Lagos now consumes 400 oxygen cylinders per day

Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State

 

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu has said that the demand for oxygen by coronavirus patients has increased to 400 cylinders per day.

Meanwhile, the state recorded 355 new COVID-19 infections, the highest in the country on Sunday. This brings the total number of confirmed infections in the state to 49,274, while 314 deaths have so far been recorded.

Briefing Lagosians on Sunday on the management of coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state, Sanwo-Olu said  that oxygen was free in all Lagos State-owned COVID-19 treatment centres.

He added that the state was under pressure to ensure availability, leading to the commencement of the construction of a second oxygen plant at the Gbagada General Hospital. It is expected to come on-stream within the next seven days.

The new plant will boost the in-house capacity and availability of oxygen across all state government-managed treatment centres.

The governor further disclosed that plans were afoot to make the state-owned isolation centre in Gbagada a fee-paying facility that Lagos residents who were willing to pay could go to for treatment.

The facility, he said, would provide covid-19 treatment at a far cheaper cost than private facilities.

“This means that the COVID treatment facility in Yaba will continue to offer free and high-quality treatment to all persons.

“Gbagada centre will offer treatment at a moderated and affordable cost to those who wish to take advantage of extra offerings like private treatment rooms and more personalised levels of care," Sanwo-Olu said.

Sanwo-Olu said that the government established a toll-free telemedicine service, EKOTELEMED, for patients who were either asymptomatic or had mild symptoms that did not require admission and could, therefore, be managed in the comfort of their homes.

The service can be accessed free of charge on 08000EKOMED (08000356633).

The governor urged Lagos residents to avail themselves of the facility.

Five cases of deadlier COVID-19 strain discovered in Osun, CJ shuts courts

 

Funke Egbemode, Commissioner for Information

Osun State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode,  has disclosed that five cases of the new COVID-19 strain have been discovered in the state.

Recall that the presidential task force on COVID-19 announced last week that the virus strain first reported in the UK had been found in Nigeria.

 

Egbemode expressed anxiety over this development because of what she called the deadly nature of the strain.

According to her, it was particularly worrisome because residents of the state were not strictly adhering to the laid down COVID-19 protocol.

“The Govt of Osun regrets to announce that the State has in the past few days recorded five cases of the violent and deadly B117 strain of COVID-19, which was first reported in the United Kingdom,” she said.

Egbemode expressed fears that more people could be vulnerable if the variant spread because it was more contagious and deadlier.

 

The commissioner urged Osun State residents to comply with all established COVID-19 protocol in order to nip the pandemic in the bud.

 

In a related development, the Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adepele Ojo has ordered that the state’s courtrooms be shut with immediate effect, while court staff below level 12 should work from home till further notice.

The Chief Judge, in a release signed by the Chief Registrar, M. A Lasisi, authorised all Osun State judiciary staff to undergo COVID-19 test immediately.

Osun State Government currently conducts the test free.

Delta Imposes curfew to check second wave of COVID-19

 

Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa

Delta Government has announced a curfew in the state to halt the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic currently in resurgence nationwide.

 The curfew will operate from 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. daily and will take effect from Jan. 29, 2021.

Secretary to the State Government, Mr Chiedu Ebie, in a statement, said it was an enforcement of an existing curfew imposed nationwide by the Federal Government.

He called on residents of the state to comply with the restriction in the interest of public health, adding that security agencies had been directed to fully enforce the directives.

He said the guidelines earlier issued on the closure of night clubs across the state still subsisted and should be complied with.

“In the same vein, government wishes to restate the standard COVID-19 protocols for the guidance of all and these include: Wearing of face masks in public places; avoiding crowded places; physical distancing; regular hand washing with soap and water or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizer”, he said.

Ekiti to test cough, fever patients for COVID-19

The Ekiti State Government has directed both private and public hospitals in the State to test all patients with fever, cough and catarrh for COVID-19.

In a statement made available to newsmen in Ado Ekiti, the State Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr. Oyebanji Filani explained that the move is part of efforts to curtail the spread of the virus in the state.

He said the symptoms of the current wave of COVID-19 is similar to some other known and common diseases such as malaria and respiratory tract infection adding that it may also be asymptomatic.

The Commissioner instructed all Health facilities in the State to contact their respective Local Government Disease Surveillance Notification Officers (LGDSNO) for modalities to conduct the test on their patients.

He solicited the support of all stakeholders towards warding off the virus, emphasizing the need for the general public to cooperate with healthcare providers to achieve the desired goal.

Filani also warned that the State Government would not hesitate to sanction any hospital that fails to comply with the government’s directive.

Covid-denying conspiracy theorist who refused to wear a face mask dies of Covid

 

A Covid-denying conspiracy theorist who refused to wear a face mask died a day after testing positive for the virus.

 

Gary Matthews, 46, had been ill for around a week before testing positive for coronavirus on January 12. He died alone in his flat in Shrewsbury, Shropshire the next evening, according to the Guardian of London.

 

Mr Matthews, who exercised regularly, is understood to have told a local conspiracy theorist that he suffered from asthma - though his family said they were not aware of his condition and suggested he may have kept an inhaler on him to exempt himself from wearing a mask.

 

His heartbroken family insist that he did not believe Covid-19 was real, and would not adhere to government pandemic measures including social distancing and mask mandates.

 

Conspiracy theorists have bandied about the outlandish suggestion that he was 'murdered' by the state, the Guardian reports. However, an autopsy has not taken place.

 

Britain has recorded more than 100,000 Covid-related deaths, with scientists claiming the victims could have been reduced if the government had taken tougher action earlier in the pandemic.

Mr Matthews' cousin Tristan Copeland said he had begged him to wear a mask and maintain social distance. 

'But he and his friends had the mindset that they needed to go out and meet people to show they didn't believe the government,' he said.

He called Mr Matthews 'quite shy' and was 'led astray' by conspiracy theorists he found on Facebook groups.  

Doctor accused of killing old Covid patients to free up beds

 

Mosca  who was head of the A&E department at Montichiari Hospital at the time

A doctor in Italy has been arrested after claims he killed two coronavirus patients to ‘free up beds’ at the height of the pandemic.

 

Carlo Mosca, 47, has been accused of giving Natale Bassi, 61, and Angelo Paletti, 80, lethal doses of anaesthetics at Montichiari Hospital near Brescia.

 

The incident allegedly took place in March last year, when Italy hit the headlines for shocking pictures which showed Covid-19 patients lining hospital corridors. Police are also investigating another three deaths after reports Mosca altered the medical records of patients who died – and he has now been put under house arrest at his home in Mantua.

He denies the charges against him, calling the allegations ‘baseless’. Legal documents relating to the arrest have been released outlining the prosecution’s allegations against him.

 

They claim messages revealed nurses suspected Mosca of killing patients to make space in the A&E department he headed up.

 

Prosecutors say Mosca administered Succinylcholine and Propofol, which were typically used on the ward to anaesthetise Covid patients so they can have tubes inserted.

But it is thought the patients given the drugs never had tubes inserted – so they believe the use of anaesthesia was unnecessary. The hospital saw a 70% increase in orders of these drugs between November 2019 and April 2020 – but only five patients were given tubes during that period.

 

Montichiari Hospital

An anonymous complaint was made at the end of April, and legal documents contain WhatsApp messages which suggest Mosca tried to get nurses to cover his tracks. The nurses said in messages to each other: ‘Did he ask you to administer the drugs without intubating them?’, ‘I’m not killing patients just because he wants to free up the beds,’ and, ‘This is crazy.’

Prosecutors add when he found out he was under investigation Mosca asked nurses to ‘agree on a convenient version of the story’ while ‘instigating them to declare falsehoods’. Lawyers also allege he asked colleagues to leave the room when he administered the drugs. ‘This has never happened to me before,’ one nurse said. Natale, a diabetic who suffered from heart disease, died on March 20 and Angelo died two days later.

 

 

BBC Wales viewers spot sex toy behind guest during interview

A guest on BBC Wales Today left viewers in stitches after they spotted a sex toy standing proudly on her bookshelf. 

 

Yvette Amos appeared on the news show to discuss the effect of the pandemic on employment rates, and how many are continuing to struggle to get work. 

 

However, while Yvette was talking, what appeared to be a flesh-coloured dildo seemed to catch everyone’s attention. 

 

The plastic penis was on display on the guest’s bookshelf, standing out against the stacks of paper and files. 

Viewers found the moment hilarious and even cheered Amos on, with one person congratulating her on ‘keeping on top of her DIY’.

 

Things getting critical, Lagos conductors embrace nose masks

 Covid-19's second wave is not playing. New day unveils new victims. This second wave is definitely deadlier. 

Many more Nigerians are getting the memo, including our ever cynical Lagos bus conductors. 

I never saw a bus conductor wearing a nose mask in the first wave. But this morning, I sighted this bus conductor fully kitted against covid-19 in the traffic between Magboro and Arepo on the Lagos Ibadan Expressway. I couldn't resist bringing out my phone to snap him. Lol.

Way to go, alaye!

Nigeria on UK list of countries to face 10-day £1,500 isolation

 British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, will any moment from now publish a list of up to 30 'high risk' Covid countries where returning travellers will be forced to quarantine in hotels for 10 days.

Nigeria, Brazil, South Africa and Kenya are expected to be on this list according to British newspapers.

The new measure requiring visitors to be isolated for 10 days at a total cost of £1,500 is being introduced following concerns about new Covid variants entering Britain.

Nigerian passengers arriving in Britain will be isolated for 10 days in hotels near airports and pay around £1,500 (about N800,000) for the privilege. The same rule applies to passengers arriving Britain from the other 29 listed countries.

Airlines are expected to assist to ensure full compliance and will be fined if they fail to enforce non-exemptions properly.  

Other 'high risk' countries, due to be published later today may include Portugal, Kenya, Ethiopia, much of South America and southern Africa.    

British officials say these areas have been chosen because of dangerous variants that have emerged there - or because they have rocketing infection and death rates.

Travellers to UK may be forced to pay N800k for 2-week stay in quarantine hotels

 

Travellers to the UK could be forced to pay for their own two-week stay in quarantine hotels as government officials mull new plans to stop new variant of Covid-19 from entering the UK.

The system reportedly being discussed with some hotel groups is already in operation in Australia. It will see new arrivals in the UK staying in their hotel rooms for up to a fortnight at their own cost.

This arrangement may cost travellers up to £1,500 (about N800,000).

The UK Daily Mail reports that the British government dreads a situation that a new Covid-19 variant that is resistant to the currently available vaccines may be imported.

Similar systems have been used in Australia, which recorded just 204 new Covid-19 cases in the last 14 days, and New Zealand, which recorded just 81 cases in the last fortnight.

The Australian Government initially covered the quarantine hotel costs at the start of the pandemic.

But those entering Australia since July have been forced to pay up to £1,500 for the two-week quarantine stay in some parts of the country.

Designated quarantine hotels apply strict Covid-19 protocols, including kitting their staff in full Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

Currently all travellers coming to the UK must provide a negative test before travel, before isolating for up to 10 days at a fixed address. They can leave if they test negative after five days.

Access Bank, black lives no matter, ni?

 Access Bank, Adeola Odeku branch must be the only bank in Victoria Island, still struggling with post-lockdown issues. The crowd there this afternoon was hefty.

Customers were issued tally numbers and sent under a canopy to wait. I got No 72 C for those wishing to see a Customer Care representative.

Those going to other sections had different tally numbers. I had no issues with my tally number as I thought it must have been a cumulative of customers from morning till then.

About 12 noon, a prosperous-looking Caucasian drove an SUV into the premises. Shepherded by a young lady, probably his PA, he went to the guards at the entrance and after speaking with them for a while, was let in.

People who had been waiting under the canopy became restless. They massed around the entrance asking why they let a ‘white man’ in and issued tally numbers to Nigerians. Abi black lives no matter, ni?

In the altercations, one man said he had been there for hours. That alarmed me and I stood up to speak to a guard. I asked what the average waiting time was.

Uncle did not know. He said it was all dependent on the work-rate of staff inside. I had no idea what the work-rate of people inside was myself. Neither did I know how many more prosperous-looking white men would still come. I quietly aborted mission.

My beloved Africa!

Scientists developing vaccine for Covid-19 recently announced that they are ready for human trial. They admit they only know how the vaccine works in animals but have absolutely no clue what effect it could have on humans.

In spite of that, in Europe and America, online advocates sprang up and in no time thousands of male and female volunteers indicated interest to be vaccinated. Some are married; some are single; some are young; some are old.

When asked if they knew the risk involved, they said they did, but just want to contribute their own quota towards saving humanity from the virulent disease.

In Africa, online activists also sprang up. But their advocacy is to chase anyone from bringing Covid-19 vaccines to Africa. They claim Africans are not Guinea pigs. They claim vaccination is a way of putting the mark of the beast on people!

That, in a nutshell, is why Arica is how it is.