Daily COVID Tracker: Nigeria reports 477 infections in 18 states, three fatalities

Nigeria on Friday recorded 477 cases of coronavirus. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Saturday. 

Lagos partners German agency to address impact of COVID-19 on business

The Lagos state government has partnered the German Development Agency (GIZ) to address the impact of COVID-19 on micro small and medium scale enterprises (MSMEs).

The partnership between the Lagos Employment Trust Fund (LSETF) and the pro-poor growth and promotion of employment in Nigeria (SEDIN-GIZ) programme is aimed at formulating policies for a sustainable economy.

Charles Anyanwu, director, fundraising/stakeholders engagements communication and partnership, said all stakeholders will be involved.

“Let us imagine the impact of the pandemic on our sources of livelihoods of Lagosians, it was devastating,” he said.

“This programme is to ensure that we put policies in place to address any such occurrence in the future, looking forward to a more sustainable economy in Lagos.”

UNGA: Buhari seeks fairer distribution of COVID vaccines

President Muhammadu Buhari says there is a need for equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines across the world.

He said this on Friday, in his address at the general debate of the 76th session of the United Nations general assembly (UNGA) in New York, USA.

Buhari, who noted that the country has recorded some level of success in the fight against COVID-19, expressed his appreciation to the international community for its support in managing the pandemic in Nigeria.

“Despite the acknowledgement, however, I would like to reiterate my call for a fairer and more equitable distribution of vaccines to all countries so that, together, we can fight and contain the pandemic,” the president said.

Brazil approves COVID booster dose for healthcare workers

Brazil has approved booster shots of COVID vaccines for health workers.

Marcelo Queiroga, health minister, said the boosters will only be administered to people after six months of the initial round of COVID-19 vaccination.

COVID: Nigeria needs to make bold decision in health spending, says World Bank

The World Bank has projected that Nigeria may be unable to finance its share of a COVID-19 vaccine roll-out.

In a report, titled: ‘From Double Shock to Double Recovery: Widening Rifts,’ the Bank said the government will have to make bold choices to avoid falls in health spending and progress towards the World Health Organisation (WHO) universal health coverage.

Nigeria records 477 infections

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says 477 people tested positive for coronavirus on Friday.

The latest positive samples of COVID-19 were recorded in 17 states and the FCT, according to the agency’s update for September 24.

Lagos topped the COVID-19 infection chart with 113, followed by 79 and 68 cases in Rivers and FCT respectively.

Other states include Kaduna (68), Delta (37), Abia (36), Oyo (16), Benue (12), Akwa Ibom (9), Plateau (9), Cross River (7), Edo (6), Ekiti (6), Katsina (4), Jigawa (3), Bayelsa (2), Ogun (1), and Yobe (1).

The agency said the report includes a backlog of confirmed cases in Kaduna for September 23 and 24 — 29 and 39 cases respectively.

Three persons died of the infection on Friday, raising the death toll in the country to 2,672.

The NCDC said 197 people were discharged on Friday after recovering from the infection.

To date, a total of 203,991 coronavirus cases have now been confirmed, with 192,139 recoveries.