Dozens of bodies buried in mass grave on New York's Hart Island as Coronavirus death toll rises

Workers wearing hazmat suits were seen burying caskets in a mass grave on New York's Hart Island.

This comes as the number of burials quadruples amid the coronavirus pandemic and the city's death toll rises to 4,778.  

A dozen contracted labourers were seen digging and burying the caskets - some of which had names carved on them - on Thursday, April 9.

The city has used Hart Island to bury New Yorkers with no known next of kin or whose family are unable to arrange a funeral since the 19th century. 

Typically, about 25 bodies are buried there once a week byRikers Island jail inmates. That number began increasing last month as the new Coronavirus spread rapidly and New York became the epicenter of the pandemic. 

They are now burying about two dozen bodies a day, five days a week, DailyMail.com reports.

Currently, 4,778 people have died from coronavirus in the city and 87,725 have been infected. 

On Thursday, officials said they had no choice but to bury COVID-19 patients at the city's cemetery as it deals with the mounting coronavirus death toll and dwindling morgue space. 

Under a new policy, the medical examiner's office will keep bodies in storage for just 14 days before they're buried in the city's potter's field on Hart Island.

Coronavirus: Fake chloroquine 250mg tablets in circulation – NAFDAC warn

The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has alerted Nigerians on the circulation of fake chloroquine phosphate 250mg tablets.

This was made known in a statement issued by the Director-General of the agency, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye.

She said NAFDAC was notified by the World Health Organisation of the circulation of the tablets in Cameroon.

“The falsified chloroquine phosphate 250mg tablets were manufactured by Jiangsu pharmaceutical Inc, Astral pharmaceutical New Bhupalpura, China.

“The tablets manufactured by these companies have no Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient (API) and are in packs of 1000 tablets.
“The use of the falsified chloroquine phosphate 250mg tablets may result in treatment failure and could even cause death,” she warned.

Adeyeye warned that the labelling information on the falsified chloroquine phosphate 250mg tablets manufactured by Jiangsu pharmaceutical Inc, China is labelled with fake NAFDAC No: 028060.

Top unanswered questions about COVID 19 in Nigeria

Who first tested positive for Corona Virus in Nigeria? Italian Man. What is the name? We Don't Know. What about the picture? We didn't see.

9 persons have been cured and Discharged from Corona Virus. What did they use to treat them? We don't know

A Chinese Billionaire donated Kits to Nigeria to curtail Corona Virus. Where are the items? We have not seen. Who has received any of such items? We don't Know.

Individual and corporate bodies have been donating billions of naira to FG. Where is the money? We don't know. What has the money been used for? We don't know.

Other countries have released Trillions and Billions to their Citizens to cushion for Stay at Home. Where is our own from our country? We have not seen. What has our Government done for us?
They are Forcing us to stay home with hunger!
Nigeria minister of information Mr( LIE ) Muhammad came out and says we av distribute Worth of 100 billion to the citizens of NIGERIA..infact he was saying the truth
Bcos who are the citizens of NIGERIA
1.Mr President and his staff
2.The judiciary
3.The Executive
4.The legislators....this are the citizens of NIGERIA....


What are your take on this  don't just sit down and without thinking things through  let hear your views.

NCC clears doubts over 5G, COVID-19 and Security

In view of the recent development in which misleading materials with no proven evidence being circulated to link CORONAVIRUS or COVID-19 with 5G Technology,  it has become imperative for the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) to provide the following clarifications;

Firstly, there is no correlation between 5G Technology and COVID-19. 5G is an advancement on today's 4G technology designed to transform the world positively.

Secondly, there is no deployment of 5G in Nigeria at the moment. The NCC back in November 2019 approved trial test for 5G for a period of three (3) months and that the trial has been concluded and installation decommissioned.

The trial among others was to study and observe  any health or security challenges the 5G network might present. Relevant stakeholders including members of the security agencies were invited to participate during the trial.

The NCC will continue to maintain its policy of technology neutrality and will continue to encourage Service providers to deploy the best technology that will meet the needs of the society in a secured and friendly manner.

The following are some Frequently Asked Questions :

1. What is 5G ?

Ans: 5G is a fifth generation of mobile technology which is an improvement of today's 4G technology with enhanced capabilities. 5G technology provides the platform for new and emerging technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data to improve the way we live and work.

2. Do we have 5G network in Nigeria now?

Ans:  No there is no 5G network in Nigeria at the moment.  What we had was a trial test for 3 months which has since been concluded.

3. When are we expecting  5G in Nigeria?

Ans. No exact time frame but when conditions are right and all doubts are cleared.

4. Do we have spectrum for 5G in Nigeria?

Ans. Yes, particularly the millimetre wave spectrum from 24GHz and above are available.

5. Have we given out 5G spectrum to operators?

Ans. No. It will be auctioned at the appropriate time.

6. Are there 5G deployment around the world?

Ans. Yes, in countries like South Korea,  China,  USA,  Germany and others since middle 2019.

7. Is the Radiation from 5G different from those of 2G, 3G and 4G?

Ans. No, they all belong to the same class of Non-ionizing Radiation.

8.  Who is going to Allocate spectrum for 5G in Nigeria?

Ans. The National Frequency Management Council (NFMC) Chaired by the Hon Minister of Communications and Digital Economy has the responsibility for allocating bulk spectrum for various services.

9. Should I be concerned about 5G technology?

Ans. No, nothing to worry about. Safety and human health are top priority in the design and deployment of 5G.

10. What are the benefits of 5G ?

Ans. 5G technology will transform the world by connecting everything with everybody.  It will create millions of jobs,  it will add billions of dollars to the economy (GDP) and can solve some of our problems such as insecurity and improve governance and efficiency in the society.

11. Is 5G causing CORONAVIRUS or COVID-19?

Ans. No, there is no link what so ever between 5G and CORONAVIRUS or COVID-19.

12.  Should I ignore all the negative narratives I am hearing about 5G ?

Ans. No,  but rely on information from world Standards making bodies such as WHO, ITU, IEEE and industry experts for advice when in doubt.

13. Is there Standard limit set for Radiation from mobile devices?

Ans. Yes,  there is Radiation emission limits set by the International Commission for Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) below which the radiation is considered safe for humans.

14. Are the mobile network operators in Nigeria conforming to the Radiation emissions limits  ?

Ans. Yes,  the NCC has been regularly conducting measurements of Radiation emissions from Base stations across the country and they are all well below the set limits.

15.  Is 5G same as Fibre cable?

Ans. No, fibre cable is a terrestrial technology for broadband that existed for decades while 5G is a new mobile technology for enhanced quality of service as explained in Q1 above.

16.  Are there other sources of Radiation apart from mobile Base stations ?

Ans. Yes, there are other sources of Radiation which include television stations,  radio broadcasts stations,  wifi and so on. They all belong to the class of Radiation considered to be safe for humans when operated below the set limits.

17.  Who owns 5G ?

Ans. 5G is not owned by anybody but collection of technologies, Standards and processes agreed at the international level by Standards making bodies.

18. Has NCC issued licenses for 5G in Nigeria  ?

Ans. No,  NCC has not issued any licence for 5G in Nigeria. NCC is  technology neutral as such we don't license technology but assigns spectrum to operators for deployment of any service when allocated by NFMC.

19. Why are some operators rolling out fibre during the lockdown period?

Ans. As a result of the lockdown,  the amount of voice and data usage has increased by huge amounts and there is need to expand the network to provide optimum quality of service to users sitting at home.  Telecom is also critical for information decimination during the lockdown.

SIGNED

Dr. Henry Nkemadu
Director, Public Affairs
Nigerian Communications Commission
05 April 2020

Nigerian doctors reject country’s plan to invite Chinese medical team to help fight Coronavirus

The Nigerian Medical Association, NMA, has rejected plans by the Federal Government to invite and 18-member Chinese medical team to help Nigeria in her fight against the deadly coronavirus.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said on Friday that gifts of medical supplies were being expected from China, organised by a group of Chinese companies working in Nigeria. He added that  an 18 man team of Chinese medical experts will come along with the flight.

Ehanire said: " A special cargo aircraft shall leave Nigeria in a few days to collect the items, which include commodities, PPE and ventilators. Of great interest is an 18 man team of Chinese medical experts, including doctors, nurses and public health advisers, who shall come along with the flight."

However, NMA President, Francis Faduyile, in a statement Sunday, March 5, said the move is a misplaced priority. He described it as "a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions."

Faduyile urged the government to rescind the decision in the overall interest of the country.  He asked the government to declare a state of emergency in the health sector and fix health institutions urgently.

The plan of inviting an 18-member team of Chinese medical experts to Nigeria has been criticised since it was announced Friday by the health minister.

The Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) had advised the federal government against the plan, saying it was unnecessary to invite Chinese doctors as Nigeria was already handling the crisis effectively.

TUC President Mr Quadri Olaleye and Secretary General Mr Musa Lawal-Ozigi, said in a statement that the minimal number of people infected and deaths recorded is a proof that Nigeria is not doing badly in the efforts to handle the situation. 

"Truly, the Chinese authorities have done well by not recording more cases in their country; it is novel and also shows their proactiveness and commitment to crises. That notwithstanding, we insist that we do not need them now; rather, we shall continue to adhere to precautions by health professionals to make the job easy," they said.

On Saturday, the Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA), Garba Abari, clarified the reasons behind the proposed invitation of a Chinese medical team.

He said the Chinese medical team were only coming to share experiences with the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and not to directly take charge of the fight against COVID-19 pandemic in the country.

According to him, they will be sharing experiences on how the pandemic was handled in China and giving expert suggestions to our medical teams.

Abari said: "Whatever information the Chinese medical team makes available to NCDC will be filtered and applied to address the peculiar challenges of the country on handling the COVID-19 scourge. This is a global pandemic and from wherever assistance comes, you cannot reject it."

However, Nigerian doctors opposed the plan. The NMA president said the government did not take into consideration the extant laws regulating the practice of medicine in Nigeria as enshrined in the Medical and Dental Council Act.

"This is one such circumstance where the Medical and Dental Council of Nigerian should be consulted to grant necessary approvals to foreigners to interact with Nigerian patients", Mr Faduyile explained.

The full statement from the NMA reads:

(1) The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) received the news of the intention of the Federal Government of Nigeria to invite Chinese doctors into the country at this time of a global pandemic with great dismay and utter disappointment.

(2) It is a thing of embarrassment to the membership of the Association and other health workers who are giving their best in the fight against Covid-19 pandemic under deplorable working conditions, and a fragile health system to be subjected to the ignominy of not being carried along in arriving at such a decision.

(3) The lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), grossly inadequate test kits and test centres across the country, and the absolute lack of any form of insurance for the workforce are primordial issues begging for attention at this time.

(4) We are therefore profoundly dismayed to learn that the Federal Government is instead inviting the Chinese who from available accounts are not out of the woods themselves. The spike in cases and the death toll from COVID -19 in Italy coincided with the arrival of the Chinese in the guise of offering assistance. Even the United Nations has only just recently commended the efforts of Nigeria so far.

(5) The Association notes with grave concern that the Government did not take into consideration the extant laws regulating the practice of medicine in Nigeria as enshrined in the Medical and Dental Council Act. This is one such circumstance where the Medical and Dental Council of Nigerian should be consulted to grant necessary approvals to foreigners to interact with Nigerian patients.

(6) The Association appreciates the commendable work done by doctors and health workers at the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the various isolation centres across the country. It expects the Government to show appreciation by channelling the available resources and donations to improving testing facilities to detect more cases and ramp up capacity to train more workers.

(7) The Association is aware of a large pool of General Medical and Specialist Practitioners who are either unemployed or underemployed that can be engaged instead of bringing foreigners who aside from national security concerns may not be conversant with our culture, terrain and peculiar challenges.

(8) The Association believes that this invitation is ill-timed and of no overbearing significance considering that whatever experiences the Chinese have can be shared by digital technology through conferencing bearing in mind that Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu has only just returned from China. We are not averse to the donation of equipment and supplies because we can always do with such support as even the developed countries receive support.

(9) In rejecting the invitation of the Chinese doctors, the NMA would instead urge the Federal Government to review and approve better welfare incentives to the frontline medical personnel. The provision of adequate personal protective equipment, opening and properly equipping more isolation centres and health facilities across the country is an excellent first step. Deploying more resources to facilitate testing as we are beginning to witness community transmission of COVID 19 is equally a better application of scarce resources.

(10) The Government should declare a state of emergency in the Health sector and use the opportunity to fix our health institutions as a matter of urgency in a bid to stem the rot.

(11) The NMA urges the Government to expand the Presidential Task Force to include other critical stakeholders including journalists and the civil society to ensure more robust engagement especially as the decisions of the task force has implications for the health, wealth and security of our country.

(12) It is a great disservice to the morale of the long-suffering frontline health workforce if the Government goes ahead to invite these Chinese doctors. The invitation demeans their sacrifices so far in this pandemic. We fail to see how the 18 man team would impact the current efforts in any significant way.

(13) The Association, however, expects that the Government would rescind the decision in the overall interest of the country.

(14) The NMA would loathe reviewing her participation in the fight against COVID-19 considering the grave implications and the risk to the lives of her members should the Government go ahead with this ill-thought-out invitation at this time.

(15) The Association remains committed to the Nigerian people and the Government. We support the efforts of our frontline health workers in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and we expect reciprocal trust from the Government.

Her twins are crying, please release her- Uche Elendu appeals to Lagos state for Funke Akindele's release

Please release  heri dont have any excuses to make for her cos the law is simple, No Social gathering !!!! but her humble and sweet spirit doesnt deserve this arrest...We are Sorry on her behalf please @jidesanwoolu @balaelkana
She explained and apologised please listen and forgive, at least people ate food at the party, the people that clustered people to share 2 packs of indomie in the name of Quarantine relief were not arrested, Please Forgive her #freefunkeakindele
Nigerians pls the same way you got her arrested through social media pls beg them to release her, her twins r crying#stayathome

You will be fined or imprisoned say Niger State Government

The Niger state government says residents of the state who fail to respect the stay at home order, risk being fined or imprisoned or both in accordance with the extant laws of the state.

Disclosing this at a press briefing on Sunday April 5th, the Secretary to the State Government and Chairman of the State Action Committee on COVID-19, Ahmed Ibrahim Matane, said the new measure became necessary following the gross disrespect for the appeals and directives on social distancing and social gatherings by the people as the only precautionary measures against the spread of Coronavirus.

According to Matane, it became imperative to go beyond appeals and directives to contain the spread of the highly infectious disease in order to avoid impending health and economic calamity of unimaginable proportions in the State. He said the Governor decided to invoke the Niger State COVID-19 Order 2020, conferred on him by all the relevant portions of the law and the constitution for the collective good, safety, security and public health of the people.

According to the SSG, the State Government has relaxed the restriction of movement imposed in the State from 2:00 pm to 10.00 pm beginning from Sunday, 5th April 2020. Markets are now to open from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm to enable people to buy foodstuff and other essentials while the intra and inter-State movement of people and vehicles remains banned.

He announced that the State Civil Servants on Grade Level 1 - 12, earlier directed to stay at home as part of measures to curb the spread of the disease, are now to resume work on Monday, 6th April 2020, from 8.00 am to 2.00 pm.

Meanwhile, all Local Government Areas sharing a border with neighboring states have been directed to ensure effective monitoring of people and vehicles coming into the local government as all entry points to the State remain closed except those on essential services.

While debunking insinuations going round that the State government has banned 'call to Prayers', the Secretary to the State Government advised the people to shun rumor-mongering, adding that the State is yet to record any case of COVID-19.