Daily COVID Tracker: Nigeria reports 284 infections in 20 states, nine fatalities

October 12, 2021 7:53 am

Nigeria on Monday recorded 284 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Tuesday.

New Zealand to make COVID vaccination mandatory for health workers

New Zealand has announced plans to make the COVID vaccine mandatory for healthcare workers and teachers.

“We can’t leave anything to chance so that’s why we are making it mandatory,” Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s education minister who is in charge of the country’s COVID-19 response, said.

”It’s not an easy decision, but we need the people who work with vulnerable communities who haven’t yet been vaccinated to take this extra step.”

US state bars all COVID vaccine mandates

Greg Abbott, governor of Texas, has barred all COVID-19 vaccine mandates in the state by any entity as well as private employers.

The development is opposed to President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate for federal workers.

“In another instance of federal overreach, the Biden Administration is now bullying many private entities into imposing COVID-19 vaccine mandates, causing workforce disruptions that threaten Texas’ continued recovery from the COVID-19 disaster,” Abbott said in an executive order.

WHO recommends extra COVID shot for immune-compromised people

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended that immune-compromised people be given an additional dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

WHO strategic advisory group of experts on immunisation said the additional dose should be administered “as part of an extended primary series since these individuals are less likely to respond adequately to vaccination following a standard primary vaccine series and are at high risk of severe COVID-19 disease”.

Speaking at a news conference, Kate O’Brien, WHO vaccine director, said: “The recommendation is for a third vaccination, an additional vaccination in the primary series and again that is based on the evidence showing that the immunogenicity and evidence on breakthrough infections is highly disproportionately represented by those people.”

Nigeria records 284 cases

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 284 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in 19 states and the federal capital territory (LGA).

The agency confirmed the new cases in its update for October 11, 2021.

The FCT topped the list of infections with 67 cases followed by Kaduna with 33 fresh cases and Rivers with 31.

Other states with new infections include Anambra (23), Lagos (22), Osun (22), Cross River (18), Edo (18), Ondo (13), Plateau (12), Nasarawa (6), Kwara (5), Imo (4) Benue (3), Niger (2), Delta (1), Ekiti (1), Jigawa (1), Ogun (1), and Oyo (1).

The agency said 352 persons were discharged on Monday after recovering from COVID-19, while nine persons died of the infection.

To date, 207,978 cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed, 195,626 recoveries have been made, and 2,756 deaths have been recorded across the country.

Merck wants US authorisation for COVID-19 pill

Merck says it has applied for US emergency use authorisation for its drug to treat mild-to-moderate patients of COVID-19.

According to data, the oral antiviral medication for COVID cuts the rate of hospitalisation and death by 50% in a trial of mild-to-moderately ill patients who had at least one risk factor for the disease.