Woman from Mali gives birth to 9 babies in Morocco

BAMAKO, Mali -- A Malian woman has given birth to nine babies at once — after expecting seven, according to Mali's Minister of Health and the Moroccan clinic where the nonuplets were born.

It appeared to be the first time on record that a woman had given birth to nine surviving babies at once.

The five girls and four boys, and their mother, “are all doing well,” Mali’s health minister said in a statement.

The mother, 25-year-old Halima Cisse, gave birth to the babies by cesarean section on Tuesday in Morocco after being sent there for special care, Mali’s top health official announced|||READ MORE

India’s COVID-19 Cases Worsen As 3,980 Die In 24Hrs

India saw record new jumps in Covid-19 cases and deaths on Thursday, dashing tentative hopes that a catastrophic recent surge that has stretched hospitals to the limit might be easing.

Health ministry numbers showed 3,980 deaths in the past 24 hours, taking the national total to 230,168, and 412,262 new cases, taking India’s caseload since the pandemic began over 21 million.

Many experts suspect that with low levels of testing and poor record-keeping for cause of death — and crematoriums overwhelmed in many places — the real numbers could be much higher |||READ MORE

Breaking: NAFDAC approves Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 vaccine for use in Nigeria

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, on Friday approved the use of Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Nigeria.

This is coming few months after it gave authorisation for the use of the Oxford-Astrazeneca jabs in the country.

Announcing this at a press conference in Lagos, the Director-General of NAFDAC, Mojisola Adeyeye  explained that the pfizer-Bio Tech vaccine was for emergency use only |||READ MORE

COVID-19: Nigeria to impose travel ban on India, Brazil Turkey, says PSC

The Federal Government plans to issue a travel advisory within the next two days on inbound flights from India, Brazil and Turkey.

This followed the escalation of new variants of COVID-19 virus in those countries, Head, Technical Secretariat of the Presidential Steering Committee (PSC) on COVID-19, Dr, Mukhtar Muhammad, said at a news conference in Abuja yesterday.

He expressed concern over the situation in India, which is a popular destination for medical tourists from Nigeria.

The PSC also urged Nigerians to keep observing all the regulations and instructions already provided to keep safe from the infection of COVID-19, warning that the third wave of the pandemic, going by how it has been sweeping through other parts of the world, is lurking around to enter Nigeria, especially as the nation has already reopened its economy to the world |||READ MORE

India nears 200,000 COVID deaths, daily cases fall, army steps in

India’s coronavirus death toll is nearing the bleak milestone of 200,000 with another 2,771 fatalities reported while its armed forces have pledged urgent medical aid to help battle the staggering spike in infections.

Over the past 24 hours, India recorded 323,144 new cases on Tuesday, slightly below a worldwide peak of 352,991 reached on Monday, with overrun hospitals turning away patients due to a shortage of beds and oxygen supplies.

India, home to approximately 1.3 billion people, has so far reported 17.64 million COVID-19 infections and 197,894 deaths but experts believe the tally runs significantly higher |||READ MORE

One million cases in 4 days, record deaths: India's Covid 'storm' in 10 charts

NEW DELHI: India's coronavirus situation is worsening by the day with the country reporting a record surge of nearly 3 lakh new infections and over 2,000 deaths on Wednesday morning.

The massive spike in infections comes as the country battles a severe second wave of the pandemic, which has crippled the healthcare system and prompted the Centre to expedite the nationwide vaccination programme.

"This second corona wave came like a storm," Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged in his address to the nation on Tuesday |||READ MORE

How Biden, Republicans and public health leaders are trying to convince GOP skeptics to get their Covid vaccinations

WASHINGTON — Vaccine holdouts could end up being the last obstacle to defeating the pandemic, and a growing effort is aimed at convincing one substantial group of skeptics: Republicans.

While efforts to combat vaccine hesitancy and access have so far been mostly focused on African Americans and Latinos, recent polls suggest the largest group of Americans either hesitant about the Covid-19 vaccine or outright opposed to it are Republicans, and efforts to reach them are only in their infancy.

Success convincing skeptical conservatives could be the difference between the United States reaching herd immunity or not. That's why a group of Republican pollsters and politicians, plus the White House, are all already working on getting the skeptics on board |||READ MORE

FG launches cash grant for rural women

The Federal Government Rural Women Cash Grant Programme was flagged off yesterday in Borno and Yobe States. A total of 5,840 women are expected to receive cash grant of N20, 000 each in Borno, while 3,400 women of the same category will benefit from Yobe state. At the flag off on Friday at the Multi-Purpose Hall, Government House Maiduguri, the Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Disaster Management and Social Development, Hajiya Sadiya Umar Farouq, explained the importance of the programme to President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

She said the Conditional Cash Transfer has been catering for Internally Displaced Persons in Gonikachallari, Bakasi and NYSC Camps due to the peculiarity of security situation in Borno State. “We currently have 12,190 Poor and Vulnerable Households (PVHHs) that have been enrolled in 13 Local Government Areas. They are Konduga, Gubio, Magumeri, Hawul, Shani, Mafa, MMC, Chibok, Mobbar, Kaga, Jere, Akira-Uba and Dikwa LGA’s and disbursement is set to commence as soon as the security situation improves.

“A total number of 5,840 women are to benefit from the cash grant of 20,000 each to uplift the socio-economic status of the rural women in Borno State. It is President Muhammadu Buhari’s social inclusion and poverty reduction agenda, with the realization of the national aspiration of lifting 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years,” the minister explained |||READ MORE

A year of COVID-19: What was going on in the US in March 2020

The U.S. would never be the same after March 2020.

While the novel coronavirus had been in the country for at least a month, in March case began to jump at alarming rates as did the hospitalizations and deaths. Former President Trump and other federal leaders initially claimed that the virus would not be a major problem, but many changed their stance by the end of the month and the virus was declared a national emergency.

Still, relatively little was understood about the disease and politicians on both sides of the aisle as well as leading public health officials issued guidance, including about mask-wearing that is out of step with what we now know. In fact, masks were recommended and then required in some places, like New York, the next month |||READ MORE

Vaccination Of Buhari, Osinbajo In Pictures

President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo both took the AstraZeneca vaccines on Saturday at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

The vaccine jabs were administered to the leaders by their chief personal physicians in the presence of some members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

After taking the vaccine jabs, President Buhari and Vice President Osinbajo were presented with electronic cards containing the details of their vaccinations. 

Others who witnessed the vaccination of the President and his vice included the Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr Faisal Shuaib, as well as the Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu |||READ MORE

 

 

COVID-19 Vaccination: Buhari Asks Governors, Others To Take The Lead

President Muhammadu Buhari has urged all state governments, as well as traditional and religious leaders to take the lead in the mobilisation effort within their environment and spheres of influence, as Nigeria launches the COVID-19 vaccination exercise.

He made the plea on Saturday shortly after he took the first dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine jab along with the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

The President described his decision to take the vaccine in public as a demonstration of leadership and faith in the safety and efficacy of the vaccines |||READ MORE

 

Nobody Is Safe Until Everyone Is Vaccinated – Boss Mustapha

Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha says nobody is safe from COVID-19 infection until everyone is vaccinated.

The SGF said this on Friday during the formal rollout of COVID-19 vaccines at the National Hospital in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

“For us in Nigeria and indeed nations of the world, the lessons to be drawn from this lack of discrimination by the virus are numerous. They include the fact that we must approach the vaccine phase with the unity of purpose |||READ MORE

AU warns of ‘terrible’ health consequences should Africa miss out on COVID-19 vaccine

 

The African Union Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) said on Thursday it will be “extremely terrible” for the world to watch African countries go without a coronavirus vaccine.

 The Africa CDC Director, John Nkengasong, said on Thursday that failure by African countries to receive the vaccines for the coronavirus pandemic in a timely manner could terribly undermine the continent’s development record and upset global efforts to curb the spread of the virus.

 “It would be extremely terrible for the world to watch Africa not receive the vaccines while some countries have bought the vaccines in excess,” Nkengasong said |||RAED MORE

How To Take Care Of Your Mental Health

Are mental health issues becoming more common, or is it only that we are growing aware of them? Perhaps, today's sped-up life can be held accountable for how many people face mental health issues in their life. But at the same time, it's because of this advancement and spreading awareness that these issues are not looked at as taboo.

Every one in five is due to get diagnosed with a mental health issue, according to statistics. Which surely is a cause of concern!

However, many people only think about improving their mental health when they've hit rock-bottom. Also, it is a common misconception that people with good mental health suffer no traumas, stress, anxiety, depression, etc. when it's not the case |||READ MORE

These People are at the Most Risk at Restaurants Right Now

There are a lot of risks involved with eating in a restaurant. Not sitting far enough away from other people or sitting inside, waiting for your table inside, and not wearing a mask all increase the risk of the coronavirus spreading.

With the number of cases hitting 4 million recently, some dining rooms are closing again to keep customers as well as workers safe. Servers come into contact with multiple people at a time while at work, including other servers, chefs, and customers. This means they are more susceptible to catching the virus that travels through the air in droplets. Being outside helps, as does not giving out plastic menus and keeping buffets closed.

But servers, hosts, and bartenders spend time around lots of people. Some of them could carry the virus and not know it. They have to interact with people in the back and the front. Sometimes they might not be able to stay six feet away from others |||READ MORE

 

US ‘failures’ are holding back search for coronavirus drugs

The global effort to produce useful anti-Covid medicines is being hampered by the US because researchers are testing drugs in “an arbitrary, willy-nilly way”, the expert leading the UK’s programme has warned.

Britain’s Recovery Trial programme, which has involved 12,000 patients at several hundred British hospitals, has already pinpointed one promising new drug to tackle the disease and also highlighted two others – previously thought to be potential life-savers – as being useless.

But the failure of the US medical system to match this output has meant that other promising treatments that could have been cleared for widespread use have still to be evaluated. In particular, convalescent plasma (blood plasma that is taken from Covid-19 patients and which contains antibodies that could protect others against the disease) has still to be properly tested on a large-scale randomised trial |||READ MORE