Countries

The World Health Organization on Friday urged countries hit by serious coronavirus outbreaks to “wake up” to the realities on the ground instead of bickering, and to “take control”.

An initial purchase of the steroid dexamethasone, shown to be effective in treating severe or critical COVID-19 patients, will be made for up to 4.5 million people in low- and middle-income countries, agencies said on Friday.

The Swiss government will impose a 10-day quarantine on arrivals from ‘high-risk’ countries from July 6, according to a statement by the Federal Council.

The Council of the European Union has opened its borders to 15 countries, excluding Nigeria.

Nigerians have been excluded from the list of countries whose nationals will be allowed in the region when the borders are open from July 1 by the European Union Commission.

As African countries commence the re-opening of their economies, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has counselled them to do so cautiously because the pandemic is still in its exponential phase.

Nigeria and 25 other countries in Africa and Asia are to benefit from lifesaving cancer treatments supported by the American Cancer Society (ACS) and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).

The death toll from COVID-19 surpassed half a million people on Sunday, according to a Reuters tally, a grim milestone for the global pandemic that seems to be resurgent in some countries even as other regions are still grappling with the first wave.

Global coronavirus cases exceeded 10 million on Sunday according to a Reuters tally, marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months.

The Management of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) has notified stakeholders about 13 vessels from five countries heavily affected by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The United States is the worst-hit country with 125,039 deaths from 2,467,837 cases. At least 670,809 people have been declared recovered.

European Union countries failed to settle on Friday on a final "safe list" of countries whose residents could travel to the bloc from July, with the United States, Brazil and Russia set to be excluded.

Egypt, Ethiopia and Sudan will agree a deal to fill the giant Blue Nile dam in two to three weeks, following mediation by the African Union to broker a deal to end a decade-long dispute over water supplies.

Global response to the outbreak of the Coronavirus in Africa has been remarkable, especially following fears that should the virus take hold, its impact on the continent could be catastrophic.

A poultry expert, Mr Joel Oduware, has advised poultry farmers on precautionary measures in protecting their flock against rain and adverse weather conditions.

The novel coronavirus pandemic is still accelerating and its effects will be felt for decades, the World Health Organisation’s director-general told an online conference on Monday.

The Kaduna State Government has evacuated 35,000 Almajiri children to 17 states and some neighbouring countries.

Africa’s wild polio-free status is set to be determined in August by the Independent Africa Regional Certification Commission (ARCC), which is responsible for certifying the eradication of wild poliovirus in the World Health Organisation (WHO) African Region, the UN health agency has said.