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Nigeria and fifty-three other African countries would receive 500,000 coronavirus test kits and 300 ventilators donated by Ali Baba Foundation to African Union Member States,  The PUNCH  reports. Also donated to fight the pandemic in Africa were 4.6m masks, 200,000 clothing sets, 200,000 face shields, 2,000 thermal guns, 100 body temperature scanners and 500,000 pairs of gloves. Interestingly, while South Africa had conducted 114,711 COVID-19 tests, Ghana 60,916 tests, Egypt 55,000 tests, Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, had only conducted 7,153 tests. The Founder of Ali Baba Group, Jack Ma, who made this revelation on Monday, said the donation was the third batch to Africa and it would be dispatched immediately to the African Centres for Disease Control for further distribution to AU Member States.                                      Jack Ma Africa has rec...

The cumulative number of coronavirus infection cases in Spain surpassed the 200,000 marks, while the daily number of new deaths dropped to 399, the Health Ministry said on Monday.                                       Spanish Flag Spain’s COVID-19 cases rose from 195,944 cases on Sunday to 200,210 on Monday, the ministry said. Monday’s death toll is the lowest registered in the past four weeks, in a sign that the coronavirus pandemic in Spain was slowing down thanks to one of the toughest lockdown measures. Fernando Simon, Director of the Health Ministry’s Centre for Health Emergencies, said these figures are “very promising” and that it was the first day that fatalities were below 400 in four weeks. Madrid and Catalonia remained the two regions with the highest number of cases, with 56,963 registered cases in Madrid and 41,676 in Catalonia. Over 80,000 patients have recov...

TWELVE COVID-19 patients were on Sunday discharged in Lagos, Edo and Oyo states. Bauchi and Ogun states anounced three cases. Lagos Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in a tweet said: “I am delighted to once again intimate you on the success we are recording in the battle against the lethal COVID19 infection. “Today, four more persons; all male were discharged to reunite with their families and the community. The patients – three from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba and one from the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) have fully recovered and tested negative twice consecutively to COVID-19 “This brings the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from our facilities to 98.” Edo State Health Commissioner Dr. Patrick Okundia said the state discharged six patients who tested negative twice to the virus. Dr. Okundia said a total of 387 persons, comprising 105 persons of interest (POIs) and 282 line-listed contacts, who tested negative and had co...

British actor and filmmaker Idris Elba launched a new United Nations fund on Monday to help farmers in poorer nations, calling on richer economies to provide aid to prevent “needless hunger and suffering” stemming from the Coronavirus pandemic. Elba and his wife, model and activist Sabrina Dhowre Elba, gave their support to a fund set up by the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), to help stop economic shocks caused by COVID-19 triggering a global food crisis. The couple, who were also designated on Monday as goodwill ambassadors for IFAD, contracted the virus themselves in March although reportedly only suffered mild symptoms. “The world’s advanced economies are in the midst of this pandemic right now and, of course, they must do everything they can to help their own people,” said Elba, 47, in a statement. “But the fact is, global action is also a matter of self-interest. As long as the pandemic is still raging anywhere, it will pose a threat everywhe...

Not fewer than 105 Boko Haram insurgents were killed by the Nigerian Army in a hot battle encounter at Buni Gari, Gujba Local Government of Yobe State on Saturday night. The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Col. Sagir Musa, in a statement said the onslaught on the insurgents was as a result of credible intelligence received by the Army of the intention of the insurgents to attack Buni Gari community. The Operation, according to Col. Sagir, was carried out by troops of Sector 2, Operation Lafiya Dole, led by their Commander, Brig. Gen. Lawrence Araba. He also informed the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai was happy with the troops’ massive success against their enemies, commending them after visiting the wounded soldiers at the Field Ambulance Logistics Base III Damaturu and the Special Forces School, Buni Yadi on Sunday. “Gen Buratai visited two officers that were wounded in action during the Buni Gari encounter and other soldiers already on admiss...

Several key Boko Haram Terrorists/ISWAP leaders have been killed in multiple air strikes conducted by the Air Task Force of Operation Lafiya Dole at Durbada in Borno, the Defence Headquarters has said.                                      NAF Jet Fighters The Coordinator, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. John Enenche, in a statement on Monday in Abuja, added that structures belonging to the terrorists were also destroyed. Enenche disclosed that the operation, which was executed on April 17, came on the heels of credible human intelligence reports. He said that the intelligence was confirmed by series of Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions and indicated that the settlement was one of the locations where some of the terrorists’ hierarchy often hibernate. According to him, the fighter jets dispatched by the Air Task Force took turns in attacking the...

Paul Alade, a member of the 70s’ Ofege school boys’ band of St. Gregory College, Obalende, Lagos, has died of coronavirus complications.                                      Paul Alade (Middle) He was the bass guitarist of the group. His friend and member of the famous band, Captain Dapo Olumide, the former chief executive officer of Virgin Nigeria, announced his death in a moving tribute. The late Paul Alade was based in New Jersey, United States of America. Ofege Band in the early 70’s took the Nigerian music scene by storm, churning out hits such s Nobody Fails, Ofege, Wizzy Ilabo and many others. Other members of the band were: Melvin Noms, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist; Mike Meme, drums; Soga Benson, lead/solo guitar; Felix Ijeh, rhythm guitar; Dapo Olumide, keyboard and Felix Inneh, percussionist.

The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (DICON) has produced a digital mechanical ventilator known as DICOVENT to cushion the shortfall in the number of ventilators in the country. According to the Coordinator Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, the newly designed low-cost machine is a simple mechanical ventilator that can deliver positive pressured ventilation using a volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) system. He said the “ventilator has undergone thorough scrutiny and assessment by specialists from top ranging hospitals and experts in the country including Cedar crest Hospital Abuja”. Enenche, who presented the equipment during a media briefing at the Defence Headquarters Abuja, noted that, “the devastating pandemic of COVID 19 has brought a lot of hardship, agony and pains across the globe. The national response to the fight against this virus is not without challenges, ranging from a thorough understanding of the disease to the astronomically hig...