On March 29, Nigerians woke up to the news that the Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the University College Hospital (UCH), Jesse Otegbayo, had tested positive for COVID- 19. Declaring this in a statement he personally signed, Mr Otegbayo said his samples were taken after he came in contact with…

The federal government is working with stakeholders to structure medical and life insurance for health workers involved in the war against COVID-19 in Nigeria. The Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said this at the Presidential Taskforce briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Friday. Healthcare workers…

The federal government is making plans to locally produce medical equipment for the country as part of its efforts to fight against Covid-19. The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said this at the Presidential Task Force briefing in Abuja on Friday. He said the move had become necessary in view…

Despite increasing cases of COVID19-19 in Nigeria, and the attendant closure of the nation's borders to curb spread, the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has said it is embarrassing to deny citizens entry into the country. Mr Aregbesola while answering questions from journalists at the Presidential Taskforce briefing on Thursday…

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has said the figures of confirmed COVID-19 cases released for Akwa-Ibom are accurate. The Director-General of the agency, Chikwe Ihekweazu, said this is not a time to dispute or doubt especially within government. “This is not a time to release press statements against…

The federal government is making plans to release some prison inmates as part of measures to reduce the spread of COVID-19 within the correctional facilities (prisons), the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, said on Wednesday. Mr Aregbesola, who was speaking at the Presidential Taskforce briefing on the virus, said this…

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has called on security agencies to refrain from applying any form of torture in enforcing the COVID-19 lockdown directives issued by the government. President Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday evening announced the restriction of all movement in Lagos, Ogun and the FCT to curb the…

Nigeria will be able to test up to 1000 suspected cases of coronavirus by the end of this week, the NCDC has said. Meanwhile, it should take at least a month to treat a Covid-19 patient to the point that the virus will not be traceable in the body system,…

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board have donated ventilators to the University of Abuja Teaching Hospital for the management of the coronavirus pandemic. Authorities at the hospital told PREMIUM TIMES the NNPC donated six brand new ventilators while JAMB donated two. Some of the…

Nigeria may not need many ventilators for the treatment of Coronavirus (COVID-19) patients, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said Mr Ehanire while answering questions from journalists, on Monday, agreed that the country does not have enough of the medical equipment needed to stabilise a respiratory distressed patient. The…

The Minister of Humanitarian Affairs, Sadiya Farouq, has said that the school feeding programme will be implemented despite the closure of schools nationwide. Schools across Nigeria have been closed for about one week to check the spread of COVID-19. She said talks with state governors to ensure the continuation of…

Lagos and Abuja have recorded the highest numbers of imported cases of Covid-19 in Nigeria because both states are gateways for air travel, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said. Mr Ehanire said this at a joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force in Abuja on Monday. The…

Nigeria has recorded another death from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said. The minister said this at the first joint national briefing of the Presidential Task Force in Abuja on Monday. ”Till date, three persons have been discharged after successful treatment but sadly, another…

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has ordered the immediate manufacturing of Chloroquine for emergency stock for possible clinical trial treatment of COVID-19. In a statement obtained by PREMIUM TIMES on Monday, the Director-General of the agency, Mojisola Adeyeye, said the old antimalarial is being…

The coronavirus pandemic may lead to a global shortage of Condom, the world’s largest producer of condoms, Karex Bhd, has said. The Malaysia based company said it has not produced a single condom from its three Malaysian factories for more than a week. This is due to a lockdown imposed…

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered the immediate redeployment of all Port Health Authority employees at the Lagos and Abuja airports to key roads that serve as entry routes into the country. He also said movement of passenger aircraft, both commercial and private jets, are suspended until further notice. Nigeria had…

President Muhammadu Buhari has ordered residents of Lagos, Ogun, and Abuja to stay at home for 14 days from Monday. The president gave this directive on Sunday in his first address to Nigerians on the coronavirus crisis. “Based on the advice of the Federal Ministry of Health and the NCDC,…

With increasing cases of COVID-19 in the country, the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) has urged the federal government to allow other laboratories test for the virus. This, the association said, is necessary to avoid losing probable cases to the community. This was part of the resolutions contained in a communique…

The University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, has called on Nigerians to support the institution with funds to procure some hospital equipment necessary to combat the novel Coronavirus (Covid-19) in the country. The teaching hospital made the request in a memo dated March 26 and signed by its Chief Medical Director,…

As the world continues to battle rising cases of Covid-19, the United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF), has called on world leaders, to ensure that lifesaving health interventions and immunisation against other ailments do not suffer major setbacks. The international organisation said countries can ill-afford to face additional outbreaks of vaccine-preventable…

The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Association of Nigeria Health Journalists (ANHEJ), have called on the federal government to commence 'supervised self-isolation' in order to curb the spread of coronavirus. The groups, in separate statements issued on Thursday, said, such a move will ensure returnees from countries with high…

Markets in Lagos and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja and environs have closed in response to the government's stay-at-home order while panic buying is intensifying. Although the stay-at-home orders differ from state to state, PREMIUM TIMES' visits to some markets and supermarkets in Abuja and Lagos on Wednesday showed some…

As efforts are intensified to ensure that Nigeria becomes Tuberculosis (TB) free by 2030, the Federal Government has revealed plans to scale-up the number of GeneXpert machines in the country. In 2016, Nigeria adopted GeneXpert as the first diagnostic tool for the disease. It currently has 399 installed throughout the…

Since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in Nigeria, seven states have so far confirmed at least a case of the disease. Nigeria recorded its first case of Covid-19 after an Italian national tested positive to the virus on February 27. As of Wednesday morning, Nigeria has recorded 46…

The Association of Resident Doctors (ARD), Abuja chapter, has called off its indefinite strike. The decision to suspend the strike which began March 17 was announced in a statement issued by its president, Roland Aigbovo. “I am happy to announce to you that the 8-days long strike action embarked on…