Daily COVID Tracker: Nigeria reports 31 infections in six states

Nigeria on Friday recorded 31 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Saturday. 

Amina Mohammed: Building resilience against COVID-19 crucial to sustainable development 

Amina Mohammed, United Nations (UN) deputy secretary-general, said ending the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and building resilience against the next outbreak is important in achieving the sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Mohammed spoke at an event held towards implementing the SDGs and the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063.

“Vaccinating 70 percent of the world by July this year remains our primary objective,” she said.

“We must also build stronger and more resilient health systems by investing in primary healthcare and health surveillance systems, as well as greater production of vaccines, diagnostics and treatments.”

New York City mayor lifts mask requirement for kindergarten students

Eric Adams, mayor of New York City, has said mask mandates will be suspended for kindergarten students.

Adams also lifted proof of vaccine mandates for restaurants and theatres.

The mayor who announced on Friday said the new rules would come into effect on Monday. 

“Come in and enjoy the restaurants, enjoy the businesses, and be a part of this great city without having to show proof of vaccinations,” he said.

“I know that some who state that they still want their children to wear their masks, you can. We are not going to get in the way of your discretion.”

Nigeria records 31 infections

Nigeria has recorded 31 new COVID-19 infections across the country.

The fresh cases were reported in four states and the federal capital territory (FCT), according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

A breakdown of the infections is presented below:

Lagos-17

Rivers-6

FCT-5

Kano-2

Delta-1

The agency data showed six persons were discharged after they recovered from the infection. Meanwhile, no death died of COVID complications.

The NCDC said the 17 cases in Lagos were logged on March 3 and 4, seven and 10 cases respectively.

Nigeria now has a total of 254,637 infections, 249,160 recoveries and 3,142 fatalities across the country.

China to handle COVID clusters in science-based manner

To keep the normal order of production and living in China, local COVID-19 outbreaks will be dealt with in a targeted, science-based manner.

This is contained in a government work report released at the opening of the country’s annual meeting of parliament.

According to the report, China will continue to improve its virus safeguards while limiting inbound COVID infections and domestic resurgence.

Poll: COVID pandemic responsible for spike in gender violence

According to a Eurobarometer poll released on Friday, nearly three out of four European Union women believe the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in a rise in physical and psychological violence against them.

The study, conducted by the European Parliament ahead of International Women’s Day on March 8, found that 77 percent of women in the EU believe the pandemic has increased gender violence in their countries, with nine out of ten respondents in Greece and Portugal agreeing.

“The results of the Eurobarometer survey confirm what we already know: the COVID-19 pandemic has disproportionately affected women and girls in myriads of ways,” said Robert Biedron, chair of the European Parliament’s committee on women’s rights and gender equality.