xi said on Monday. He added that vaccination of people should be prioritised.
US CDC says all adults should get COVID booster shots
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says everyone aged 18 and above should get a booster shot.
The development comes amid the new and highly infectious strain of COVID-19 spreading rapidly globally.
In a statement, Rochelle Walensky, CDC director, said all vaccinated adults should get a booster shot of the Pfizer, Moderna or Johnson and Johnson vaccines if they had received their second dose six months ago.
“The recent emergence of the Omicron variant (B.1.1.529) further emphasizes the importance of vaccination, boosters, and prevention efforts needed to protect against COVID-19,” Walensky said.
“Early data from South Africa suggest increased transmissibility of the Omicron variant.”
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