The United States on Wednesday announced its first confirmed case of the Covid-19 Omicron variant had been detected in California, in a fully vaccinated traveler who had recently returned from South Africa and was recovering from mild symptoms. Top health official Anthony Fauci said authorities “knew it was just...
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South African President, Cyril Ramaphosa has called for a lifting of the travel ban imposed on his country and other sister countries. Ramaphosa said the restriction (which he termed discriminatory) should be reversed to avert long-lasting damage to the economies of the countries affected. The South African leader said...
The Federal Government has commenced the enforcement of mandatory vaccination against COVID-19 at the Federal Secretariat. As early as 7:00 am on Wednesday, security men manned the main entrance to the Federal Secretariat where they demanded either a vaccination card or evidence of negative PCR test before allowing the...
By CALLISTUS OFFOR, Abuja – The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant in the country. A statement issued on Wednesday by the NCDC Director-General, Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, said the three cases were linked to passengers from South Africa Recalled that...
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, has said the only way out of COVID-19 pandemic and out of unjustly distribution of vaccines is through a global vaccination plan. Guterres spoke to a meeting of Foreign Ministers of the Group of 77 developing nations (G77) and China on Tuesday at UN headquarters,...
U.S. President, Joe Biden, has urged vaccinated Americans to get their COVID-19 booster shots amidst the growing concerns about the potential threat posed by the new Omicron variant. President Biden, who made the call on Monday, also pleaded with those who have yet to be vaccinated to get their...
The Federal Government has insisted that the country is yet to record a case of the Omicron variant of the COVID-19, despite Canadian authorities’ claims that two passengers from Nigeria had tested positive. Speaking at the Presidential Steering Committee briefing in Abuja, Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease...
PATRICK ABANG, Calabar – Cross River State Governor Ben Ayade, on Monday suspended the 2021 Calabar Carnival. The Governor’s suspension of the 2021 Carnival at State Executive Council Chamber, took many by surprise as the governor had last week announced that the 2021 carnival will hold. The stakeholders meeting...
The surprising number of mutations in the Omicron Coronavirus (COVID-19) variant could signal that it originated in a patient with HIV or another immunodeficiency, a top German immunology expert said. Carsten Watzl, secretary general of the German Society for Immunology, told dpa that it was not only conceivable but...
World Health Organisation (WHO) says it still ‘not clear’ whether Omicron COVID variant is more transmissible or more severe than Delta variant. WHO, in a statement on Sunday, said that its experts, researchers in South Africa and around the world are currently conducting studies to better understand Omicron. The...
The head of the World Health Organisation in Africa on Sunday urged countries to follow the science rather than imposing flight bans in a bid to contain the new Omicron coronavirus variant. “With the Omicron variant now detected in several regions of the world, putting in place travel bans...
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Sunday called on countries to “immediately and urgently” reverse scientifically “unjustified” travel bans linked to the discovery of the new coronavirus variant Omicron. “We call upon all those countries that have imposed travel bans on our country and our southern African sister countries...
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Sunday said it was monitoring emerging evidence on the new COVID-19 variant, Omicron, which was first recently identified in Southern Africa. The new variant “is considered highly transmissible” and has already triggered a new wave of travel restrictions targeted at countries in...
The Angolan authorities on Saturday announced the suspension of flights to South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Eswatini and Tanzania due to the emergence of a new COVID-19 variant, known as B.1.1.529 or Omicron. Francisco Pereira Furtado, the Angolan minister of state and head of the security house of...
Renowned virologists in Nigeria have called on the Federal Government to be swift in its emergency response to the recently-discovered B.1.1.529 strain of COVID-19, first detected in South Africa. The virologists including the Chairman, Expert Review Committee on COVID-19, Prof Oyewale Tomori; ex-National Chairman of the Association of Public...
President Muhammadu Buhari has challenged Nigerian universities to intensify their research in order to develop COVID-19 vaccine to tackle the dreaded virus afflicting the country. The President, represented by the Minister of State for Education, Mr. Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba, gave the challenge at the 5th and 6th combined convocation of...
South Africa has complained it is being punished – instead of applauded – for discovering Omicron, a concerning new variant of Covid-19. The foreign ministry made the statement as countries around the world restrict travel from southern African countries as details of the spread emerged. Early evidence suggests Omicron...
Two people in the UK have been found to be infected with the new Covid variant, Omicron, the health secretary has said. Sajid Javid said the UK Health Security Agency had detected cases in Chelmsford, Essex, and in Nottingham. He said the cases were linked and the two people...
Dutch health authorities said Saturday that 61 passengers from two flights from South Africa tested positive for COVID-19 and the results were being examined for the new Omicron variant. The people who tested positive were now being quarantined in a hotel near Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport, where the 600 people...
South Africa’s health ministry on Friday attacked a global rush to impose travel bans to slow the spread of a new Covid variant as “draconian,” unscientific and contrary to WHO advice. The new strain, named Omicron, has been blamed for a surge in cases in South Africa, but has...