Daily COVID Tracker: Nigeria reports 34 infections in three states

Nigeria on Thursday recorded 34 cases of COVID-19. Here are five updates about the pandemic. 

US CDC to loosen indoor mask guidelines

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is expected to loosen its guidelines for when and where Americans should wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

This will allow most people to go without them in public-indoor spaces. The new policy is expected to be announced Friday.

Under the current guidelines, the agency recommends that anyone living in areas with substantial or high transmission of the coronavirus, as defined by case counts, should wear masks in public-indoor spaces like gyms, movie theaters and full-capacity houses of worship.

The country is recording an average of about 76,000 new cases per day, a roughly 66 percent drop from two weeks ago.

European Medicines Agency approves Moderna COVID vaccine for children aged six to 11

The European Medicines Agency has approved Moderna’s COVID jab for children aged six to 11.

“The EMA’s human medicines committee (CHMP) has recommended granting an extension of indication for the Covid-19 vaccine Spikevax to include use in children aged 6 to 11,” it said in a statement.

The vaccine, developed by US-based pharmaceutical company Moderna, has already been approved for adults and children aged 12 and above.

“As in the older age group, the vaccine is given as two injections in the muscles of the upper arm, four weeks apart,” the EMA said.

Iceland to lift all COVID restrictions Friday

Iceland will lift all remaining COVID-19 restrictions on Friday.

This includes a 200-person indoor gathering limit, restricted opening hours for bars and quarantine requirements for those infected with the virus.

Willum Thór Thórsson, Iceland’s minister of health, confirmed the country would remove all restrictions from February 25, including lifting all border measures, with no additional restrictions for unvaccinated travellers.

Speaking at a government meeting on Thursday, Thórsson said: “We can truly rejoice at this turning-point, but nonetheless I encourage people to be careful, practice personal infection prevention measures and not to interact with others if they notice symptoms.”

Sanofi, GSK develop vaccine with ‘100% efficacy against severe COVID disease’

Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline Plc (GSK), European drugmakers, have announced positive results from late-stage clinical testing of their new COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine is protein-based which means it uses a modified version of the virus’ spike protein to prompt an immune response.

This kind of vaccine can be stored at refrigerator temperatures, making it easier to store and transport in areas that do not have access to ultra-cold storage. The vaccine is given in two doses delivered about three weeks apart.

In a statement on Wednesday, the companies said the phase three efficacy trials showed that two doses of the vaccine provided 100 percent efficacy against severe COVID-19 disease and hospitalisations; 75 percent efficacy against moderate or severe COVID-19 disease, and 57.9 percent efficacy against any symptomatic COVID-19 disease.

Nigeria logs 34 COVID infections

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) logged 34 infections across the country on Thursday.

The new cases were recorded in three states — Rivers (15), Lagos (14), and Abia (5).

The agency’s data showed 17,989 discharges were recorded.

The NCDC said the report includes 17,984 community discharges from Lagos state and a backlog of discharges from Lagos from December 2021 to date.

No death was recorded on Thursday leaving the fatality figure at 3,142.

The country now has a total of 254,428 confirmed cases and 248,850 recoveries.