Variant

The hope of Nigerians having early access to the use of vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 pandemic appears dashed as federal government has claimed it cannot be specific when the first batch of COVID-19 vaccines will arrive the country.

The one-dose COVID-19 vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson protects against severe disease and has no serious safety concerns, according to a new analysis published today by the US Food and Drug Administration. The report takes the vaccine one step closer to authorization by the agency, meaning the United States could have a third shot available in a matter of days.

“This development does not mean that this variant is going to become the most prevalent, or the dominant strain in Northern Ireland. However, it does underline once again the very real need for continuing caution,” Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann said in a statement.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control on Monday said a new variant of COVID-19 had been detected in Nigeria and 15 other countries.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), has said that a new variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Nigeria and 15 other countries.

Scientists will meet on Thursday to advise South Africa’s government on its next steps after a study suggested the dominant local coronavirus variant may reduce protective antibodies from Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine by two-thirds.

Efforts to develop cassava seed system would help Nigeria to transform cassava and meet the growing demand for cassava seeds of about N10 billion from cassava growers.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) on Thursday approved Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for use in Nigeria.

Africa's total reported death toll from Covid-19 was approaching 100 000 on Thursday, a fraction of those reported on other continents but rising fast as a second wave of infections overwhelms hospitals.

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control has just approved the use of Astrazeneca Vaccine for use in Nigeria.

The 22-year-old recovered from a shoulder injury he picked up from international duties with Nigeria but tested positive for COVID at the beginning of January after he had attended a surprise birthday party without wearing a protective mask in Lagos.

South Africa launched its COVID-19 vaccination drive on Wednesday, battling to tame a more infectious variant of the coronavirus with a roll-out of the Johnson & Johnson shot for the first time outside a clinical trial.

South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa will take the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that is set to roll out in the country.

South Africa plans to share 1 million AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses with other African countries, a senior official said, as a medical association said the first shots from rival Johnson & Johnson could arrive on Tuesday.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has reported 574 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 146,928.

The United Nations’ health agency has listed the COVID-19 vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and drugmaker AstraZeneca for emergency use, days after a panel of experts recommended the use of the products in settings where variants of the coronavirus are circulating.

The highly infectious variant of the novel coronavirus that is predominant in the United Kingdom may be up to 70 percent more deadly than previous strains, according to a report by the government’s scientific advisers.

Zimbabwe will begin its Covid-19 vaccination campaign next week, the health ministry said on Friday, potentially positioning it as the first southern African country to start inoculating citizens.

Deaths from COVID-19 across Africa have increased by 40 per cent in the last 28 days compared to the previous 28 days, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

AstraZeneca's Covid-19 vaccine is not perfect, but will have a big impact on the pandemic, its chief executive predicted on Thursday, as the drugmaker pledged to double output by April and the African Union gave its backing for the shot.

The World Health Organisation has officially recommended the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine for people over the age of 65 saying it should be used without upper age limit.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, PSN, has thrown its weight behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine saying say that the jab can still be useful for most Nigerians who need protection against the major COVID-19 variants.