Medics have deployed a robot in a Tunisia’s hospital caring for coronavirus victims to limit contact between staff and infected patients, in a first for the North African country.
The tall, single-limbed machine is mounted on wheels and is capable of taking pulses and checking temperatures and blood oxygen levels.
It enables nurses, doctors and patients’ relatives to make virtual bedside visits.
“It allows a reduction in contact with the sick and therefore the risk of contaminating personnel,” said Nawel Besbes Chaouch, a doctor leading the pulmonary department at the Abderrahmane Memmi hospital in Ariana, near the capital Tunis.
A screen mounted at the top of the robot enables audiovisual communication with patients, who in turn can see and recognise the faces of those caring for them — an impossibility when medics otherwise have to use full protective gear.
A website allows families to reserve a time slot for a virtual visit, where the robot is remote-controlled into the patient’s room to allow a video conversation.
The robot was designed and made in Tunisia, by Enova, a start-up based in Sousse.
Primero Transport Services Ltd., operator of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in Lagos, says it will only be carrying 20 commuters with face masks per bus as from Monday to contain further spread of COVID-19.
The Managing Director of the firm, Mr Fola Tinubu, told newsmen in Lagos on Saturday that the 21st person on board would be the driver.
Tinubu, however, said that the company would not issue short-distance tickets as from Monday, saying short-distance commuters that wished to use the service must be ready to pay for the longest distance tickets on their route.
The BRT boss explained that the firm had scrapped N100 and N150 tickets for short distances in the main time and asked commuters to be ready to pay for the N200, N250 or 300 tickets, depending on their routes.
“We are going to carry only 20 passengers per bus, the 21st person on the bus will be the driver starting from Monday.
“We will space them zigzaggy; we will show them how to sit. We don’t want anybody to sit next to each other. There will be no air conditioner; we are going to open the windows to allow enough ventilation.
“We will only be doing long distance; we will only be selling N200, N250 and N300 tickets. We will not be doing short distance of N100 or N150 stuff. So, anybody that wants to do short distance will have to pay for the long-distance.
“We want to concentrate on the buses on the long-distance since we can only carry 20 people. We will not sell a ticket for a short distance at all,” he told NAN.
According to him, all the passengers must wear masks and sanitise their hands before they will be allowed to board buses.
Schools in America’s coronavirus epicentre of New York state will stay closed for the rest of the academic year, Governor Andrew Cuomo announced Friday.
The decision comes as the state remains cautious about reopening over fears that getting people back to work too soon could spark a surge of infections.
“We don’t think it’s possible to (open schools)… in a way that would keep our children and students and educators safe,” Cuomo told reporters.
The confirmation came after Mayor Bill de Blasio said on April 11 that pupils would not return to New York City’s 1,700 public schools this academic year.
The Big Apple is the United States’ largest public school district, with 1.1 million students.
The city closed its public schools on March 15 as the deadly virus spread rapidly, pushing classes online and leaving families scrambling to arrange homeschooling.
Schools would normally end their final term in June. Cuomo said it was too early to rule on whether children could return for the next academic year in September.
He announced that 289 New Yorkers had died from COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, pushing the state’s confirmed death toll near 19,000, as infections continue to decline.
More than 700 people were dying a day at the peak of the state’s outbreak in early-to-mid April.
Cuomo said the number of hospitalizations was dropping every day and are currently in the 900s.
“That’s still too high a number,” he said.
Several US states are starting to ease lockdown measures, including Texas on Friday, but New York’s shutdown is due to run until at least May 15.
Cuomo said he would announce a few days before that date whether he would prolong it.
The Emir of Rano, Dr Tafida Abubakar Ila ll, one of the four emirs of the newly created emirates in Kano State, was taken to hospital yesterday, Daily Trust learnt.
It was not certain whether the illness was related to COVID-19, but a source at the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital (AKTH) said Dr Ila ll was brought in critical condition early yesterday.
He said the emir was referred to the Nassarawa Specialist Hospital for further medical attention. “The vehicle conveying the emir to Nassarawa hospital just left the premises of AKTH, the condition of the emir was critical at the time they departed AKTH,” he said.
A traditional title holder in Rano emirate who pleaded anonymity said the emir was first rushed to AKTH but for lack of oxygen he was referred to Nassarawa hospital.
“The emir is in critical condition and from the look of things, the situation is alarming, may Allah protect us all,” he said.
A Deputy governor in one of the states of Nigeria is in trouble for not coordinating the COVID-19 containment campaign wlas would be expected.
Following the release of a N250 million vote to him for the purchase of basic items to curtail the pandemic, His Excellency wasted no time in transferring the cash to a woman’s account.
The state was still waiting for the supply of the essential medical supplies, while the money has since gone to a 'woman'.
The attitude of the deputy governor has forced the state to lag behind in anti-COVID-19 campaign.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has said that Nigeria has expressed interest to be part of the global solidarity trial of the vaccines being developed to tackle COVID-19 pandemic and efforts are underway to start the process in the country.
The Officer in charge, WHO Nigeria and member of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19, Dr. Fiona Braka, said this on Friday in Abuja, at the 24th joint national briefing of the committee.
She also said that 89 vaccines are being developed globally, including seven in clinical evaluation and several therapeutics in clinical trials to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic. She said, “Nigeria has also expressed interest to be part of this solidarity trial and efforts are underway to start the process in Nigeria too.”
According to her, on the subject of vaccines and clinical trials for Covid-19, research and development is an important aspect of the response and researchers around the world are working hard on accelerating the development of vaccines and therapeutics for Covid-19.
The Federal Government has announced that anyone found moving about without a facemask will be prosecuted. This was disclosed in a document by the
Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Friday.
It formed part of the guidelines released for the implementation of the phased and gradual easing of the lockdown.
The five-page document which was signed by the PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, also noted thatbanyone found with a temperature above 38ºC will be mandated to return home.
“Anyone who presents a temperature of above 38ºC will be mandated to return home and call NCDC for evaluation,” the statement read in part.
It added: “Anyone without a face mask/covering will be asked to return home and will be prosecuted.
“Anyone violating the curfew in a non-emergency situation will be prosecuted. Anyone attending a gathering of more than 20 people will be prosecuted.
“Any member of the public who violates the ban on Inter-State movement as outlined in this guideline will be prosecuted.”
The Federal Government has announced that anyone found moving about without a facemask will be prosecuted.
This was disclosed in a document by the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 on Friday, as part of the guidelines it released for the implementation of the phased and gradual easing of the lockdown.
The five-page document which was signed by the PTF Chairman and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, also noted that anyone found with a temperature above 38ºC will be mandated to return home.
“Anyone who presents a temperature of above 38ºC will be mandated to return home and call NCDC for evaluation,” the statement read in part.
It added: “Anyone without a face mask/covering will be asked to return home and will be prosecuted.
“Anyone violating the curfew in a non-emergency situation will be prosecuted. Anyone attending a gathering of more than 20 people will be prosecuted.
“Any member of the public who violates the ban on Inter-State movement as outlined in this guideline will be prosecuted.”
Kano State has recorded three new coronavirus fatalities. The state Health Ministry made this known via Twitter shortly after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced 92 new infections in the state, bringing the total confirmed cases to 311.
“As at 11:25pm 1st May 2020, 92 new cases of COVID-19 cases confirmed. Total confirmed cases in Kano State are now 311.
“3 additional COVID-19 deaths were recorded. Total COVID-19 deaths are now 8,” the state Health Ministry tweeted.
Meanwhile, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said on Friday that a 14-man team comprising health experts in different areas of specialisation were leaving from Abuja to Kano on Saturday morning.
“With regards to Kano, a multi-sectorial team of 14 specialists comprising of persons from NCDC, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, the Department of Hospital Services, the Department of Family Health, Infectious Disease Specialists, media and a special adviser will leave for Kano in the early morning (Saturday) to support that state in all areas of response.
“The main focus of the intervention is on training and capacity building of state health care workforce along with their various specialties on a very massive scale,” the minister said.
Patients with severe cases of Covid-19 had abnormal blood clotting which contributed to some deaths, research has found.
The study found that patients with higher levels of blood clotting had a significantly worse prognosis and were more likely to require intensive care.
Scientists from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) said their findings show Covid-19 is associated with a unique type of blood clotting.
The study, carried out by the RCSI's Irish Centre for Vascular Biology (ICVB) and St James's Hospital, Dublin, has been published in the British Journal of Haematology.
The authors found that abnormal blood clotting occurred in patients with severe Covid-19 infection, causing micro-clots in the lungs.
Professor James O'Donnell, director of the ICVB said: "Our novel findings demonstrate that Covid-19 is associated with a unique type of blood-clotting disorder that is primarily focused within the lungs and which undoubtedly contributes to the high levels of mortality being seen in patients with Covid-19."
Prof O'Donnell, a consultant haematologist with the National Coagulation Centre at St James's Hospital, said this scenario is not seen with other types of lung infection.
"In addition to pneumonia affecting the small air sacs within the lungs, we are also finding hundreds of small blood clots throughout the lungs," he added.
"This explains why blood oxygen levels fall dramatically in severe Covid-19 infection.
"Understanding how these micro-clots are being formed within the lung is critical so that we can develop more effective treatments for our patients, particularly those in high risk groups.
"Further studies will be required to investigate whether different blood-thinning treatments may have a role in selected high-risk patients in order to reduce the risk of clot formation."
Emerging evidence also shows that the abnormal blood-clotting problem in Covid-19 results in a significantly increased risk of heart attacks and strokes.
Prof O'Donnell led the cross-disciplinary study, with joint first authors Dr Helen Fogarty and Dr Liam Townsend, along with consultants from multiple specialities at St James's Hospital and researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and Trinity College Dublin.
Further research will continue under the Irish Covid-19 Vasculopathy Study, which has been jointly funded by the Health Research Board and Irish Research Council as part of the Irish Government's Covid-19 Rapid Response Research funding.
Actress, Mercy Aigbe, has revealed that for a long time, she had a crush on ‘African Queen’ singer, 2baba.
Aigbe stated this during the week as a guest on Gbenga Adeyinka’s Instagram Live chat. After Adeyinka played ‘African Queen’ while on the video call, Aigbe said with a broad smile, “Don’t tell anybody o. For a very long time, I had a crush on 2baba.”
The actress also stated that before she got into the industry, she admired Liz Benson and Sola Sobowale. She said, “Coming into the industry, there were two people I admired a lot -- Liz Benson and Sola Sobowale. Liz Benson was just so beautiful and she still is. I absolutely loved her back then. I also loved the way Sola Sobowale interpreted her roles. She inspires me whenever I see her on a movie set.”
Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has confirmed 10 new coronavirus cases in the state.
He stated this via Twitter shortly after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced eight new infections in the state on Friday night.
The Centre had announced two cases in the state on Thursday night, bringing the total confirmed cases in the state to 31 with nine recoveries and two fatalities.
The governor said amongst the new patients was a doctor at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, who recently came back from Kano State.
He added that six Togolese citizens, as well as an operative of the State Security Service also tested positive for the virus and were all receiving treatment at the state Isolation Centre.
“We have started receiving results of pending COVID-19 confirmation tests. Two tests came back positive late last night. One from a UCH doctor who returned from Kano and another is a worker with the State Security Service.
“Another eight tests came back positive today. Of the eight newly confirmed cases, six are Togolese nationals and the remaining two are Oyo State residents in Ogbomoso.
“In addition to the case recorded in Lagos which was announced yesterday, another confirmed case recorded in Kano is also being managed in Oyo State. This brings the number of active cases in Oyo State to twenty,” Makinde tweeted.
Tupac Shakur's haunting last words as he was bleeding to death have been revealed in bombshell police documents.
The files, which have been kept private for 24 years, have now been published and reveal the rapper spent his last moments worried about his friend Marion 'Suge' Knight.
The documents also include an incident report about the shooting, crime scene analysis papers and statements from the attending police officers.
Knight was in the car with Tupac on the night of the shooting in Las Vegas in 1996.
The music mogul was injured in the attack as he attempted to protect his pal, sustaining grazes from bullet which whizzed past his head.
He drove the fatally injured rapper to the hospital, and now the newly-published papers reveal the music star's last words were asking about his friend's condition.
Tupac told Knight: "You the one they shot in the head. You shot in the head."
The superstar was taken to hospital, but doctors were unable to save him.
The documents feature a transcript of Knight's interview with police in which he described the attack.
The pair were driving along Las Vegas Boulevard on September 7 1996 when they stopped at a traffic light and were pelted with gun shots.
He told cops: "We was having conversation. We heard some gunshots. We looked to the right of us.
"Tupac was like tryin’ to get to the back seat.
"I grabbed him and pulled him down. It was about 15 gun shots. They hit my head. I grabbed him pulled him down...
"Everything happened so fast... I grabbed him pulled him down and topped him.
"I thought I got shot in my head, which I did."
The pair were travelling with a security team at the time, with the bodyguards following them in a car behind.
In the interview, police officers asked Knight what they did to help and he expressed his anger that they didn't offer more assistance during the shooting.
He said: "Your guess is as good as mine. The guy gets paid a lot of money to be protection.
"I don’t understand it to this day. This is one of the reasons Tupac and myself was more comfortable because we knew we had Tupac’s bodyguards behind this. That is the idea for them."
In his statement, Knight also dismissed claims Tupac was carrying a gun at the time of the attack and insisted he didn't see the shooters or have any clues about their identity.
The documents were released by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department following a legal battle in 2017 when they were sued for failing to make them public.
Actress and “Red Table Talk” host, Jada Pinkett Smith has shared what she discovered while being stuck at home with her husband, Will Smith as a result of the lockdown.
The actress disclosed that spending lockdown with Will Smith has made her realise that she doesn’t know her husband “at all.”
In a candid discussion about relationships on an upcoming episode of Red Table Talk, the actress said that she and her husband of 23 years are working on their friendship.
“I have to be honest, one of the things I realised is that I don’t know Will at all.
“I feel there’s a layer you get to. Then life gets busy and then you create these stories in your head and that is your idea of your partner. But that’s not who your partner is.”
Continuing the conversation with her mother Adrienne Banfield-Jones and 19-year-old daughter Willow, Jada said she was now “having to devolve all the stories and all the ideas of Will.”
You get into these ideas of how all these intimate relationships are supposed to look like, what marriages are supposed to be,” she said.
“Will and I are in the process of him taking the time to learn to love himself, me taking the time to learn to love myself and us building a friendship along the way.”
Jada, who is also mother to Jaden, 21, added: “That’s been something. To be married to someone for 20-something years and to be like ‘I don’t know you and you don’t know me.’”
Ogun Government says gradual easing of the lockdown in the state will begin on May 9, as against the May 4 announced by President Muhammadu Buhari.
Gov Dapo Abiodun made this known during a media briefing on Friday in Abeokuta.
According to him, Ogun did not begin the first 14 days lockdown with Lagos and the FCT, hence the extension.
“My dear people of Ogun State, you will recall that Mr President, in his first address to the nation on March 29, 2020, on the COVID-19 pandemic declared a lockdown on Lagos State, Ogun State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for 14 days in the first instance.
“At that time, Ogun State appealed for a week extension for the people of our state to prepare for the lockdown. You will also recall that on Monday, 27th April, Mr. President announced a further extension of the lockdown in the affected states and FCT for another week which should end by Saturday, 3rd May.
“However, for us in Ogun State, the extension will now end on Saturday, 9th May, that is, taking into consideration the initial one week of grace granted us by Mr. President,” he said.
He added that the relaxation window for the next week will be Monday, May 4, Wednesday, May 6 and Friday, May 8 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“The new time frame will, however, now be from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on those days. This will give our people ample time to conduct necessary economic activities and to get to their various homes before the commencement of the daily curfew as directed by Mr. President.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the curfew is from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. every day and will be strictly enforced,” the governor said.
A frontline NHS worker who qualified as a nurse just a few months ago has died after contracting Covid-19.
Anujkumar Kuttikkottu Pavithran, 44, passed away on Monday, April 27, at Pilgrim Hospital in Boston, Lincs, where he worked as a staff nurse.
He continued working despite being diabetic - meaning he was in a category of people the government has deemed "high risk".
His colleagues said the father-of-two, known as Kumar, qualified as a nurse in autumn 2019 after spending the previous nine years training for the position, LincolnshireLive reports.
Kumar has been described as "passionate about his job" to the point he refused to stay at home during the crisis despite his underlying health conditions.
He was not working in a Covid-19 ward when he contracted the disease.
A fundraising appeal has been set up to support Anuj's wife and children, who have been left with no income, according to Kumar's friend Jerry Varghese.
He posted on the page saying: "He (Kumar) was a qualified registered nurse, passionate about his job.
"He was a valuable member of the team and loved by his friends and family equally.
"During the unprecedented Covid crisis, Anuj worked day and night constantly, when he contracted this illness.
"Currently his wife, two children and family are left without income.
"There is nothing we can do to bring their normality back, but the least we can do is to help with the funeral and family support fund."
According to Mr Varghese, Kumar's wife is currently training to be a nurse.
The fundraising page on Facebook has already accumulated more than £43,000.
Since his death on Monday, many people have shared tributes for Kumar - describing him as "dedicated", "ambitious" and "caring".
The United Lincolnshire's Hospitals NHS Trust's chief executive Andrew Morgan said he was "deeply saddened" by Mr Pavithran's death.
He added: "He was a very well liked, professional, respected member of the team and will be greatly missed.
"We are all sending our heartfelt condolences to Kumar's family, friends and colleagues at this incredibly difficult time."
More than 100 keyworkers have died after contracting coronavirus while working on the frontline.
Health secretary Matt Hancock announced that families of NHS and social care staff who have died from the virus while battling on the frontline will receive £60,000.
Some good signs came out of Lagos between Thursday and Friday, which has obviously made more people confident that the state will eventually defeat the Coronavirus pandemic.
The number of new patients is reducing, while the medical team is also achieving commendable results with patients. Another batch of 26 were discharged yesterday.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-olu announced the discharge of 26 more Covid-19 patients; 14 males, 12 females including 2 foreign nationals - a Polish and a Filipino. Total recoveries in Lagos is now 225.
The mystery surrounding what happened to North Korea's Kim Jong Un might have been answered after he was reportedly spotted in public for the first time in nearly three weeks.
Photos emerged Friday in a North Korean state-owned newspaper showing Kim cutting a red ribbon at the opening of a fertilizer plant in Suncheon In. He appeared to be accompanied by his sister.
South Korea's Yonhap news agency also reported that Kim appeared at the grand opening. NBC News has not verified Kim's attendance at the ribbon cutting.
Earlier, Yonhap reported that a North Korean defector was "99% certain" that Kim died last weekend and an announcement could be forthcoming over the next several days.
Last week the South Korean government cast doubt on rumors that Kim was gravely ill following heart surgery. Speculation about his health intensified after he did not attend his late grandfather's birthday celebrations on April 15, the most important date in North Korea's calendar, known as "Day of the Sun."
Rumors continued to swirl after the South Korean website Daily NK cited one unnamed source as saying Kim, who is believed to be 36, had undergone heart surgery and was recuperating in a villa outside the capital Pyongyang.
Several U.S. officials previously told NBC News that U.S. intelligence reporting indicated Kim had cardiovascular surgery and remained out of the public eye for days.
Laolu Omogunwa, a commercial motorcyclist, popularly known in Nigeria as Okada rider, is currently on the run having r*ped a pregnant woman to coma in a bush at Ago Akingboye in Irele area of Ondo State.
Mrs Sade Jawo had hired Omogunwa at Ajagba to take her to a farm settlement where she wanted to go and buy palm oil.
The 30-year-old businesswoman, while narrating her ordeal, revealed that while on the way to the farm settlement where she usually purchased her palm oil, the Okada rider was able to convince her that he knew another farm settlement where she could get the palm oil at a cheaper price.
She decided to give it a try not knowing that Omogunwa had a different mission for offering the economic advice.
Having rode further into the bush, the motorcyclist suddenly stopped and dragged the pregnant passenger to the bush and r*ped her severally till she started bleeding and in the process lost her pregnancy.
She was almost strangulated by the 32-year-old randy Okada rider when she resisted him, but had to give in when she observed that he was ready to kill her and r*pe her dead body.
The victim passed out while the brutish r*pist was pounding her ceaselessly and was in the bush for close to 48 hours.
She was later rescued by a search party organisrd by her family having waited for her for so long.
She was awaken by a downpour and that revived her as she was able to crawl to the roadside and seek for help.
Mrs Jawo revealed that when she passed out, the r*pist took her mobile phone and emptied her purse in which she kept N150,000 she wanted to use to buy palm oil.
Traditional ruler of Ajagba, the Ahaba of Ajagba, Oba Adesayo Ajibade, described the crime committed by the motorcyclist as a taboo in the land. He revealed that it’s a sacrilege to have s*x with women and ladies on bare ground in Ikale land. The monarch disclosed that the consequence of such act on the land are poor yields and famine unless the offenders make sacrifices to propitiate the gods of the land.
He also warned that the r*ped pregnant woman might not survive any subsequent sickness without making the appropriate rituals.
However, the Ondo State Police Command says its detectives are currently on the trail of the Okada rider who disappeared into the thin air after committing the crime.
