COVID-19

President Muhammadu Buhari’s full speech at China-Africa Extraordinary Summit on June 17, 2020

Published

4 years ago

June 18, 2020

President Muhammadu Buhari’s full speech at China-Africa Extraordinary Summit on June 17, 2020

STATEMENT BY H.E. MUHAMMADU BUHARI, PRESIDENT OF THE FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF NIGERIA DURING CHINA-AFRICA EXTRAORDINARY SUMMIT ON SOLIDARITY AGAINST THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC ON WEDNESDAY 17TH JUNE, 2020

Your Excellency, Xi Jinping, President of the People’s Republic of China and Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC);
Your Excellency, Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa and Chair of the African Union;
Your Excellency, Macky Sall, President of Senegal and the co-Chair of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC);
Your Excellencies, Heads of State and Government; Heads of International Organizations;

Distinguished ladies and gentlemen.

Let me start by expressing my sincere appreciation to the Presidents of China, South Africa and Senegal, for initiating and convening this Extraordinary Summit, to bring Member-States of FOCAC together in solidarity against COVID-19.

2. Today, the world is at critical crossroads. Our countries have been hit hard by the tragedy of the Coronavirus pandemic. In a bid to contain the spread of the disease, we have had to mobilize energy and resources to equip healthcare providers for an adequate response to the challenges of the virus. Our countries are also exploring avenues availed by the global partnership to bring an end to the pandemic.

3. At this point, I wish to acknowledge the support of the Chinese government, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Xi Jinping, for the considerable assistance extended to Africa and, in particular, to Nigeria.

4. This has tremendously strengthened our effort in combating Covid-19 during these difficult times. President Xi’s strong support has also further demonstrated the spirit of solidarity and enhanced the bond of partnership that already exist among FOCAC Member-States.
Excellencies,

5. From the onset of the pandemic, we in Nigeria instituted strong surveillance and infection prevention as well as control measures and made provisions to strengthen our testing capacities.

6. Several well-equipped treatment and isolation centres were set up across the country to increase bed capacity. In the spirit of international collaboration, medical experts in Nigeria participated by video link in learning and experience-sharing exercises organized by experts from various countries, including China.

7. Furthermore, our Government has trained several thousand healthcare workers, provided Personal Protective Equipment to ensure the safety of frontline workers, and offered incentives for their motivation.

8. With regard to restrictions in movements occasioned by the need to contain the spread of the disease, we created the enabling environment for farmers to safely plant and harvest during this rainy season in order to ensure that our food security is not compromised.

9. In addition, we took steps for prompt transportation of agricultural products and food items from rural production areas to the consumers and to industrial processing zones.

10. We have also developed practical policies to protect lives and livelihoods at the same time and to ensure our economy continues to function as we maintain an aggressive response to the pandemic.
Excellencies,

11. The COVID-19 outbreak is a clear wake-up call for all of humanity. The Health Systems of many nations have been severely tested by the outbreak of this disease, that most resorted to unprecedented executive measures of closing borders and locking down cities, to restrict movements and commerce. The immediate socio-economic disruptions have been hard to cope with for many, and others suffered devastating effects.

ALSO READ:

12. As we face a common pervasive and invisible enemy, it is important that we all remain united to save our shared humanity, because this virus knows no borders. The fight against a global pandemic that continues to take so many lives, threaten livelihoods and challenging the very fabric of societies, requires enhanced cooperation and worldwide solidarity.

13. I, therefore, commend the UN Secretary-General, H.E. António Guterres, for launching a COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund for low and middle-income countries to tackle the health emergency, address social and economic consequences of the crisis and, strengthen the recovery efforts of most vulnerable countries.

14. I also commend the World Health Organization and its leadership from whose advise Nigeria was able to take measures and enlighten its people on steps to take to avoid contracting and spreading the virus.
Excellencies,

15. I seize this opportunity to reiterate the need for this Summit to put humanity at the centre of our vision for common prosperity. We must learn lessons and share knowledge from research, as we develop more creative, responsive and humane health systems, improve crisis management protocols and support each other in the battle against Covid-19.

16. Nigeria supports and would join any joint and collective action plan at regional and global levels to tackle this pandemic and its fallout. In these endeavours, we must not fail because the lives and livelihood of our peoples depend on our collective efforts.

I thank you.

COVID-19

PCR Tests for Travellers Fraudulent, Probe NCDC, Ministry – WHO Envoy

Published

2 years ago

March 18, 2022

GiftUgbede

PCR Tests for Travellers Fraudulent, Probe NCDC, Ministry – WHO Envoy

The World Health Organisation’s Special Envoy for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator, Ayoade Alakija, has called for an investigation of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Ministry of Health over the required COVID-19 PCR tests for inbound passengers to Nigeria.

YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

Alakija, in a tweet via her official Twitter handle, @yodifiji, wondered why the PCR tests were done with no reagents.
According to reports, the Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Ifedayo Adetifa, had earlier insisted that Nigeria would not scrap COVID-19 tests for inbound passengers into the country.

Adetifa had said the country was reporting a high rate of COVID-19 cases from inbound passengers, hence the need for the insistence of the tests.
Alakija, reacting to a tweet by a journalist, David Hundeyin, tweeted, “It’s a scam. The entire thing is a criminal enterprise and should be exposed. “Diagnostic tests to enter a country where the government officials have interest in Dx test centres. PCR tests with no reagents? NCDC and MOH should be investigated. It is a scam, period.”

COVID-19

Austria Suspends Mandatory Covid-19 Vaccine Law

Published

2 years ago

March 9, 2022

GiftUgbede

Austria has announced that it is suspending mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for all adults this came weeks after the legislature took effect in an EU first.

YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

The Alpine nation of nine million people was among few countries in the world to make jabs against the coronavirus compulsory for all adults.
The law took effect in February and called for fines up to 3,600 euros ($3,940) from mid-March for those who do not comply.

However, minister Karoline Edtstadler said the law’s “encroachment of fundamental rights” could no longer be justified by the danger posed by the pandemic.
“After consultations with the health minister, we have decided that we will of course follow what the (expert) commission has said,” Edtstadler told reporters after a Cabinet meeting.
“We see no need to actually implement this compulsory vaccination due to the (Omicron) variant that we are predominantly experiencing here.” He noted

According to him,the highly-contagious variant is widely believed to be less severe than previous strains of the virus, and so far Austrian hospitals have been able to cope with a surge in cases.

COVID-19

F.G. Commences Vaccination with Over 30 Million J&J Vaccines

Published

2 years ago

February 25, 2022

GiftUgbede

Following efforts to increase the COVID-19 vaccination coverage of eligible persons across the country, the Federal Government has launched the service delivery, communication, accountability, logistics, electronic reporting, and supportive supervision (S.C.A.L.E.S) strategy.

The SCALES 2.0 strategy, which will ensure that more Nigerians can easily locate a nearby health facility to get vaccinated by visiting the website (www.vacsitefinder.nphcda.gov.ng), will also integrate childhood immunisation alongside other primary health care services.

YOU CAN FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK

Also, eligible persons can now get vaccinated with a single shot of the Johnson and Johnson (J&J) COVID-19 vaccines, as there are over 30 million vaccine doses available.

Nigeria has received over 64 million COVID-19 vaccines – AstraZeneca, Moderna, J&J and Pfizer. Furthermore, 48 million vaccines are expected before mid-year.

Latest vaccination data showed that as of February 21, 2022, a total of 17,199,853 eligible Nigerians have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccination, while 7,663,560 have received their second dose. In total, 24,863,413 vaccine doses have been administered.

The Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, made this known in Abuja during the launch of the SCALES 2.0 strategy with the use of the single dose J&J vaccine.

Dr Shuaib said: “We want to ensure that we not only decentralise COVID-19 vaccination, but make sure that we improve coverage and access to COVID-19 vaccination. Today, we are vaccinating just a little over 200,000 people per day. For us to reach our target of reaching 70 per cent of eligible populations before the end of 2022, we have to hit 550,000 people per day. This will ensure that we reach herd immunity.

“We are also going to be launching the single shot vaccine (Johnson & Johnson) for everyone. We understand that one of the reasons there is a gap between our first and second doses is because people experience adverse events following COVID-19 vaccination. Although the adverse events are very mild, we know that the opportunity to have a single shot not only in the hardest to reach areas, but everybody having access to one single shot will definitely increase our coverage of COVID-19 vaccination.

“The COVID-19 vaccination ‘site finder’ will improve the ability of Nigerians to assess COVID-19 vaccines. If you are able to sign on to this website, you will be shown the nearest COVID-19 vaccination centre.”

In her remarks, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Director for Africa, Dr Moeti Matshidiso, hailed the Federal Government’s vaccination strategy and efforts in ensuring that more Nigerians are covered.

She said: “I think we have learnt many lessons on how to leverage the capacities and lessons in delivering such campaigns in a country like Nigeria and internationally.

“I understand that there is going to be a great deal of emphasis on decentralisation – on really leveraging the decentralised nature of the Nigerian system and government to engage decision makers at the state and local government level, so that they can drive the very much action needed to speed up delivery of vaccines to the population.

“There will also be the need to expand the delivery capacity because at the same time the country is carrying out this important work, there is other work of delivering vaccines, responding to public health emergencies going on.”

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, added: “Let me assure Nigerians that we have adequate stock of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, as we have over 30 million doses in stock. I call on all eligible persons that are yet to receive their vaccination to go to the nearest COVID-19 vaccination site and get vaccinated. This single dose offers the same protection you get from two doses of AstraZeneca, Pfizer Bio-N-Tech and Moderna vaccines.