Daily COVID Tracker: ‘Vaccines galore’ for Nigeria and Facebook tackles false claims

The number of COVID-19 vaccines expected in Nigeria received a boost on Monday as COVAX and AVATT platforms donated over 58 million doses of vaccines to the country. Here are five updates about the pandemic this Tuesday morning.

Facebook to expand fight on vaccine misinformation

The social media giant, Facebook has vowed to crack down on misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines.

Facebook on Monday said it would work harder to fight COVID-19 vaccine misinformation and disinformation on the social media platform.

They have been a series of false claims circulating online about COVID-19 vaccines.

“Today, we are expanding our efforts to remove false claims on Facebook and Instagram about COVID-19, COVID-19 vaccines and vaccines in general during the pandemic,” Facebook said in a statement.

“Since December, we’ve removed false claims about COVID-19 vaccines that have been debunked by public health experts. Today, following consultations with leading health organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), we are expanding the list of false claims we will remove to include additional debunked claims about the coronavirus and vaccines.”

13 cases of UK COVID variant recorded in Nigeria

Nigerians would now have to take the COVID-19 protocol more seriously.

The presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 says 13 cases of a variant first reported in the UK have been detected in Nigeria.

The UK variant known as B.1.1.7 is said to be deadlier than the original strain. Nigeria recorded the first case of the variant in January.

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) and chairman of PTF, on Monday said the 13 detected cases were from samples collected between November and January.

“The PTF (through the NCDC) is working with the Africa CDC on genomic surveillance. A total of 13 B117 variant strain have so far been detected in Nigeria. Six out of these numbers were detected in the last week and they all came out of samples collected between November and January,” he said.

Again, US supreme court rules in favour of a church challenging COVID restrictions

The US supreme court on Monday for the second time, ruled in favour of a house of worship challenging California’s COVID-related restrictions.

Last week, a court blocked California’s ban on indoor worship services in a case brought by South Bay United Pentecostal Church.

In the new ruling, the court cancelled a decision that went against parishioners of the Shield of Faith Family Churches in California, instructing the lower court to review the South Bay order.

But California defended its restrictions, saying it is “carefully structured” and a “proportionate response” to a public health threat.

UK immigrants to benefit from COVID-19 vaccine

Migrants living in Britain will be eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccines whether they have the legal right to live and work in the country or not.

The UK government says patients undergoing vaccination, treatment or testing for the coronavirus are not subject to immigration status checks.

However, UK vaccination strategy makes no formal priority of migrants, but focuses on the eldest and the most vulnerable.

Some European countries have made it a priority to vaccinate refugees in asylum centres to limit the spread of the infection.

Vaccines galore

There is good news for Nigerians who have been yearning for COVID-19 vaccines.

Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, says Nigeria is expecting 58 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines from COVAX and African Union AVATT platforms.

He said COVAX will provide the country with 16 million vaccine doses in the first half of the year, while AVATT will supply over 42 million doses.

“There has since been a change that now offers Nigeria 16 million vaccine doses in the first half of the year,” he said.

“Nigeria subscribes to this whole-of-Africa approach, that strives to ensure that we are safe and our neighbours are safe. We shall be offered over 42 million doses by AVATT. If all the projected vaccines are supplied, we estimate we should have covered over 45% of the population.”

Also, BUA in partnership with AfreximBank vaccine programme and Private Sector Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), on Monday donated one million doses of AstraZeneca vaccine to the country.

“BUA decided to secure these one million vaccines by paying the full amount for the vaccines today because these vaccines became available only last week through AFREXIM. We expect the vaccines to be delivered within the next 14 days and hope priority will be given to our frontline workers who have committed their lives to manage the pandemic,” Abdul Samad Rabiu, founder of BUA.

COVID-19 IN NIGERIA