THE Federal Government has taken delivery of a shipment of ventilators and other medical equipment from the United Nations (UN) systems in Nigeria to help the country’s fight against the Coronavirus pandemic.

UN Resident Coordinator for Nigeria Edward Kallon said in a statement yesterday that the shipment included 50 ventilators and other protective equipment.

Kallon said they were procured with the recently launched COVID-19 Basket Fund.

According to him, the basket fund also included a two million dollars mobilised within the UN system in Nigeria and a 200,000 dollars contribution from APM Terminals.

According to him, the supplies, which arrived through Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, will boost government’s efforts to provide an efficient and effective healthcare response for those affected by the virus.

“The supplies will be deployed around the country to health facilities in most need due to the outbreak, and coordination structures are already in place between the government and the UN to ensure urgent deployment.

“The next shipment of personal protective equipment expected to arrive in Nigeria later this month.

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“The world is in the midst of an unprecedented crisis. The spread of the COVID-19 is expected to put immense pressure on Nigeria’s healthcare system.

“The UN in Nigeria is actively mobilising resources in support of the government’s national response strategy of containing the pandemic and adequately caring for those confirmed to have the virus,” he said.

He noted that through the COVID-19 Basket Fund, the UN in Nigeria was supporting accelerated government response to address the pandemic, prevent further spread of the virus and ensure optimum care for those affected by the Coronavirus.

Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire represented by the Minister of State, Olorunnimbe Mamora, was on ground to receive the supplies.

He noted that it would go a long way toward boosting the government’s efforts to strengthen healthcare services and manage the pandemic.

 

 

From Bolaji Ogundele, Abuja

 

President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, following his discharge from hospital after treatment for the Novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) disease.

In a congratulatory letter dated April 14, 2020 to Johnson, from which a statement was issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, Buhari said he received “with great relief the news of your discharge from hospital after being successfully treated for Covid-19”.

Expressing delight on behalf of his family and the government and people of Nigeria at the prime minister’s recovery, the Nigerian leader said “we all join you in appreciating the wonderful staff at both the hospital and the NHS, who worked round the clock to look after you and those afflicted by Covid-19”.

The President also wished the prime minister “full recovery and good health in the coming days”.

Minister of Interior Rauf Aregbesola has directed that visitors and migrants affected by the international travel restriction and closure of land borders are to be issued with relevant extensions at “no cost”.

Public Relations Officer (PRO), Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) Sunday James, stated this in a statement yesterday in Abuja.

According to Aregbeshola, the vide letter ref. MI/PM/16012/S.266/V.II dated 6th April 2020, was approved in respect of visitors and migrants affected by the Federal Government’s order.

He said the order had restricted international travels through International airports and subsequent closure of land borders.

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“In the light of the above, all visitors and migrants holding valid visitors pass and resident permit with confirmed return tickets scheduled to travel out within the period of the international travel restriction are to be issued with relevant extensions at NO COST.

“This is to enable the beneficiaries reschedule their flights and travel within one week whenever the embargo is suspended or lifted by the Federal Government.

“However, migrants and visitors whose permits or visitors pass expired before the restriction order, must pay for overstay relevant for the period and the penalty it attracts.

“Furthermore, anyone that overstays beyond the waiver period whenever the restriction is suspended or lifted by the Federal government is to promptly comply by paying for overstay.

 

Countries that ease restrictions imposed to fight the spread of the coronavirus should wait at least two weeks to evaluate the impact of such changes before easing again, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said.

In its latest Strategy Update, the United Nations (UN) agency said the world stands at a “pivotal juncture” in the pandemic and that “speed, scale, and equity must be our guiding principles” when deciding what measures are necessary.

Every country should implement comprehensive public health measures to maintain a sustainable steady state of low-level or no transmission and prepare its surge capacity to react rapidly to control any spread, the WHO said.

Some of the countries hardest-hit by the virus are now considering lifting lockdowns and beginning the transition toward a resumption of normal life. The WHO update said any such steps should be taken gradually, with time to evaluate their impact before new steps are taken.

“To reduce the risk of new outbreaks, measures should be lifted in a phased, step-wise manner based on an assessment of the epidemiological risks and socioeconomic benefits of lifting restrictions on different workplaces, educational institutions, and social activities…,” the WHO said.

“Ideally there would be a minimum of two weeks (corresponding to the incubation period of COVID-19) between each phase of the transition, to allow sufficient time to understand the risk of new outbreaks and to respond appropriately,” it added.

It warned that the “risk of re-introduction and resurgence of the disease will continue”.

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The Geneva-based global health organisation issued its advice at a time when it has come under criticism from the United States for its initial response to the pandemic. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday Washington, the WHO’s biggest donor, would suspend funding.

China has begun lifting some of the toughest restrictions imposed on Hubei province where the disease first emerged at the end of last year. In the United States, which has the largest number of confirmed cases and deaths, Trump has jostled with some state governors over who has the authority to begin reopening U.S. businesses.

European countries have begun small-scale steps to reduce severe lockdowns.

Some Spanish businesses, including construction and manufacturing, have been allowed to resume, although shops, bars and public spaces are to stay closed until at least April 26.

Italy, which has the world’s second-highest death toll at 21,067, maintained some tight restrictions on movement, while Denmark, one of the first European countries to shut down, will reopen daycare centres and schools for children in first to fifth grades.

 

UNITED States (U.S.) President Donald Trump’s move to halt funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO) over its handling of the coronavirus pandemic prompted condemnation from world leaders as recorded global infections passed the two million mark.

Trump, who has reacted angrily to accusations his administration’s response to the worst epidemic in a century was haphazard and too slow, had become increasingly hostile towards the UN agency before announcing the halt on Tuesday.

He said the WHO, which is based in Geneva, had promoted China’s “disinformation” about the virus that likely led to a wider outbreak than otherwise would have occurred.

The U.S. is the biggest overall donor to the WHO, contributing more than $400 million in 2019, roughly 15% of its budget. The international health body has been appealing for more than $1 billion to fund operations against the pandemic.

The total number of world infections reached 2,001,548 cases after Britain reported its latest figures. The virus has killed 131,101 people, according to a Reuters tally.

The WHO’s special envoy for the outbreak, David Nabarro, said any recriminations should be left until after the virus has been defeated.

“If in the process you decide you want to declare that you’re going to withdraw funding or make other comments about the WHO, remember this is not just the WHO, this is the whole public health community that is involved right now,” he said in a webinar without naming the United States or Trump.

“Every single person in the world is a public health worker now, everybody is taking responsibility, everybody is sacrificing, everybody is involved,” Nabarro said.

“There is no time to waste,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Twitter, following Trump’s decision, adding that the organisation’s “singular focus is on working to serve all people to save lives and stop the COVID-19 pandemic”.

The WHO head said yesterday that he regretted Trump’s decision to pull funding for the organisation, but called on world unity to fight the new coronavirus pandemic.

“The U.S. has been a long-standing and generous friend of the WHO and we hope it will continue to be so,” WHO Director-General told a news conference.

“We regret the decision of the President of the U.S to order a halt in the funding to the WHO.”

WHO was still assessing the impact and would “try to fill any gaps with partners”, Tedros said.

But now was the time for the world to be united in its common struggle against the outbreak, which he described as a “dangerous enemy”.

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Trump also earned a rebuke from UN chief Antonio Guterres and billionaire Bill Gates, who tweeted that cutting funding was “as dangerous as it sounds”.

Beijing, who has been the focus of Trump’s finger-pointing for weeks, warned the move would “undermine the international cooperation” at a “critical moment” in the pandemic.

The European Union’s foreign policy leader Josep Borrell was similarly disapproving of a move he said lacked any justification.

African Union chief Moussa Faki Mahamat condemned Trump’s decision as “deeply regrettable”.

A U.S. official told Reuters that Trump made the move despite pushback within his administration, especially from top health advisers.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said now was not the time to cut resources for the WHO: “Now is the time for unity and for the international community to work together in solidarity to stop this virus and its shattering consequences.”

China, which has won WHO praise for its actions to curb the virus’s spread, urged the United States  to fulfil its obligations to the WHO.

“This decision weakens the WHO’s capability and harms international cooperation,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the WHO was essential to tackling the pandemic.

“At a time like this when we need to be sharing information and we need to have advice we can rely on, the WHO has provided that,” she said.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he sympathised with Trump’s criticisms of the WHO, especially its “unfathomable” support of re-opening China’s “wet markets”, where freshly slaughtered, and live, animals are sold.

“But that said, the WHO also as an organisation does a lot of important work, including here in our region in the Pacific and we work closely with them,” Morrison told an Australian radio station.

John Sawers, the former head of Britain’s MI6 foreign intelligence service, said China concealed crucial information about the outbreak from the rest of the world and that it would be better to hold China responsible rather than the WHO.