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Delta variant of COVID-19 dominant in Nigeria – Health minister

September 14, 2021 No Comments

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, on Monday, urged Nigerians to continue adhering to all the COVID-19 protocols put in place by the Federal Government.

He added that the Delta variant of the COVID-19 is now the dominant strain in the country.

The minister, who stated these during the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19 media briefing in Abuja, warned that the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic was still much around though the number of confirmed cases had reduced in recent times.

Ehanire said all points of entry in the country are under strict supervision in other to prevent the influx of the other variants of the virus from other countries.

He said: “The dreaded third wave of COVID-19 may appear to be levelling out because there had been no catastrophic increases in infections and fatalities.

“But, it is not wise to assume that the threat is gone, especially as cases are fluctuating and have to be identified by genomic sequencing.

“Evidence so far, however, is that the Delta strain is already the dominant one in Nigeria. We must keep our protective measures in place and increase testing to determine our situation.

“There are reports of new COVID-19 mutations circulating in other countries, a development we shall monitor with all the tools available to us to ensure we respond appropriately.

“We also remain on alert at Points of Entry, including land and sea borders, to confront importation of COVID-19. Several cases have indeed been identified by rapid diagnostic tests and taken care of accordingly.

“All states have received doses of AstraZeneca, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson vaccines for the ongoing second phase of the vaccination exercise in all states while the Federal Government has done due diligence to ensure vaccine quality and safety.

“Available data shows that there have been no serious adverse effects so far following vaccinations so that confidence in vaccines we are using is upheld. We have a good mix and quantity of vaccines and do not envisage shortages despite news reports that vaccines allocated to Africa will be reduced by 25 percent soon.”

Health Minister has resigned after six people died due to a lack of oxygen at a hospital ward treating Covid-19 patients

Jordan’s health minister has resigned after six people died due to a lack of oxygen at a hospital ward treating Covid-19 patients, state media report.

The deaths were reported early on Saturday at a new government facility in the town of Salt, about 14 miles (23km) west of the capital, Amman.

Prime Minister Bisher al-Khasawneh had asked Health Minister Nathir Obeidat to step down over the incident.

Police were sent to the hospital after dozens of relatives turned up.

The oxygen shortage, which lasted for about an hour, reportedly also affected intensive care and maternity units at the facility, although there were no reports of fatalities on those wards.

It is not yet clear why there was an oxygen shortage and an investigation is under way, Mr Obeidat said. The health minister had earlier said he felt a “moral responsibility” for what had happened.

A forensic doctor at Jordan’s health ministry, Dr Adnan Abbas, told Petra news agency that all six patients who died on Saturday were being treated for coronavirus.

image captionRelatives wait to see family members near the entrance of the hospital

Dozens of relatives whose family members were receiving treatment at the Salt hospital turned up at the facility following the news, but were prevented from entering by police and security personnel.

One relative, Fares Kharabsha, said he was inside the hospital when the incident occurred and saw staff carrying portable oxygen devices to patients, AP news agency reported.

“They resuscitated a large number of people, including my father and mother,” he said, adding: “I saw people who died.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II has visited the hospital since the incident, Reuters news agency reported.

The country has so far reported more than 460,000 cases of Covid-19 and 5,224 coronavirus-related deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Jordan has stepped up measures to reduce the spread of the virus in recent weeks as cases have steadily increased since late January.

Restrictions include overnight curfews at weekends, which prevent prayers inside mosques and masses in churches.

The country, which has a population of about 10 million, began its vaccination programme in January.