Mon 28 December 2020:
Fatalities nearly tripled in 1 month in Nigeria
The number of people who died of COVID-19 in Nigeria this month has more than doubled compared to the figure in November, amid a second wave of the virus, local media reported Monday.
Critical infections over the novel virus have also witnessed a spike in the country while Nigerian states continue to take stricter measures to halt the spread of the disease, local news website The Nation reported.
The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in December, as of Saturday, has confirmed 74 coronavirus-related deaths, going up from 27 in November, it cited.
Indonesia bans international visitors for 2 weeks
International visitors will be barred from entering Indonesia for a two-week period in a bid to stem the spread of a new potentially more contagious strain of the coronavirus, its foreign minister Retno Marsudi said on Monday.
The new regulation, effective Jan. 1, comes days after Indonesia banned travelers from the Britain and tightened rules for those arriving from Europe and Australia to limit the spread of the new strain.
Turkey to send Covid-19 vaccines to N.Cyprus
According to Turkish News Agency-Cyprus, TRNC’s Health Minister Ali Pilli said that they will receive a portion of coronavirus vaccines from the European Union and some from Turkey.
“Vaccines will arrive in Turkey soon. After arriving there [in Turkey], examinations and controls of the vaccines will be made, and vaccination will start and some vaccines will be sent to us. Vaccines are expected to arrive in the next 10 days,” he added.
Saudi Arabia extends entry ban amid coronavirus variant fears
Saudi Arabia’s interior ministry on Monday extended a ban on entry to the kingdom by air, land and sea for another week amid concerns over a fast-spreading variant of the new coronavirus, the state news agency SPA reported, Reuters reports.
Saudi Arabia shut its borders on Monday Dec. 21 and suspended international commercial flights on a rolling weekly basis although foreign flights already in the country were allowed to leave.
The ministry said it is evaluating the situation while allowing non-citizens to leave the kingdom and allowing entry for exceptional cases, SPA reported.
The measures do not affect the movement of goods.
Second wave peaks still a way off in Gauteng, KZN – NICD
The National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD) said that second wave peaks were still a way off in two of the nation’s most populace provinces.
As they look at daily infection rates, scientists believe there’s some early evidence to suggest that the peak may have passed in the Eastern Cape and might be very close in the neighbouring Western Cape.
But numbers in Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal are still ramping up rapidly.
NY State vows to prosecute medical provider accused of illegally distributing vaccine
A New York-based medical provider is being investigated for allegedly fraudulently obtaining and distributing a COVID-19 vaccine, Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker said in a statement Saturday.
Zucker said the Department of Health was made aware of reports about Parcare Community Health Network in Orange County.
Reports claim the network somehow fraudulently obtained doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and transferred them to other facilities throughout the state, in violation of state guidelines. Also concerning, the vaccines were reportedly given to members of the public and not frontline healthcare workers or nursing home residents and staff, as stipulated by the state.
“We take this very seriously and DOH will be assisting State Police in a criminal investigation into this matter. Anyone found to have knowingly participated in this scheme will be held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” Zucker said.
FOLLOW INDEPENDENT PRESS:
TWITTER (CLICK HERE)
https://twitter.com/IpIndependent
FACEBOOK (CLICK HERE)
https://web.facebook.com/ipindependent
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
