COVID-19
Edo governor, PDP leaders fighting over sharing formula for positions – APC
Chairman of the Caretaker Committee of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), in Edo State, Col. David Imuse (Rtd) said Governor Godwin Obaseki-led government is unexplainably slow because of hidden conflict. Imuse alleged that at a time when the number of persons who test positive for the Coronavirus (Covid-19) is on the increase, Obaseki and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are busy fighting themselves. Imuse’s position was contained in a statement by the Assistant Publicity Secretary of the party, Victor Ofure Osehobo. He added that the alleged infighting is a confirmation that Obaseki has no plans for the state. According to the statement, the infighting over positions and booties of victory has already thrown the state into confusion, as the wheel of governance has since stoo...
UK to Increase Fines to £800 for Residents Attending and Hosting House Parties
New COVID-19 related measures in the UK aim to increase the crackdown of house parties with more than 15 people present. Starting next week, fines of £800 will be assessed to attendees who break the law, an amount that is quadruple the current fee of £200. Home Secretary Priti Patel expressed frustration stating the government would “not stand by while a small number of individuals put others at risk.” Martin Hewitt, Chairman of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, chimed in to decry large gatherings as “dangerous” and “irresponsible.” Believing prior measures were not effective enough, Hewitt has welcomed the stricter penalties. He went on to provide recent examples of residents continuing to break regulations. In one instance, he c...
Zimbabwe loses two more ministers to coronavirus
Two ministers serving in the Zimbabwean government died of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) within a matter of days, prompting the country to announce on Saturday plans to further tighten lockdown measures. Late on Friday, the government announced that Transport Minister Joel Matiza had died after falling ill with COVID-19, less than two days after the country lost Foreign minister Sibusiso Moyo to the same disease. Four government ministers have succumbed to the coronavirus in Zimbabwe so far. According to unconfirmed media reports, several other cabinet ministers are fighting for their lives in a private hospital. “We are in a dark cloud that we have to clear very soon,” deputy health minister John Mangwiro told dpa. Mangwiro revealed plans to intensify the current lockdown, which has been in ...
Napoli star Victor Osimhen recovers from coronavirus
Serie A club Napoli have announced Victor Osimhen has recovered from coronavirus. Osimhen, 22, is also expected to start individual training on Saturday following a shoulder injury according to Sky Sport Italia. The forward tested positive for COVID-19 upon his return from Christmas holiday. Napoli confirmed that the Nigeria international received a negative result from the last swab test. “Victor #Osimhen has recovered from #COVID19 💪, “reads a tweet on the club’s official Twitter handle on Friday. The former Lille of France striker dislocated his shoulder while on international duty with Nigeria in November 2020. Osimhen has not played for Napoli since he scored the winning goal against Bologna on November 8, 2020. He has scored twice in eight league appearances for the Partenope...
Osun: Coronavirus new guidelines are with immediate effect – commissioner
Osun State Government has warned people conducting themselves and their businesses in manners that contravene the new set of COVID-19 management guidelines in the state. According to Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, the new guidelines released on Wednesday are with immediate effect. She wrote; “Citizens are informed that every condition in the guideline, including the conditions for the conduct of business, for events, religious activities and the curfew, are with immediate effect. “The government wishes to reiterate that mechanisms are in place for strict enforcement of these guidelines. Citizens are hereby warned to adhere to these non-pharmaceutical safety protocols aimed at protecting them against the virus. Let us cooperate with the government to kee...
Vending Machines With COVID-19 Test Kits are Coming to New York City
Snack on this: for New Yorkers, getting your hands on a COVID-19 test will soon be as effortless as hitting up a hotdog stand, thanks to the impending rollout of vending machines stocked with take-home test kits. Soft-opening on January 25th and officially launching the week of February 1st, the touchless machines will be housed in Midtown’s Herald Square alongside a massive, fully staffed store. The project, spearheaded by biotech company Wellness4Humanity (W4H) and software hub Swyft Inc., follows the lead of similar initiatives seen in the U.K., Hong Kong, Latvia and even University of California San Diego. And just last week, W4H ceremoniously placed its first vending machine inside Oakland International Airport. According to W4H, its New ...
Nigeria to conduct 450 coronavirus tests per local council
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 says the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) will carry out 450 COVID-19 tests in each local government area of the country. The PTF chairman, Mr Boss Mustapha, also Secretary to the Government of the Federation, made this known at the national briefing on COVID-19 on Monday in Abuja. Mustapha said the exercise would start with the states that were in the forefront of resourcing and infrastructure. According to him, the PTF has authorised the NCDC to immediately implement the 450 tests per local government plan nationwide. Mustapha said: “We are aware that states are not on the same pedestal in the area of testing, and we shall begin with the states that are in the forefront of resourcing and infrastructure.” On resumption of schools, Mus...
Marianne Faithfull Says She Lost Her Singing Voice from COVID-19
Marianne Faithfull was one of the lucky musicians who recovered from COVID-19 after contracting the virus last year, but that doesn’t mean she was left unharmed by it. In a new interview, the “As Tears Go By” singer revealed that her battle with coronavirus stripped her of her singing voice and it’s unclear if she will ever get it back. Last April, Faithfull was hospitalized in London after testing positive for COVID-19. She bounced back relatively quickly considering she was 73 years old at the time, and was prescribed “palliative care only” following the end of her 22-day stay in the hospital. Initially it seemed like a miracle because Faithfull wasn’t expected to survive. But now, she’s dealing with the downsides of overcoming it — terrible permanent effects like intense fatigue, short-...
Barcelona Nightclub Study Shows Brighter Future for Live Events In 2021
A concert-related medical study conducted in Spain has shown promising results for the future of live events. Conducted by the Fight AIDS and Infectious Diseases Foundation, the Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, and the Primavera Sound festival, the study demonstrated the potential to hamper the spread of COVID-19 in close quarters through mandatory mask wearing and coordinated testing. At Barcelona’s Sala Apolo nightclub, 463 individuals between the ages of 18-59 attended a concert, where they were each provided an N95 mask upon entry. All participants ultimately tested negative for the virus immediately prior to attending. While attendees wore masks inside the venue, social distancing was not enforced, allowing the guests to dance and move about freely. Eigh...
Goldenvoice in Talks to Develop Mass Vaccination Site in Coachella Valley
As California’s Riverside Country struggles to mitigate the region’s surge in COVID-19 infections, Goldenvoice has stepped up to offer some assistance. According to Palm Springs ABC affiliate station KESQ, Goldenvoice—the event promoter behind Coachella and Stagecoach—has offered to help create a mass vaccination site in the heart of Coachella Valley. The Department of Public Health in Riverside County currently has 22,000 vaccine doses on-hand to distribute. Talks between the state and Goldenvoice are ongoing. Given the company’s infrastructure and organizational expertise, Supervisor Manuel Perez suggested that Goldenvoice would be an ideal partner. “With the concerts and all the logistics in planning it that tak...
Apparently Car Choirs Are a Thing Now Thanks to the Pandemic
What’s a choir to do when the pandemic makes it impossible to rehearse in person? If you ask Canadian chamber ensemble Luminous Voices, they’ll tell you the answer can be found in your car. As NPR reports, Luminous Voices have been gathering together and singing from inside their own cars. And no, they aren’t shouting out of their rolled-down windows — only irresponsible dummies like Kirk Cameron would do that. Instead, their voices are actually broadcast through each individual car’s radio system. Think of it like Fast & Furious: The Hymn Edition. College music professor David Newman first came up with the innovative “car choir” approach after seeing his Facebook friends “either bemoaning the fact that we couldn’t sing together at all, or saying ‘Singing together is too important and ...
Coronavirus takes toll on federal roads’ construction in Lagos
The ravaging effect of Coronavirus (COVID-19) was, perhaps, the biggest challenge faced by stakeholders in the road sub sector of the construction industry in 2020. As the virus gained ground, several contractors soon abandoned work and shut their operations, consequently, many hitherto gainfully employed Nigerians were thrown into the labour market. Even when the government later introduced partial lockdown measures, the number of workers on site was scaled down by many contractors in line with COVID-19 protocols, which slowed down progress of work. Virtually all road projects in Lagos State suffered the effect of the pandemic, with every project having its own peculiar challenge. The reconstruction of 46km Agbara-Seme section of the Lagos-Badagry Expressway project awarded to CGC Nigeria...
