The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 627 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 387 to 399.

With the 627 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 15181 cases, 4891 recoveries, and 399 deaths.

Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 12th June 2020, there are 15181 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.

627 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 627 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:

Lagos-229
FCT-65
Abia-54
Borno-42
Oyo-35
Rivers-28
Edo-28
Gombe-27
Ogun-21
Plateau-18
Delta-18
Bauchi-10
Kaduna-10
Benue-9
0-8
Kwara-6
Nasarawa-4
Enugu-4
Sokoto-3
Niger-3
Kebbi-3
Yobe-1
Kano-1

Azadirachta indica, a member of the Meliaceae family, is commonly known as neem. Coming from the mahogany family, it is called dogonyaro in Hausa and Yoruba; and aku shorop, ogwu iba or ogwu akom in Igbo. It is a large evergreen tree that grows up to 20m in height  in tropical and semi-tropical regions of the world.

Constituents

Different parts of neem tree contain many biologically active compounds, including triterpenoids, alkaloids, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, carotenoids, ketones and steroid. Phytochemicals such as quercetin and azadirachtin and liminoids such as nimbin, nimbinin, and nimbidin have been purified from the different parts of the plant. The leaves also contain ascorbic acid, various amino acids, and several other types of compounds.

Preparations

Different parts of the plant, such as the leaves, stem, bark, roots, fruits and flowers may be prepared as capsule, tea, paste, powder, decoction, infusion or oil. The twigs can be chewed raw. The leaves may be taken alone or mixed with beverages. It may also be used in aromatherapy. Neem may be burnt to ward off insects.

Pharmacological actions and medicinal uses

Several studies have portrayed that neem has hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, nephroprotective, cardioprotective, immunostimulant, contraceptive, anti-inflammatory, antidiabetic, antimicrobial, antihelmintic, antitumor, insecticidal and pesticidal properties.

All parts of the neem tree, including, leaves, seeds, roots, bark and the flowers of the plant are used to cure different ailments, such as stomach ulcers, jaundice, a variety of infectious and parasitic diseases, including leprosy, chicken pox and warts.

The leaves are widely used to alleviate fever, especially from malaria attacks, intestinal complaints, dental problems, headache and heartburn. They are used as insect repellents, appetite stimulants and diuretics. The twig is used as toothbrush for reducing plaque and gingival inflammation.

Some studies have clearly shown that neem extracts can be potentially useful to control some foodborne pathogens and other spoilage organisms. Neem is commonly used to heal wounds because of its antiseptic properties and fatty acid content.

Studies confirm the antiviral activity of neem by showing that the bark extract extensively blocked HSV-1 entry into cells. Neem leaves can be used to treat infected eyes, asthma, cough and sore throats.

Neem also helps in strengthening hair quality and promotes growth of hair. The neem oil is believed to relieve skin dryness, skin itchiness and redness and treatment of such skin complaints as furuncles and eczema.

Adverse effects

Adverse effects that could be attributed to neem include death in infants, allergic reactions, infertility, miscarriage, stomach irritation, increase in fatigue and low blood sugar.

Economic potentials

The neem tree is now gaining more importance due to its wide potentialities for industrialisation and commercialisation in the areas of agriculture, cosmetics, medicine, toiletries and various industries. 15 neem trees within the staff quarters of LBRBA in Benue State yielded up to 605.7kg of fruits in six weeks.

The demand for neem products are increasing daily. Some companies are now using Neem products (Neem oil and leaves) for production of cosmetics like facial creams, nail polishes, nail oils, shampoos, conditioners etc. Neem twigs are sold in rural markets as toothbrush. Dried neem leaves, neem tea and neem plus vermonia tea are available for sale for as much as ₦1,000.00, ₦2,000.00.00 and ₦4,000.00, respectively

The neem tree is of great importance as fuel, additive to fertilizers, forage for ruminants and rabbits and for its anti-desertification properties. Neem is widely established in plantations to check desertification in Kano, Katsina and Jigawa States of Nigeria.

Great potentials abound for neem in pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, agriculture including livestock, and landscaping.

If anyone had retained the least modicum of hope that the present government, with its “change” mantra, could improve on the woeful records of most of its predecessors in prioritising the healthcare rights of Nigerians, then the recent slash in the budgetary allocation to primary healthcare in the country should have effectively blown such expectation to smithereens.

In a rather bizarre move that must have left even the most fanatical supporters of the present administration reeling in disbelief and despair, the presidency, in the 2020 revised budget proposal submitted to the National Assembly on 28 May, shrunk the Basic Health Care Provision Fund (BHCPF) from N44.4bn to N25.5bn, a decrease of more than 42.5 per cent.

Incidentally, the BHCPF is meant to cater for all the primary healthcare centres across the 774 local government areas in the country. Its fate in the Appropriation Act (amendment) Bill that was submitted to the legislature is similar to that of the Universal Basic Education Fund, which was reduced by more than 54.2 per cent, from N111.7bn to N51.1bn.

President Muhammadu Buhari, while explaining the rationale for these cuts, which marginally affected some other sectors of the economy, stated that the amendment became necessary in view of the drastic drop in petroleum prices and the reduction in Nigeria’s crude oil production quota, as triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic. S

Sadly butubut  the National Assembly wasted no time in assenting to the questionable Bill.
We consider this move by the government totally unacceptable. Two concerns amplify the enormity of this travesty and make it particularly disturbing.

The first is that the decision to slash healthcare funding is being taken at a time when the country is still battling a health crisis that has not only refused to show any sign of abating but has also further exposed the decays and dysfunctions in the country’s health system.

In fact, so appalling is the state of the health sector that, Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, who coincidentally doubles as Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, impulsively lamented that the level of infrastructural deficit that confronted him was far beyond what he could have imagined.

Many had hoped that with this belated discovery that the nation’s health system was neither strong enough to meet the basic healthcare needs of the citizenry, nor prepared to withstand any major disease outbreak, the government would finally heed the several calls from stakeholders for improved funding and holistic overhauling of the healthcare sector. Sadly, the reverse is what we are witnessing.

Ironically, even in countries with better health systems, this is the time that governments are channelling more resources into further research and development, as well as infrastructural upgrades, in their health sector. Why any government, parading a moribund health system that is almost being overwhelmed by a ravaging pandemic would consider this the best time to reduce funds for healthcare is a question that would confound the minds of even its most ardent apologists.

The second and more appalling concern in this theatre of the absurd is that while allocations to critical sectors of the economy, such as the healthcare, have been heavily slashed, the presidency ensured that the iniquitously gargantuan amounts budgeted for its counterparts in the legislature and the judiciary remain largely untouched, with each receiving only a 10 per cent reduction. Even worse is that while the meagre N44.4bn initially budgeted for primary healthcare has been whittled to just N25.5bn, the outrageous N37bn allocation for the renovation of the National Assembly complex has only been reduced to N27.7bn.

Essentially, therefore, the government considers that the renovation of a building that accommodates a few overpaid legislators for a few sitting hours and showing no sign of distress is more important than funding of hundreds of ill-equipped and decaying healthcare centres catering to the health of millions of Nigerians at the grassroots. We join other well-meaning Nigerians in condemning this atrocious and continuous trivialisation of the health of the citizenry.

Nigeria currently has one of the worst health indices in the world. Infant and maternal mortality rates are at abysmal proportions, while many of the citizens continue to die daily from treatable and preventable diseases. All these are the cumulative effects of years of neglect and underfunding of our health institutions, especially the primary healthcare centres. This repeated display of insensitivity and elevation of parochial interests to the detriment of the wellbeing of the general populace must stop.

The UN Chief Antonio Guterres has called on world leaders to bail out developing countries saying the economic fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic could push half a billion more into poverty.

This was said during the policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on food security and nutrition on Tuesday.

The Chief urged the world leaders on the need to agree at an ‘Economic Rescue Package for All’ to keep poor countries and poor communities afloat, ahead of key meetings of the World Bank.

He said: “There is more than enough food in the world to feed our population of 7.8 billion people. But, today, more than 820 million people are hungry. And some 144 million children under the age of 5 are prevented from growing worldwide. Our food systems are failing, and the COVID-19 pandemic is making things worse”.

This year, over half billion extra people may fall into extreme poverty due to the COVID-19 crisis. The number of people who are acutely food or nutrition insecure will rapidly expand.

Every percentagepoint drop in global gross domestic product (GDP) means an additional 0.7 million stunted children, he said, noting that even in countries with abundant food, there are risks of disruptions in the food supply chain.

Guterres repeated the need to act now to avoid the worst impacts of global efforts to control the pandemic.

“Nations must mobilise to save lives and livelihoods, focusing attention where the risk is most acute. That means designating food and nutrition services as essential, while implementing appropriate protections for food workers, he said.”

Guterres stressed the need to preserve critical humanitarian food, livelihood and nutrition assistance to vulnerable groups and to position food in food-crisis countries to reinforce and scale up social protection systems.

Countries need to scale up support for food processing, transport and local food markets, and they must keep trade corridors open to ensure the continuous functioning of food systems, he said, adding that nations must ensure that relief and stimulus packages reach the most vulnerable, including meeting the liquidity needs of small-scale food producers and rural businesses.

He also called on nations to strengthen social protection systems for nutrition, safeguard access to safe, nutritious foods, particularly for young children, pregnant and breastfeeding women, older people and to adapt and expand social protection schemes to benefit nutritionally at-risk groups, including supporting children who no longer have access to school meals.

Looking beyond the pandemic, the Secretary-General called for transforming food systems to achieve a more inclusive and sustainable world.

We cannot forget that food systems contribute up to 29 per cent of all greenhouse gas emissions, including 44 per cent of methane, and are having a negative impact on biodiversity.

Guterres urged countries to build food systems which address the needs of both producers and workers, and to eradicate hunger by ensuring more people have access to healthy, nutritious food.

He warned that unless immediate action is taken, it is increasingly clear that there is an impending global food emergency that could have long-term impacts on hundreds of millions of children and adults.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), has berated government for failing to recognise the critical roles of pharmacists in the ongoing war against the novel coronavirus disease in the country.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Pharmanews, the newly elected Chairman of PSN-Lagos State, Pharm. Gbolagade Iyiola said community pharmacists have been attending to visibly agitated and anxious members of the public, who besiege their facilities for counselling on COVID-19 prevention protocols and other care services

Listing the services being offered by pharmacists to curb the spread of the infection to include mass production of hand sanitisers, patient care and counselling in hospitals and communities, drug dispensing and others, the PSN leader in Lagos maintains that pharmaists’ intervention is 70 per cent of clinical disease states, which manifest in the public space globally.

He also frowned at the very negligible number of volunteer pharmacists in the isolation centres, saying bed/remission time would have been lesser if more pharmacists had been employed in the centres to manage the COVID-19 patients. Below is the full text of the interview:

Congratulations on your assumption of office as the new Chairman of the PSN in Lagos State. How do you feel being the number one pharmacist in the state?

I consider it a great privilege and big honour. It is a right progression in the appropriate place. The reason is also not farfetched when you look at the quality of PSN Lagos which accounts for over 40 per cent of the entire membership of the PSN. Some, in fact, consider Lagos State branch as the alter ego of the PSN.

We, as members of the new Executive Committee, with me as the driver, appreciate the enormity and depth of the assignment at hand and we have resolved to deliver like our predecessors. When you look at the line-up of some our past chairmen – I readily recollect the likes of Pharm. Laide Osundeko, FPSN, who will join the ranks of octogenarians in a few weeks; the late Chief Abioye Oyetunji, FPSN, who later became a Honourable Member of the House of Representatives; and then the amiable duo of late Pharm. Jimi Adesanya, FPSN, who would have been president of PSN in 1997; Pharm. Jimi Agbaje, FPSN, who got to peak levels in national politics and who many still perceive as the best governor Lagos State may never see; my personal motivator, Pharm. Funso Fakulujo, FPSN, an effective mobiliser; to the one who needs no introduction, the indefatigable Pharm. Olumide Akintayo, FPSN who was the first branch chairman to emerge President of PSN. He was my principal because I served under his leadership as national secretary. He handed over to Pharm. Anthony Bola Oyawole, FPSN, another distinguished chairman who continues to influence us all with strategies.

We moved from Oyawole to the Baba himself, the ever lively Pharm. Lanre Familusi, FPSN, a thoroughbred PSNist, an old hand in the affairs of PSN Lagos since the early eighties. We also had Pharm. Akintunde Obembe, FPSN, a strong believer and actualiser of our branch’s cardinal philosophy and principles.

In recent times, Pharm. Gbenga Olubowale, FPSN, put footprints in the sands of time as an achiever, by propelling our branch to new heights. I took over from the delectable and hard-working, Pharm. Bolanle Adeniran, the dynamic leader with the Midas touch, who is reputed to be the first female chairman of our branch.

You can see why we tick in Lagos and this puts some pressure on me in terms of deliverables, but we shall succeed because of the great shoulders I can afford to lean on.

Your emergence as the new chairman of PSN in Lagos State coincided with the outbreak of the COVID-19 a pandemic, with the state being the epicentre in the country. How has it been piloting the affairs of pharmacists in the state during this trying time?

Life comes in various chapters. Leadership demands that we turn challenges into opportunities and this we must do, COVID-19 or other disease. The COVID-19 pandemic is a leveller, with regards to its ravaging impact, as it does not discriminate between the first and the third worlds. We continue to encourage pharmacists in all strata. It is a shame that government and the media refuse to acknowledge the silent but extremely critical role of pharmacists in this state in the COVID-19 season.

My colleagues in the industry and some hospitals continue to manufacture all the hand sanitisers, Vitamin C, and other essential drugs that are used to boost wellness and manage COVID-19 in Nigeria, but nobody acknowledges their efforts and roles. More tragic is the unrecognised gallantry of community pharmacists who are the true frontline health workers because their intervention in 70 per cent of clinical disease states, which manifest in the public space globally. These community pharmacists are the first port of call for those who want to access healthcare anywhere in the world, including Nigeria.

It is also noteworthy to mention that community pharmacies were attending to visibly agitated and anxious members of the public who trooped into their facilities for counselling on COVID-19  prevention protocols and other care services.

This was at a time when the doors of most care centres were being shut against them. The level of their risks, which also affects their families, when all sorts of clients visit their pharmacies, is better left imagined because government provides no personal protective equipment (PPE) for them.

Government at all levels must realise that the healthy living and wellness strategies put in place by community pharmacist is what has saved Nigeria from a calamitous COVID-19 experience.

Please, do note that I acknowledge divine intervention first before human efforts in all of these. Despite the frustrations and poor perception of the role of pharmacists, my colleagues have resolved to continue to work ethically to preserve lives in Lagos State and beyond.

For your tenure of three years, what are your goals for the association and members?

The strength of the PSN Lagos remains the continuum we have in leadership style and outlook. Our executive committee will not depart from this noteworthy style. We have resisted all attempts to destabilise the Lagos State branch by relying on God and the cooperation of our teeming membership.

We shall continue to pursue the welfare policy of our forebears. Our trustees, populated by past chairmen, manage a trust fund which is structured to bring succour to the families of departed colleagues who are our financial members. We shall pay the family of one of such departed colleagues N1 million before month end for faithfully obliging financial responsibilities to our branch in the last 3 years.

We shall continue the PSN Lagos Identity Card Scheme, with slight amendments, to boost inherent benefit package to our members. The Pharmacy Villa project will be delivered under our watch. Pharm. Olumide Akintayo built up the first phase in a record 78 days from December 2004 to 8 March, 2005 when he exited. These included modest furnishing to leave a legacy of a property valued at N75 million in 2005.

Oyawole, who bought the second plot where the new phase is sited, is on record to have laid the foundation of the structure, which Familusi, Obembe and Olubowale all combined to take to an advanced stage.

My predecessor, Pharm. Adeniran, despite dwindling resources, virtually completed physical work on the new phase through sheer determination and doggedness, which we all respect. It is to Pharm. Adeniran’s credit that we now have a property currently valued at about N300 million.

Our executive committee is set to fix necessary outstanding issues, including a terrace in the old wing, to accommodate a foyer for car park on the ground floor and an enhanced lounge of the first floor.

Let me also thank Pharm. Adeniran for equipping the edifice with befitting ultra-modern furniture and especially the 120 KVA power generating set, which is unique in the entire PSN space. Today, we have buses and vehicles to assist the PIC/PCN operations.

I will champion the fulfilment of the dream of the founding fathers of Pharmacy Villa to make it a revenue-yielding venture through events hosting and other outstanding.

I insist on better practice techniques as we strategise to work with PCN, NAFDAC, SMoH, NDLEA and other strategic regulators. There are a range of other programmes which time will not permit me to spell out their details here.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic in the state, a lot has been happening in the healthcare delivery system and to health workers. How would you describe the response of the state government to the pandemic, and what grey areas would you want to be improved?

Permit me to salute the sagacity of Lagos State Government (LASG), given the response time to the totality of emergencies in our peculiar health system. Governor Sanwo-Olu has matched the commendable heights his predecessors took governance to in Lagos State. The LASG has put on display the best output relative to all the state governments and even federal government. I am informed that the Ekiti State Government is also doing well in the management of COVID-19, but Lagos still leads the way.

However, despite the many firsts of LASG, there are still a few drawbacks in its handling of the pandemic. First, the very negligible number of volunteer pharmacists in the isolation centres is lamentable. Let me say, with a deep sense of conviction, that bed/remission time would have been lesser if you had more pharmacists in those centres to manage the complications of drug/disease interaction profile, which is commonplace in the management of COVID-19.

Secondly, the LASG, because of the peculiarity of the state as the epicentre of coronavirus, would have led the way in private sector collaborations with community pharmacies and private medical laboratories, as we witnessed in the UK, USA and even nearby Ghana, in the provision of rapid diagnostic kits to improve the wretchedly slow pace of testing, which is still less than 50,000 nationwide. We cannot win this war, if we continue to rely on only tests within the ambit of public sector facilities.

Thirdly, In the post COVID-19 era, LASG must prove that our state is indeed the Centre of Excellence by embracing international best practices in healthcare. We must build new competencies and capacities in our health system. Governor Sanwo-Olu must be bold to distrust the status-quo of “senior” and “junior” partners in the health system.

In May 2018, the LASG approved the consultancy cadre for pharmacists in the public sector, but this was suspended on the prompting of the president and national executive council of the Nigerian Medical Assoaciation (NMA) who put pressure on former Governor Ambode to rescind the approval of the consultancy cadre.

I recollect, with sadness, the role played by the former Commissioner for Health in Lagos State in that inglorious era. The beat goes on for as long as Governor Sanwo-Olu is yet to reverse this in public interest.

COVID-19 has shown the world that indeed science and technology can fail. Our human development mechanism must therefore appreciate and adequately compensate added qualifications and expertise, which add value and boost the quality of healthcare in a country, which is ranked 187 out of 191 health systems.

Governor Sanwo-Olu must fund the Lagos State University to have a Faculty of Pharmacy and do same in other health professions, where training is presently non-existent, in our bid to build competencies and capacities in a post COVID-19 dispensations.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 409 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 361 to 382.

With the 409 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 13973 cases, 4351 recoveries, and 382 deaths.

Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 10th June 2020, there are 13873 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.

409 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 409 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:

Lagos-201
FCT- 85
Delta- 22
Edo- 16
Nasarawa- 14
Borno- 14
Kaduna- 14
Bauchi-10
Rivers-9
Enugu- 5
Kano- 5
Ogun- 4
Ondo- 4
Bayelsa- 2
Kebbi- 2
Plateau- 2

Researchers from Columbia University, U.S.A, have found evidence of human hair turning grey due to stress and then reverting to its natural colour when the stress was removed.

Several years back, a widespread theory suggested that stressful events can lead to loss of hair and colour, but until now, it was believed that such greying was irreversible.

In this new study, the researchers found evidence of stress-related greyed hair reverting to its natural colour once the stressful event ended.

The team, studied the role of melanin and certain proteins play in giving hair its natural colour. They asked 14 volunteers to allow them to remove hairs from their head and some other body parts. The researchers collected 400 hair samples and analyzed them using a new imaging technique that detected pigment levels in different parts of the hair. They found that some of the hairs were grey on the tips rather than the roots.

Hair grows from the roots; thus, the finding by the researchers suggests that the hair had turned grey at some point and then at a later date, resumed growing in its natural colour.

Upon their discovery, the researchers contacted the same 14 volunteers and asked them to come back and answer some questions. Because hair grows at a certain rate, the researchers were able to calculate how far back in time a person’s hair had started to turn grey, and then when it had reverted to its natural colour.

They asked the volunteers if they had experienced stressful events on or around the time the hair had turned grey, and found several matches. They also found that for one person, going on vacation had coincided with their hair reverting to its natural colour.

From their findings, the scientists noted that  stress can, indeed, lead to greying hair, and that removing the stress factor can allow the hair to return to its natural colour.

They stated that such reversion appears to apply only to hair that has turned grey from stress and only if it occurs relatively soon after the hair has turned grey.

Director General, World Health Organization (WHO) Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has said that the COVID-19 pandemic situation was worsening around the globe, as it has recorded its highest daily tally of new infections in just one month.

And as mass protests for racial justice sweep across the United States and beyond, the United Nations’ health agency has urged anyone demonstrating to do so safely.

The novel Coronavirus has killed more than 403,000 people out of at least seven million infected, since the outbreak emerged in China last December, according to a tally from official sources compiled by AFP.

After East Asia, Europe became the epicentre of the disease, but has now been overtaken by the Americas.

“Although the situation in Europe is improving, globally it is worsening,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a virtual news conference in Geneva.

“More than 100,000 cases have been reported on nine of the past 10 days. Yesterday, more than 136,000 cases were reported—the most in a single day so far.

He said that almost 75 per cent of Sunday’s cases came from 10 countries—mostly in the Americas and Africa.

Tedros said that in countries where the situation was improving, “the biggest threat is now complacency”, adding that “most people globally are still susceptible to infection”.

“More than six months into this pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal,” he said.

“WHO fully supports equality and the global movement against racism. We reject discrimination of all kinds,” he noted.

“We encourage all those protesting around the world to do so safely.

“As much as possible, keep at least one metre from others, clean your hands, cover your cough and wear a mask if you attend a protest.”

“Stay home if you are sick and contact a healthcare provider,” he added.

The WHO has continually stressed the importance of tracing those who may have come into sustained, close contact with an infected person.

The WHO’s emergencies director Michael Ryan said someone who had been at a mass protest did not necessarily meet the technical definition of a contact.

“It comes back down to local public health analysis and local risk management,” he said.

“There may be situations with mass gatherings where local public health officials, on the basis of an abundance of caution, could advise people either to quarantine or to get tested.”

Ryan added: “We would hope that in any mass gathering now… people who have had now four to five months to really internalise, that someone who is unwell… should really be at home and not engaged in any public activity.

“But we would always defer to national and sub-national authorities if they wish and need to take necessary public health actions that are based on risk assessment, that are based on scientific evidence.”

Tedros meanwhile said that the WHO had so far shipped more than five million items of personal protective equipment to 110 countries.

Several reports also show that celebrities in Lagos came out to protest for Uwa and Tina on Rape with the hashtag #EndRape.

Boss Mustapha, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) and chairman of the  presidential task force (PTF) on Coronavirus has warned that majority of Nigerians are still at risk of contracting COVID-19.

Mustapha said this during the Daily Briefing on Coronavirus on Monday 8 June. He urged Nigerians to observe the health guidelines issued by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) to curb the threat the virus poses to Nigerian population.

He said: “The PTF wishes to emphasize that a great majority of Nigerians are still susceptible to COVID-19, and if we allow it to transmit easily between us, it may be even more deadly.

“If everyone diligently observes the guidelines, we can collectively control the spread of the virus, and help to protect our health facilities as well as save lives.”

On reopening of worship centres, the SGF said; “Over the last weekend, the ease of restriction on places of worship came into focus and that it is important to note that the guidelines gave states the latitude and the opportunity to negotiate protocols that meet their peculiarities.

“We therefore urge our religious leaders and the entire populace to adhere to the guidelines issued by the PTF and the protocols agreed by the State Governments. The PTF continues to monitor compliance nationwide”

Mustapha reiterated that the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the weaknesses inherent in the nation’s healthcare systems and the need for urgent attention.

The SGF said: “Within our national setting, the weaknesses inherent in our national healthcare systems were made glaring and needed urgent attention. Government determined immediately, to take on the lessons and to ensure that the healthcare system experienced tremendous leap in human and infrastructure development as well as policy focus, stability and direction”.

Mustapha also announced that the PTF had commenced the process of introducing mental health services to the management of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

He added; “I am pleased to inform you that PTF has commenced the process of integrating comprehensive psychological services program into its activities. This will be for the benefit of people who are in isolation, wellbeing of their families and communities.

“In this regard, we wish to recognize the Federal Medical Center, Jabi, FCT for spearheading this drive, which shall inevitably assume a national dimension because of the importance of mental health”

The presidential task force on COVID- 19 has urged all Nigerians to observe the health guidelines issued by NCDC to curb the threat the virus poses to the Nigerian population.

Aside from washing hands in order to prevent Coronavirus, a new study published in Environmental Science & Technology Letters has found that harmful flame retardants may be another reason why people must always wash their hands every time.

The researchers found that halogenated flame retardants added to plastic TV cases can move from the TV to indoor air and dust, to hands, and then to cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices. Once on your cell phone, that surface provides an ongoing source of exposure to these chemicals each time you touch your cell phone.

“It’s well-known that viruses are transferred between surfaces and hands,” said co-author Miriam Diamond, a Professor in the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Toronto. “Our study shows that toxic chemicals like flame retardants do the same. That’s another reason we should all wash our hands often and well”.

Halogenated flame retardants, such as polybrominated diphenyl ethers, are known to pose a health risk to children. Previous studies have found that exposure to these chemicals can cause lower IQ in children and behavioral problems.

The authors were surprised to find higher levels of almost all halogenated flame retardants, all organophosphate flame retardants, and phthalate plasticizers on the surfaces of cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices like tablets, compared to non-hand-held devices like desktop computers. This included finding higher levels of long-banned polybrominated diphenyl ethers on new cell phones than on the surfaces of older desktop computers. The researchers suggest that these old chemicals got to the new phones by transfer from hands.

Why are TVs a source of flame retardants? The answer lies in the odd story of old “instant-on” cathode ray tube TVs manufactured in the 1970s. This technology, which involved warming the cathode ray tube so that the TV would immediately project an image when turned on, resulted in several hundred TV fires in the 1970s. The response was to recommend flammability standards that led to large amounts of flame retardants added to the outside casings of the TVs.

However, those same levels of flame retardants continued to be used —as much as a quarter of the weight of the plastic case— even after the industry moved to current TVs that pose a minimal fire risk. Thus, recently manufactured TVs contain high levels of unnecessary and harmful flame retardants. We are exposed because the flame retardants are not bonded to the cases, but escape over time to contaminate our indoor environments.

“If a flame retardant is used in the TVs, we then find it throughout the house, including on the hands of the resident,” said co-author Lisa Melymuk, an Assistant Professor of Environmental Chemistry at Masaryk University.

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us to wash our hands regularly and well to avoid getting ill. The results of this study suggest that frequent handwashing can also reduce our exposure to harmful flame retardants.

In order to provide relevant agencies with requisite data for adequate planning and provisions on the number of Coronavirus cases in Nigeria, Data Analyst, Raimi Emmanuel, has recently designed a model for the month of June 2020.

According to the analyst, the model was designed to predict the skew of the number of cases likely to ensue from the Coronavirus situation in the country.

He added that with these projections, the Nigeria Control Centre for Disease (NCDC) would know the extra efforts that would be required to handle the spike in the number of cases if lockdown measures are totally lifted.

He also added that the economic consequences of the Coronavirus situation in Lagos state and Nigeria as a whole would also be critically considered and subsequent actions will be taken.

He said with this model, several measures on how to reduce the number of cases as well as keeping the fatality rate at the barest minimum will be put in place.

Raimi stated: “The model has hit a variance of -6 and -8 on two occasions and other occasions have been closer than farther from reality”.

The projections are seen below:

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 315 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 354 to 361.

With the 315 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 12801 cases, 4040 recoveries, and 361 deaths.

Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 8th June 2020, there are 12801 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.

315 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 315 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:

Lagos- 128
FCT-34
Rivers- 32
Edo- 28
Oyo- 22
Kaduna- 20
Gombe- 13
Ogun- 8
Plateau- 5
Delta- 7
Kwara- 7
Kano- 5
Bauchi- 4
Katsina- 2

Researchers from the Kings and Imperial Colleges London, have published new research that shows pregnant women are no more likely to become ill with severe COVID-19 than non-pregnant woman

Outcomes for babies born to mothers with COVID-19 were “mostly good”, said researchers, although almost one in five were born prematurely and were admitted to a neonatal unit.

Majority of women who did become severely ill were in their third trimester of pregnancy, which showed the importance of social distancing for this group, said the authors of the study.

The researchers looked at 427 pregnant women admitted to hospitals in the UK between 1 March and 14 April 2020 with confirmed Covid-19.

Information for the study was collected from all 194 hospitals in the UK with a consultant-led maternity unit. The findings have been published online ahead of print.

The study found 4.9 pregnant women per 1,000 were admitted to hospital in the UK with COVID-19, with around one in 10 receiving intensive care.

With this, the researchers suggested that pregnant woman were at no greater risk of severe illness than the non-pregnant population.

However, pregnant women from black and ethnic minority backgrounds were more likely to be admitted to hospital for COVID-19, appearing to support other emerging research.

Evidence has continued to grow suggesting that black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) patients and health and social care staff are at greater risk of COVID-19 and is now also starting to be backed by research.

Zeenath Uddin, head of quality and safety at the Royal College of Midwives, said: “Clearly any maternal death is a tragedy. We owe it to these families to understand why this has happened.

Meanwhile, the study showed older pregnant women, those who were overweight or obese, and pregnant women with pre-existing conditions such as diabetes were also more likely to be admitted.

Other important findings from the study included that one in five babies born to mothers hospitalised with COVID-19 were born pre-maturely and were admitted to a neonatal unit.

One in 20 babies born had a positive test for COVID-19, but only half of these babies had positive test immediately after birth, suggesting that transmission of infection from mother to baby was low.

The findings follow a small study in China that found no evidence that the novel Coronavirus disease caused severe adverse outcomes in neonates or that it could pass to the child while in the womb.

The UK study authors added that 60 per cent of the women admitted to hospitals had now given birth, while the remaining 40 per cent had ongoing pregnancies.

Most women had now been discharged home. Around one in 10 women required intensive care, and sadly five women have died, said the researchers.

Lead author Professor Marian Knight said: “A very small number of pregnant women do become severely ill with COVID-19 and sadly some women have died. Our thoughts must remain with their families.

“It is concerning that more pregnant women from black and minority ethnic groups are admitted with COVID-19 in pregnancy and this needs urgent investigation,” she said.

She added: “Most pregnant women who were admitted to hospital were more than six months pregnant, which emphasizes the importance of continued social distancing measures in the later stages of pregnancy.”

Fellow study author Edward Morris, president of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, said: “Admission with infection in pregnancy is also associated with older maternal age, overweight and obesity, and the presence of pre-existing medical conditions.

“Awareness of these factors is important for both women and their doctors and midwives to help ensure women receive appropriate advice about prevention and complications of Covid-19 are recognised early.”

Gill Walton, chief executive of the RCM, highlighted the need for pregnant women to be encouraged to continue to attend healthcare appointments, in spite of the pandemic.

“During this current crisis, pregnancies have continued, babies have been born, and, throughout it all, midwives have been at their side, supporting and caring for them,” she said.

“It’s absolutely vital that women continue to attend antenatal appointments to ensure that they and their babies are well.”

Two weeks after a high-profile journal The Lancet reported that the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine might be risky to patients with COVID-19, three of its four professionals have retracted the work because they were unable to independently verify their data set.

The controversial research, claimed that coronavirus patients who were treated with hydroxychloroquine had a higher death rate because the drug increased heart malfunctions.

The experts said their findings were based on a pool of 96,032 coronavirus patients who averaged 53-58 years across from 671 hospitals worldwide.

They also claimed to have examined 8,910 COVID-19 patients from mid-March at nearly 170 medical facilities in Asia, Europe and North America.

“Our findings suggest not only an absence of therapeutic benefit but also potential harm with the use of hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine drug regimens,” the doctors wrote, admitting that “observational studies cannot fully account for unmeasured confounding factors.”

The dataset was purportedly compiled by Chigaco-based Surgisphere Corporation, which is run by Sapan Desai, a medical doctor, who was one of the four co-authors of the report. Mandeep Mehra, a professor and cardiovascular disease expert at Harvard Medical School, was one of the co-authors of the article, which also carried bylines of Frank Ruschitzka and Amit Patel, both medical doctors.

Aside from the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet, the research was also widely published by major media organisations across the world, with most of them citing both organisation’s long-standing credibility in the publication of scientific breakthroughs.

Previous observational studies have also expressed doubts about any apparent benefit for chloroquine use against COVID-19, the latest research sparked further concerns because it claimed the drug was more likely to lead to higher mortality.

Days after the article earned worldwide circulation on  22 May 2020, the WHO announced on 25 May  that it was suspending clinical trials for chloroquine in the treatment of Coronavirus patients.

“The executive group has implemented a temporary pause of the hydroxychloroquine arm within the solidarity trial, while the safety data is reviewed by the data safety monitoring board,” the WHO’s chief Tedros Ghebreyesus said in a statement.

Skeptical medical experts later raised concerns about the logical and factual basis of the research, with many saying they had never heard of Surgisphere prior to the viral claim of its associated medical experts.

Over 100 doctors, researchers and data scientists from across the world, including many from Africa and Australia, said the data that formed the basis of the published findings was not transparent and should be subjected to a third party review. Their protest was addressed to the New England Journal of Medicine and its editor, Eric Rubin.

After multiple attempts to get Mr Desai to release the research’s raw data fell through, the New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet succumbed to public outrage and skepticism over the article.

Three co-authors of the research broke with Mr Desai and retracted on Thursday, saying they “can no longer vouch for the veracity of the primary data sources.”

The WHO resumed clinical trials of hydroxychloroquine following widespread suspicion over the accuracy of the research by Mr Desai and three others.

The Lagos State Government has recently accredited three private hospitals for the treatment of Coronavirus cases.

This was announced in a statement by the State Ministry of Health on Saturday,6 June 2020.

Prof.Akin Abayomi, the state commissioner for health said the accredited hospitals have passed the biosecurity compliance test.

Biosecurity test is a set of measures aimed at preventing the introduction of harmful organisms to reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases.

The commissioner said the management of Coronavirus cases will still be under the supervision of the state ministry of health.

“They have passed the biosecurity compliance test. They have made modifications to their hospitals so that their staff and other patients are not put in danger or exposed to a higher risk of contracting Coronavirus,” he said.

“Those private hospitals have passed the test and we are just in the process of issuing them with accreditation certificate so that they can start managing Coronavirus patients in the private sector.

“However, even if they are managing Coronavirus in the private sector, it still comes under the supervision of the Lagos State Government Ministry of Health.

“Also, information about every patient managed by the hospitals must be made available to us so that we can record it in our database.

Coronavirus remains a public crisis and all public crises are managed and supervised by the Lagos state government and by extension the federal government of Nigeria.”

Abayomi had earlier said the state will soon run out of bed spaces if it keeps recording high number of Coronavirus cases.

He had said efforts were in place to devise other means to handle Coronavirus patients.
The state has the highest number of infections in the country. As of June, 5,663 cases have been confirmed in Lagos.

He, however, did not disclose the names of the hospitals.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 389 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 333 to 342.

With the 389 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 12233 cases, 3826 recoveries, and 342 deaths.

Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 6th June 2020, there are 12233 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.

389 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 389 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:

Lagos-66
FCT-50
Delta-32
Oyo-31
Borno-26
Rivers-24
Edo-23
Ebonyi-23
Anambra-17
Gombe-17
Nasarawa-14
Imo-12
Kano-12
Sokoto-12
Jigawa-8
Ogun-7
Bauchi-5
Kebbi-2
Kaduna-2
Katsina-2
Ondo-2
Abia-1
Niger-1

Fifteen COVID-19 patients have been discharged from the Oyo State Isolation center.
According to Governor Seyi Makinde who made this known while confirming 16 new cases, on his Twitter page, Saturday, the 15 patients were as well discharged after receiving their second negative test result.

He added: “Fifteen confirmed COVID-19 cases have received their second NEGATIVE test results and have been discharged. This brings the number of discharged cases in Oyo State to 112.

“Also, the COVID-19 confirmation tests for sixteen suspected cases came back POSITIVE. The cases are from Ibadan South West (11), Ibadan North West (2), Ido (1), Oluyole (1) & Ibadan North (1) Local Government Areas. So, the total number of confirmed cases in Oyo State is 334.

“Please call the Emergency Operations Centre on 08095394000 | 08095863000 | 08078288999 | 08078288800, if you have any COVID-19 symptoms: cough, fever, tiredness, body ache and shortness of breath, ” he said.

Kano State Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, has authorized the commencement of house-to-house sample collection exercise in the eight Local Government Areas (LGAs) of the states.

The emergency exercise is expected to take place within the metropolitan LGAs such as Taurani, Nasarawa, and Kano municipal, where most of the confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 are concentrated.

The Governor said this on Thursday at a press briefing organised by the State Task Force on COVID-19.

He explained, “We are putting our emphasis within the eight metropolitan Local Government Areas. We are engaging in house-to-house sample collection.

“I think during the political campaign, some politicians engaged in a house-to-house campaign. Right now, for COVID-19, we are engaging in a house-to-house sample collection campaign.”

According to Ganduje, the state has always improved on its successes in the fight against COVID-19 which is a result of the commitment of the task force and the frontline health workers.

He explained that the people were aware of the easiest ways to contract and avoid getting infected with the disease.

“We know the three commandments of COVID-19 which are social distancing, washing and sanitising our hands and wearing our face mask. These three commandments should become our way of life. They should become part of our everyday life,” Ganduje urged the people.

He added, “Relaxation of lockdown is now from 6am to 6pm on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. We also decided to open our markets in order to improve business activities in the state.

“We are producing face masks in large quantities and the market leaders have promised to produce face masks and distribute them free of charge. They will also provide water and soap for visitors and customers to make use of them.”

The governors also said that officials have been directed to fumigate all the markets to ensure that they were devoid of diseases, saying the ratio of collection of samples has increased.

In his remarks, the Chairman of the State Task Force on COVID-19 and the state deputy governor, Dr Nasiru Gawuna, said their objective was to contain the spread of the disease in the state.

He noted that since Kano recorded its index case of COVID-19, the task force has continued to work hard in ensuring that the spread of the virus was controlled.

“This we have done through a coordinated mechanism for preparedness and response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The task force has been working hand-in-hand with the Committee on Palliatives to ensure donations from corporate organisations and good spirited individuals,” he said.

The deputy governor added: “We are also working with traditional rulers, Civil Society Organisations, and other opinion leaders to ensure effective enlightenment of members of the public.”

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, has warned of fake COVID-19 drugs in circulation.

Prof. Moji Adeyeye, NAFDAC Director General, said the agency discovered fake chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine in circulation across the country.

Speaking during a webinar in Lagos State on Wednesday, Adeyeye also disclosed that fake face masks and hand sanitizers were in circulation.

She explained that this was discovered during post-marketing surveillance of COVID-19 medical products.

The NAFDAC boss said: “Post-marketing surveillance is part and parcel of NAFDAC. We stepped it up because we knew that companies were changing formula and formulations for us.

“We see falsified Chloroquine without any active ingredients in it. Of course, we also have had fake sanitizers and masks, which we have to deal with regulatory-wise.

“Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine are some of the therapeutics that Nigeria is using for clinical trial treatment only. We started with chloroquine and then hydroxychloroquine came in, “.

The House of Representatives has voted against a prayer seeking to recommend castration for rapists.

The House, at the plenary on Thursday, considered and adopted a motion on the rising cases of sexual violence in Nigeria.

A member, Mr James Faleke, had recommended that persons found guilty of rape should be castrated.

Just before the prayer was subjected to a voice vote, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, however, asked what would happen to an older female who rapes a younger male.

The comment generated noise in the chamber.

However, putting the prayer to vote, the nays had it.

Meanwhile, in honour of victims of sexual violence in Nigeria, the House resolved that members should be dressed in black on the next legislative day, which is next Tuesday.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has just announced 350 new cases of COVID-19 and increase in deaths from 315 to 323.

With the 350 new cases, Nigeria now has a total 11516 cases, 3535 recoveries, and 323 deaths.

Making the disclosure via its Twitter handle, the NCDC said: “As at 11:45 pm 4th June 2020, there are 11516 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria”.

350 new cases of #COVID19 reported;
It also splitted the 350 new cases into states of occurrence as follows:

Lagos-102
Ogun-34
FCT-29
Borno-26
Kaduna-23
Rivers-21
Ebonyi-17
Kwara -16
Katsina-14
Edo-10
Delta-10
Kano-10
Bauchi-10
Bayelsa-9
Imo-8
Plateau-4
Ondo-3
Nasarawa-2
Gombe-1
Oyo-1

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a new guidance on how to maintain essential health services during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It explained that the new guidance would help countries to keep essential health services running while taking measures to keep their citizens safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The apex health institution maintained that most health systems were facing challenges of increased demand for care of people with COVID-19, compounded by fears, misinformation and limitations on movement that disrupt healthcare conditions for all conditions.

It said countries should find ways to keep people safe and ensure the delivery of services such as emergency care for conditions like heart attacks and injury, immunisation to prevent outbreaks, treatment for infectious diseases like Human Immuno-deficiency Virus (HIV), malaria and tuberculosis, screening and treatment for non-communicable diseases like cancer and diabetes.

The new guidance titled, “Maintaining Essential Health Services: Operational Guidance For The COVID-19 Context,” recommends practical actions that countries could take at national, sub-regional and local levels to reorganise and safely maintain access to high-quality, essential health services.

It also highlighted sample indicators for monitoring the maintenance of essential health services and describes considerations about when to stop and restart services as COVID-19 transmission waxes and wanes.

A new study published in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases has shown that warmer temperatures moderately slow the transmission of coronavirus.

The study revealed that while the rate of COVID-19 decrease with warmer temperatures up to 52 degrees F (11 degree Celsius), further warmer temperatures do not decrease disease transmission significantly.

The research also found that higher Ultra Violet (UV) index also assists in slowing the rate of new cases, but the overall impact remains modest.

However, precipitation patterns did not appear to have any effect on virus transmission.

The research team analysed daily reported cases of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2)/COVID-19 infection across the United States from January 22, 2020 through April 3, 2020, as tracked by John Hopkins University’s COVID-19 Dashboard and estimated associations between temperature, precipitation, UV Index, as tracked from the National Centers for Environmental Information and rate of increase.

Indeed, it is well known that rates of transmission of some respiratory viruses, including influenza, tend to fall during the summer months. As COVID-19 spread globally, questions have arisen on whether warming temperatures, humidity and UV index might slow or even halt the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

These effects on virus transmission will be important to understand as warmer months ease in and states across the country consider and implement reopening plans.