Coronavirus: Nurses step over dead bodies piled up on hospital floor

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South Africa man dies of COVID-19 one day after making a video warning people about the severity of the virus







A South African man has died of COVID19 one day after recording a video cautioning others about the severity of the Novel Coronavirus.
 
Speaking from his Isolation room, the yet-to-be-identified man said

''Friends and family, I am isolated and I am breathing through a gas. This thing is real. Make sure that you wear your mask''

 
Watch the emotional video below

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Newly-elected US lawmaker, Luke Letlow dies from Coronavirus







41-year-old Republican Luke Letlow who was elected as Representative for Louisiana's 5th district and was due to be sworn in on Sunday December 2, has died from Coronavirus complications. 
 
Letlow who was elected to represent Louisiana's 5th District in Congress as the state's youngest U.S. representative, died at Ochsner-LSU Health Shreveport from “complications from COVID-19,” his spokesman, Andrew Bautsch said in a statement.
 
The lawmaker was admitted to a Monroe hospital with COVID-19 symptoms on December 19th before being transferred to the Shreveport hospital and moving to the intensive care unit on December 23rd.
 
Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards ordered flags to be flown at half-mast on the day of Letlow's funeral.
 
Edwards tweeted; 
 

It is with heavy hearts that @FirstLadyOfLA  and I offer our condolences to Congressman-elect Luke Letlow’s family on his passing after a battle with COVID-19
Congressman-elect Letlow felt a calling from a young age to serve the people of his home state, working behind the scenes for former Governor Bobby Jindal and serving as chief of staff to Congressman Ralph Abraham, who he was recently elected to succeed.


COVID-19 has taken Congressman-elect Letlow from us far too soon. I am heartbroken that he will not be able to serve our people as a U.S.

Representative, but I am even more devastated for his loving family.
I hope all of the people of Louisiana will join Donna and me in praying for Congressman-elect Letlow’s family,
especially his wife Julia and their two children, his many friends, and the people of the 5th Congressional District.


Louisiana has lost more than 7,300 people to COVID-19 since March, and each one of them leaves a tremendous hole in our state.


I have ordered flags to be flown at half-staff on the day of Congressman-elect Letlow’s funeral.

 

 
Letlow is survived by his wife, Julie Barnhill Letlow and two young children.  The congressman-elect of Start, a small rural community east of Monroe, beat out Alexandria state Rep. Lance Harris, also a Republican, in a runoff election to succeed Abraham on Dec. 5th. 
 
He was well-known among Louisiana political and government officials, having previously worked for Bobby Jindal when Jindal was in Congress and later in the governor's office. He arrived in Abraham's office in 2014 after a stint working for a Denver energy company in governmental relations. 

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Larry King, 87, 'in Hospital With COVID-19

Larry King, the 87-year-old broadcasting legend best known for his long-running guest interview show on CNN, has been diagnosed with COVID-19, it has been reported.

The former Larry King Live host has been hospitalized in Los Angeles, according to Roger Friedman’s Showbiz 411.

DailyMail.com has sought comment from King's publicist.

Southern California has been the site of one of the country’s worst coronavirus case surges.

King's advanced age and poor health are a cause for concern and place him at elevated risk.

King has had numerous health issues, including a heart attack, prostate and lung cancer, and type two diabetes.

Aside from his poor health, King must also deal with the fact that his loved ones cannot visit him in the hospital, according to Friedman.

His wife of 23 years, Shawn King, 61, and their two sons, Chance and Cannon, cannot see him.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9106947/Larry-King-87-Los-Angeles-hospital-COVID-19.html

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[b]Portuguese, Sonia Acevedo Dies 2 Days After Getting COVID-19 Pfizer Vaccine

A Portuguese health worker has died two days after getting the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine.

Sonia Acevedo, 41, suffered a 'sudden death' at home on New Year's Day 48 hours after receiving the jab. An autopsy is expected to take place later today or tomorrow.[/b]

The mother-of-two, who worked in paediatrics at the Portuguese Institute of Oncology in Porto, is not said to have suffered any adverse side-effects after being vaccinated.

Ms Acevedo's father Abilio Acevedo told Portuguese daily Correio da Manha: 'She was okay. She hadn't had any health problems.

'She had the Covid-19 vaccine but she didn't have any symptoms. I don't know what happened. I just want answers.

'I want to know what led to my daughter's death.'

Ms Acevedo's employers confirmed the dead woman had been vaccinated against coronavirus on December 30 and said they had not been notified of any 'undesirable effect' when she was jabbed or in the hours afterwards.

The Portuguese Institute of Oncology said in a statement: 'With regards to the sudden death of an operational assistant from the Porto IPO on January 1, 2021, the Board of Directors confirms the event and expresses sincere regret to family and friends in the certainty that this loss is also felt here.'

It added: 'The explanation of the cause of death will follow the usual procedures in these circumstances.'

Ms Acevedo had worked at IPO Porto, a national and international reference health institution in cancer treatment, research and education, for more than 10 years.

She lived with her family in Maia near Porto but died at her partner's home in Trofa half an hour's drive north of the northern Portuguese city.

She changed her profile pic on Facebook shortly after her jab to post a selfie with a face mask on and the message: 'Covid-19 vaccinated.'

Her father told Portuguese press he got the call to say she had been found dead around 11am last Friday morning hours after they ate together on New Years Eve, adding: 'My daughter left home and I never saw her alive again.'

Ms Acevedo's daughter Vania Figueredo said her mum had only complained about the 'normal' discomfort in the area where she was jabbed but was otherwise fine.

The health worker was one of 538 Porto IPO workers who received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Portugal's Ministry of Health has been informed.

Portugal, with a population of just over 10 million, has reported 7,118 deaths and more than 427,000 cases.

After a relatively mild first wave, cases rose sharply in the second and have spiked again since Christmas.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9111311/Portuguese-health-worker-41-dies-two-days-getting-Pfizer-covid-vaccine.html#click=https:///oITP8ruUjs

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Boris Johnson Announces Full National COVID-19 Lockdown For England


England will follow Scotland and go back into full national lockdown, Boris Johnson has confirmed.

Schools will remain closed with the public told to stay at home until at least mid-February.

The UK Prime Minister made the televised announcement amid an explosion in cases and hospitalizations in the country.
Case numbers have rocketed following the identification of a new faster-spreading variant of the virus in the country in December.

England will go back into full national coronavirus lockdown with schools closed and the public required to stay at home until at least mid-February, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday evening.

Johnson used a televised statement to announce that the entire country will be placed into full lockdown, with household mixing banned indoors and only essential shops remaining open.

Schools will be closed to all but the vulnerable children and the children of essential workers from Tuesday, just one day after many primary schools re-opened following the Christmas break.

Students will not be expected to return until at least after the February half term, Downing Street indicated.

Under the new measures, members of the public will be ordered to stay at home apart from a limited number of reasons, including caring for the vulnerable, exercise, essential work and buying food and medicine.

Amateur team sports will also be banned, although daily exercise will still be allowed with one other person outside your household.

The prime minister had previously resisted imposing another full national lockdown and had insisted as late as Sunday that schools were "safe" to re-open.

However, his statement on Monday followed the announcement of a Scottish lockdown by Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon six hours earlier.

The exponential growth in infections and hospitalizations has come amid the identification of a new faster-spreading variant of the virus last month.

Hospitals in some parts of the country are now more than half-filled with Covid patients, with some hospitals running out of oxygen due to a surge in demand for respirators.

"Our hospitals are under more pressure from Covid than at any time before," Johnson said, adding that there had been a 30% increase in hospitalizations in the past week alone, Johnson said.

Johnson has been under growing pressure to impose a full lockdown.

Opposition Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer on Sunday called for an immediate national lockdown saying the situation in England was now "clearly out of control."

Johnson's announcement is the latest in a series of U-turns on tackling the coronavirus made by his government in recent weeks.

The prime minister had planned to allow widespread household mixing over the Christmas period but reversed the decision in some parts of the country with just days to go before the holiday.

The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson also just weeks ago threatened to take local authorities to court for closing schools early for Christmas because of the surge in infections.

However, just days before their scheduled return on Monday, Williamson announced that secondary school openings would be delayed and primary schools would not re-open in most of London and parts of the South East.

He U-turned again just days later following questions about why primaries in some parts of London had been excluded from the plan.

Johnson's announcement today came after teachers across the country were advised by the National Education Union not to attend schools due to the "serious and imminent danger" to their health caused by the virus.

Teaching unions believe that newly released papers by the UK government's scientific advisory committee last week warning that schools would need to close in order to bring the virus under control, mean any attempt to force schools to open would have been a breach of UK work safety regulations.

https://africa.businessinsider.com/politics/england-will-go-back-into-full-national-coronavirus-lockdown-boris-johnson-announces/pbct619#click=https:///wib4HSImCm

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China blocks WHO team from entering the country to study origins of coronavirus







The World Health Organization has announced that China has blocked its team investigating the origins of the coronavirus pandemic, from entering the country.

WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement on Wednesday, January 6, saying two scientists on the United Nations team had already left their home countries for Wuhan when they were told that Chinese government had not approved the necessary permissions required for them to enter the country.

WHO said the arrangements had been jointly agreed with China in advance.

"I am very disappointed with this news," Tedros told a news conference in Geneva.
 "I have been in contact with senior Chinese officials and I have once again made clear that the mission is a priority for WHO and the international team."

Tedros said WHO was "eager to get the mission underway as soon as possible" and that he had been given assurances that Beijing was speeding up the internal procedure for "the earliest possible deployment."

Dr. Michael Ryan, executive director of WHO's health emergencies program said one team member had already returned home while the other was waiting in transit in a third country.
 
Ryan said the team hoped it was "just a logistical and bureaucratic issue" that can be resolved in "good faith in the coming hours and recommence the deployment of the team as soon as possible."

WHO said it wanted it's team of global scientists to have access to key sites to investigate the origin of the virus, first detected in Wuhan in December 2019, and its likely jump from an unidentified host species to humans.

In May, WHO agreed to hold an inquiry into the pandemic after more than 100 countries signed a resolution calling for an independent probe.

In a press briefing on Wednesday January 6, spokesperson for China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, said China had "always held an open, transparent and responsible attitude" on tracing the origin of the virus.

Hua said that China had previously welcomed WHO experts into the country and said that the UN investigation team and Chinese experts have "maintained frequent interactions" including four video meetings between October and December.

"In order to ensure that the international expert group that comes to China can work smoothly, it is needed to fulfill the necessary procedures and make relevant specific arrangements. The two sides are still negotiating about this," said Hua.

US President, Donald Trump has repeatedly blamed China for the global pandemic and announced that the US would terminate its relationship with WHO, saying that China had not properly reported information it had about the coronavirus and had pressured WHO to "mislead the world."

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Pope Francis’ personal doctor dies from COVID-19







Fabrizio Soccorsi, the personal doctor of Pope Francis has died from COVID-19 complications.
 
Catholic News Agency reported that the 78-year-old physician was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli Hospital for a previous health issue on December 26.  While he was dealing with an “oncological pathology,” COVID was the cause of death, the Vatican’s newspaper L’Osservatore Romano reported.
 
In August 2015, Pope Francis named him his personal physician after not renewing the term of papal doctor Patrizio Polisca, who was also head of the Vatican’s healthcare services.
 
Since the pontificate of St. Pope John Paul II, the two positions had been tied together, but Pope Francis diverged from this custom by choosing Soccorsi, a doctor from outside the Vatican.
 
The Pope recently declared it was within Catholic doctrine, and actually an ethical obligation, to receive vaccination against COVID and said he would be receiving his first dose shortly.
 
“It is morally acceptable to receive Covid-19 vaccines that have used cell lines from aborted fetuses in their research and production process,” the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith said in a statement approved by Francis in December.

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UK and South Africa COVID variants found in dozens of countries - WHO









The coronavirus mutation first found in Britain has now spread to 50 other countries, while a similar South African-identified strain has now been found in 20 countries, according to the World Health Organization.
 
The agency also disclosed that a third new coronavirus “variant of concern” found in Japan may impact upon immune response and needs further investigation.
 
"The more the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads, the more opportunities it has to change. High levels of transmission mean that we should expect more variants to emerge," said the WHO.
 
SARS-CoV-2 is the virus that causes COVID-19 disease.
 
Since first being reported to the WHO on December 14, the British-identified variant VOC 202012/01 has been found in 50 countries, territories, and areas, the agency said.
 
WHO also revealed that test results have shown that the age and sex distribution was similar to that of other circulating variants, while contact tracing data revealed "higher transmissibility (secondary attack rates) where the index case has the variant strain".
 
The South African-identified variant 501Y.V2, first reported on December 18, has now been detected in 20 countries, territories, and areas.
 
"From preliminary and ongoing investigations in South Africa, it is possible that the 501Y.V2 variant is more transmissible than variants circulating in South Africa previously," the WHO weekly report said.
 
"Moreover, while this new variant does not appear to cause more severe illness, the observed rapid increases in case numbers has placed health systems under pressure."
 
The agency further said it had been notified by Japan on January 9 of a new variant detected in four travellers arriving from Brazil. The variant was found in two adults and two children.
 
"This variant has 12 mutations to the spike protein, including three mutations of concern in common with VOC 202012/01 and 501Y.V2," it said, "which may impact transmissibility and host immune response".
 
The WHO said researchers in Brazil had additionally reported the emergence of a similar variant.
 
"The extent and public health significance of these new variants require further investigation," the report said.
 
At a Tuesday meeting of 1,750 international scientists, WHO said they discussed critical knowledge gaps and research priorities for emerging variants.
 
"Our collective goal is to get ahead of the game and have a global mechanism to quickly identify and study variants of concern and understand their implications for disease control efforts," said Ana Maria Henao Restrepo, the WHO's research and development chief.
 
 

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33 elderly people die within days of receiving first Covid-19 vaccine dose in Norway







33 elderly people died in Norway within days of receiving their first dose of the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine with the country's health officials saying there is no evidence of a 'direct link' between the jab and their deaths.

"All of these patients have had serious underlying illnesses. We can’t say that people die from the vaccine. We can say that it may be coincidental. It is difficult to prove that it’s the vaccine which is the direct cause," Steinar Madsen, medical director at the Norwegian Medicines Agency (NMA), was quoted as saying by Bloomberg.
 
Madsen also said that the mild side effects of the vaccine could 'theoretically tip the patients into a more serious course' of an illness they already had.
 
Sigurd Hortemo, the chief physician at the NMA, also said that "reports suggest that common adverse reactions to mRNA vaccines, such as fever and nausea, may have contributed to a fatal outcome in some frail patients."
 
Hortemo also said that Norway is vaccinating elderly and people in nursing homes with critical underlying conditions, therefore it is expected that deaths close to the time of inoculation may occur. 
 
Officials also pointed out that an average of 400 people die every week in nursing and care facilities in Norway, with Madsen adding that the reported deaths made up around 1 in 1,000 of the people vaccinated at care homes. 
 
All deaths within the first few days of receiving a vaccine are assessed, the Norwegian Medicines Agency said in a statement. 
 
Reported side effects of the Pfizer vaccine in Norway include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, and muscle pain.
 
Over the weekend, the Norwegian Medicines Agency reported that of the fatalities, 13 had been autopsied and showed signs of suffering such side effects. 
 

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WHO warns of 'catastrophic moral failure' in Covid-19 vaccine distribution







The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that the world faces a "catastrophic moral failure" due to the unequal Covid vaccine policies being implemented by different countries.

WHO Director General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said it was not fair for younger, healthy people in richer nations to get vaccinated before vulnerable people in poorer states, as being implemented in some countries.

He also said over 39 million vaccine doses had been given in 49 richer states but one poor nation had only 25 doses.

His statement comes after an independent panel commissioned by the WHO said the UN public health body should have declared an international emergency earlier, and also blamed China for not implementing public health measures sooner.

So far, China, India, Russia, the UK and the US have all developed Covid vaccines.

Speaking at a WHO executive board session, Dr Tedros said, "I need to be blunt: the world is on the brink of a catastrophic moral failure - and the price of this failure will be paid with lives and livelihoods in the world's poorest countries."

Dr Tedros said a "me-first" approach would be self-defeating because it would push up prices and encourage hoarding.

"Ultimately, these actions will only prolong the pandemic, the restrictions needed to contain it, and human and economic suffering," he added.

He called for a full commitment to the global vaccine-sharing scheme Covax, which is due to start rolling out next month.

"My challenge to all member states is to ensure that by the time World Health Day arrives on 7 April, Covid-19 vaccines are being administered in every country, as a symbol of hope for overcoming both the pandemic and the inequalities that lie at the root of so many global health challenges," Dr Tedros said.

So far, more than 180 countries have signed up to the Covax initiative, which is supported by the WHO and a group of international vaccine advocacy groups. Its aim is to unite countries into one bloc so they have more power to negotiate with drug companies.

Ninety-two countries - all of them low or middle-income - will have their vaccines paid for by a fund sponsored by donors.

"We have secured two billion doses from five producers, with options of more than one billion more doses, and we aim to start deliveries in February," Dr Tedros said.
 

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UK Covid-19 strain detected in at least 60 countries- WHO says







The World Health Organization has announced that at least 60 countries have reported either imported cases or community transmission of the UK coronavirus strain known as B.1.1.7.

According to the press release on Wednesday, January 20, the WHO said the countries which first reported cases of the variant first identified in the United Kingdom are the United States, Russia, Brazil, India and Spain.
 
According to the WHO, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that at least 122 cases of the UK variant have been identified in 20 US states including at least 46 cases in Florida; 40 in California; six in Colorado; five in Minnesota; four each in Indiana and New York; two each in Connecticut, Maryland, and Texas; and one each in Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The CDC announced that these numbers are from samples analyzed and does not represent the total cases of the variant.

The CDC also advised that its numbers may not immediately match those of state and local health departments.

Adding to the press release, the WHO said that the B.1.1.7 variant appears to spread more easily, but no evidence suggests that it's any more deadly or causes more severe disease.
 

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Bill Gates advises FG against purchasing COVID19 vaccines, says fixing health sector is more important







American Philanthropist, Bill Gates, has advised the Federal government against expending its limited resources on the purchase of pricey COVID19 vaccines when it can wait for those from GAVI.
 
Gates gave the advice during a virtual press conference ahead of the launch of the 2021 Bill and Melinda Gates Annual Letters on Tuesday night, January 26.
 
He said waiting for the GAVI vaccines would be the best thing for Nigeria and that investing proposed vaccine funds into other health-related areas would assist to deepen vaccine coverage and save lives.
 

“The key is that Nigeria is still eligible (for GAVI Vaccinee), and so, for a lot of those vaccines, they will come through the GAVI facility that we’ve raised money for.
I’m an advocate for the government to have more resources and prioritise health. Obviously I’m not a voter in Nigeria, so Nigeria can decide that independently. 


So my advice is that the primary health care system is what’s super important and that with those finite resources, you have to prioritise expenditure.  And in that case, waiting for the GAVI vaccines would be the best thing” he said

 
Gavi is a global Vaccine Alliance that brings together public and private sectors, creating equal access to new and underused vaccines for children living in the world’s poorest countries. 
 
Gates also called on every government to begin preparations for the next pandemic as the COVID19 pandemic is certainly not the last the world would experience.
 

“The unfortunate reality is that COVID19 might not be the last pandemic. We don’t know when the next one will strike, or whether it will be a flu, a coronavirus, or some new disease we’ve never seen before.


But what we do know is that we can’t afford to be caught flat?footed again. The threat of the next pandemic will always be hanging over our heads—unless the world takes steps to prevent it”he said

 

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China rolls out anal swab coronavirus tests, says it’s more accurate than throat method









Authorities in China have introduced anal swabs as a new type of coronavirus test that could detect the virus more accurately as they struggle to contain rising infections ahead of the Lunar New Year celebrations.
 
This comes after local outbreaks in the country led to China shutting off many of its northern cities.
 
Before, coronavirus tests were mostly being carried out with nose and throat swabs.
 
However, the new anal test involves a swab being inserted around two to three centimetres (0.8 to 1.2 inches) into the rectum and being rotated multiple times. The swab is then taken out and sealed in a sample container, a process reported to take around 10 seconds.
 
Li Tongzeng, a senior doctor from Beijing’s Youan hospital, says the anal swab method “can increase the detection rate of infected people”.
 
He says this is because virus traces remain longer in the anus than in the respiratory tract, where you collect nasal and throat swabs.
 
He told CCTV: "We found that some asymptomatic patients tend to recover quickly. It's possible that there will be no trace of the virus in their throat after three to five days.
 
"But the virus lasts longer from the samples taken from the patient's digestive tract and excrement, compared to the ones taken from the respiratory tract".
 

 
News of the new anal swabs has been met with criticism from some experts.
 
Yang Zhanqiu, a deputy director of the pathogen biology department at Wuhan University, told state media, Global Times that nasal and throat swabs remain more efficient tests as the virus is a respiratory disease.
 
He adds: "There have been cases concerning the coronavirus testing positive in a patient's excrement, but no evidence has suggested it had been transmitted through one's digestive system".
 

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Pfizer-BioNTech says its COVID-19 vaccine is effective against UK and South Africa variants







Pfizer and BioNTech has said that its Coronavirus vaccines are effective against the variants that have emerged in the United Kingdom and South Africa.
 
In a statement released on Thursday January 28, the two firms said the "small differences" detected in tests comparing the original virus and the recent versions "are unlikely to lead to a significant reduction in the effectiveness of the vaccine". 
 
AFP reported that while Moderna's Coronavirus vaccine also appears to work against the new and more infectious variants of COVID-19 found in the UK and South Africa, early laboratory tests suggested antibodies triggered by the COVID-19 vaccine can recognise and fight the new variants.
 
More studies are however needed to confirm this is true for people who have been vaccinated.
 
Pfizer and BioNTech also said they would respond if there was evidence that the variants could defeat their current vaccine. The statement added; 
 

“Pfizer and BioNTech believe that the flexibility of BioNTech’s proprietary mRNA vaccine platform is well suited to develop new vaccine variants if required."

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Italian doctor accused of killing covid-19 patients to ‘free up beds’







A doctor in Italy has been arrested over claims he killed two coronavirus patients to ‘free up beds’ during the height of the pandemic in Italy. 
 
Carlo Mosca, 47, is accused of giving patients Natale Bassi, 61, and Angelo Paletti, 80, lethal doses of anaesthetics at Montichiari Hospital near Brescia. 
 
The incident allegedly took place in March last year, when shocking pictures showed Covid-19 patients lining in hospital corridors. 
 
Police are also investigating another three deaths after reports Mosca altered the medical records of patients who died and he has now been put under house arrest at his home in Mantua, according to Metro UK.
 
He denies the charges against him, calling the allegations ‘baseless’.
 

 
In legal documents relating to the arrest, prosecutors claim messages revealed nurses suspected Mosca of killing patients to make space in the A&E department he headed up. 
 
The prosecutors say Mosca administered Succinylcholine and Propofol, which were typically used on the ward to anaesthetise Covid patients so they can have tubes inserted.
 
However, it is claimed the patients given the drugs never had tubes inserted, so they believe the use of anaesthesia was unnecessary.
 
Between November 2019 and April 2020, the hospital saw a 70% increase in orders of these drugs but only five patients were given tubes during that period, the report said. 
 
An anonymous complaint was made at the end of April, and legal documents contain WhatsApp messages which suggest Mosca tried to get nurses to cover his tracks. 
 
The nurses said in messages to each other: ‘Did he ask you to administer the drugs without intubating them?’, ‘I’m not killing patients just because he wants to free up the beds,’ and, ‘This is crazy.’ 
 
Prosecutors add when he found out he was under investigation Mosca asked nurses to ‘agree on a convenient version of the story’ while ‘instigating them to declare falsehoods’. 
 
Lawyers also allege he asked colleagues to leave the room when he administered the drugs. ‘This has never happened to me before,’ one nurse said. 
 
Mosca is charged with murder and falsifying the health records, amid claims he ‘edited the clinical data to make the patient appear terminal and therefore not arouse suspicion’. 
 
But the doctor, who has now been suspended from his duties, says he "never administered the anaesthetics and he would never take life, rather save it."
 
 

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The Simpsons writer, Marc Wilmore dies aged 57 after contracting Covid-19







The Simpsons writer, Marc Wilmore has died at the age of 57, after he contracted coronavirus while battling other health issues.
 
His brother Larry confirmed the tragic news on social media in an emotional statement.
 
Larry wrote: "My sweet sweet brother, Marc Edward Wilmore, passed away last night while battling Covid and other conditions that have had him in pain for many years.
 
"My brother was the kindest, gentlest, funniest, lion of an angel I've ever known. I love you little brother."
 
Marc began as a television writer in 1992 on In Living Color, before joining The Tonight Show with Jay Leno between 1995 and 1998.
 
He first joined iconic cartoon sitcom The Simpsons during its 13th season which aired throughout 2001 and 2002.
 
The writer got his first credit for a segment of the Halloween special Treehouse of Horror XIII titled Send in the Clones.
 
He continued working on The Simpsons until 2015, also providing his voice to the episodes It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge in 2000, and The Wreck of the Relationship in 2014.
 
In 2008, Marc scored a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program as a producer for the episode Eternal Moonshine of the Simpson Mind.

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South Africa receives first batch of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine from India (photos)










South Africa on Monday, February 1, received the first batch of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines that are expected to help the country’s efforts to stem the virus.
 
An Emirates flight carrying 1 million AstraZeneca vaccine doses touched down at the OR Tambo International Airport on Monday afternoon.
 

 
President Cyril Rampahosa reportedly inspected the shipment before trucks hauled it away to the laboratories of the country’s medicines regulator where the vaccines will undergo further efficacy tests before being deployed.
 

 
The AstraZeneca vaccine doses produced by the Serum Institute of India are expected to be used to inoculate frontline healthcare workers, starting mid-February.
 
The government intends to inoculate 40 million people, representing 67% of the country's population of 60 million, by the end of the year.
 
South Africa is the hardest-hit African country by the COVID-19 pandemic, having reported 1,453,761 infections with 44,164 deaths.
 
 

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Nipah virus in China with 75% fatality rate could be next pandemic - New report claims







An outbreak of the Nipah virus in China with a fatality rate of up to 75 percent, could potentially be the next big pandemic after COVID-19, according to a report by the Access to Medicine Foundation.

“Nipah virus is another emerging infectious disease that causes great concern. Nipah could blow any moment. The next pandemic could be a drug-resistant infection,” The Guardian quoted Jayasree K Iyer, the executive director of the Netherlands-based Access to Medicine Foundation, as saying.
 
The virus is rare and spread by fruit bats, which can cause flu-like symptoms and brain damage. It can cause encephalitis, or inflammation of the brain, according to the World Health Organization. The usual treatment is supportive care.
 
However, an outbreak of the Nipah virus in India's southern state Kerala in 2018 claimed 17 lives with countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates temporarily placing a ban on frozen and processed fruit and vegetable imports from Kerala as a result of the outbreak there.

At that time, health officials believed that Nipah outbreaks in Bangladesh and India were perhaps associated with the drinking of date palm juice.

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Scientists have trained sniffer dogs to detect coronavirus with 94% accuracy






 


A German veterinary clinic has reportedly trained sniffer dogs to detect coronavirus in human saliva samples with 94% accuracy.
 
The dogs are conditioned to pick up the "corona odour" that comes from cells in infected people, said Esther Schalke, a vet at Germany's armed forces school for service dogs.
 
Filou, a three-year-old Belgian Shepherd, and Joe Cocker, a one-year-old Cocker Spaniel, are two of the dogs being trained at Hanover's University of Veterinary Medicine.
 

 
"We did a study where we had dogs sniffing samples from COVID-positive patients and we can say that they have a 94% probability in our study... that they can sniff them out," said Holger Volk, head of the veterinary clinic.
 
"So dogs can really sniff out people with infections and without infections, as well as asymptomatic and symptomatic COVID patients," he added.
 
Stephan Weil, premier of Lower Saxony in Hanover said he was impressed with the study and called for feasibility tests before the sniffer dogs are put to use in everyday life, such as on people attending concerts.
 
"We now need tests in selected events," Mr. Weil said.
 
In September 2020, dogs trained to detect the novel coronavirus began sniffing passenger samples at Helsinki-Vantaa airport in Finland.
 

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COVID-19: Nine Dangerous African Countries You Must Avoid Right Now - PM News

The deadly COVID-19 is taking its toll on Africa, especially in this second wave of the virus, with many people being infected and many dying.

As at February 3, 2021, a total of 3,609,468 cases of Coronavirus have been reported in Africa, with 92,909 deaths recorded.

Nine countries form the COVID-19 hotbeds in the continent, accounting for 80.79 percent of the infections.

These countries also account for 86.38 percent of COVID-19 deaths in the continent.

Travellers and tourists must note these countries and move with trepidation and extreme cautiousness when travelling to them or you may sign your death warrant. It is advisable not to travel to these countries now because or ravaging Coronavirus.

These countries are: South Africa, Morocco, Tunisia, Egypt, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Libya, Algeria and Kenya.

How dangerous are these countries?


1. South Africa

South Africa is the worst nation to travel to right now in Africa. As at February 3, 2021, South Africa has reported 1,462,016 cases of Coronavirus since the first case of the virus was detected on March 5, 2020 in the country. This accounts for 40.5 percent of total infections in Africa. South Africa is like the US of Africa in terms of COVID-19 infections.

South Africa has also reported 45,344 COVID-19 deaths, accounting for 48.8 percent of total deaths in the continent. This makes the nation a place to avoid right now, more so, a new and deadlier variant is ravaging the nation presently.

2. Morocco

Morocco is the second deadliest nation in Africa, as it has amassed 472,273 cases of Coronavirus since the virus hits the nation on March 2, 2020. The North African country accounts for 13.08 percent of the continent’s infections. It has also recorded 8,308 deaths from the virus, accounting for 8.94 percent deaths in the continent. This makes it a Coronavirus hotbed in the continent. Tourists must beware or avoid travelling to Morocco right now.

3. Tunisia

Tunisia, another North African country is a COVID-19 hotbed right now. The nation has posted 211,412 cases of the virus since it hits the country on March 2, 2020. The country accounts 5.85 percent of infections in Africa. It has so far recorded 6,893 deaths, accounting for 7.41 percent of deaths in the continent. It is a country to watch when travelling right now.

4. Egypt

The deadly Coronavirus virus hits the North African country on February 14, 2020 and it has never looked back as infections soared to 167,013, accounting for 4.62 percent of continental infections. The country has reported 9,407 deaths so far. This accounts for 10.11 percent deaths on the continent. Travellers must extremely exercise caution in going to Egypt right now.

5. Ethiopia

Ethiopia is the 5th Coronavirus hotbed in Africa. The virus reached the country on March 13, 2020. It has so far infected 139,408 people. This accounts for 3.86 continental COVID-29 cases. The country has also reported 2,122 Coronavirus deaths, accounting for 2.28 percent infections in Africa. This makes Ethiopia a dangerous nation to travel to right now.

6. Nigeria

Nigeria is another country to avoid travelling to right now in Africa. The country has reported 134,690 cases of Coronavirus virus, accounting for 3.73 percent infections in Africa, with 1,618 deaths recorded since the pandemic broke out on February 27, 2020. This represents 1.74 percent of deaths in Africa.

The country is currently facing a deadly second wave with the rate of infections and deaths higher than the first wave and the British new variant of the virus has been found in Nigeria, making it a risk for people to travel to the nation right now.

7. Libya

Libya, with 121,243 cases of Coronavirus accounts for 3.3 percent continental infections. The virus broke out in the country on March 24, 2020. So far, 1,914 people have died from the virus in the North African country, accounting for 2.1 percent deaths in Africa.

8. Algeria

The North African country has posted 108,116 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic broke in the country on February 2020. Algeria accounts for 3 percent of infections in Africa. The nation has reported 2,900 deaths. This represents 3.1 percent of deaths in the continent.

9. Kenya

The East African country has reported 101,159 Coronavirus cases since the pandemic reached the country on March 13, 2020. This accounts for 2.8 percent of infections in Africa. Its 1,769 deaths represents 1.9 percent deaths in the continent.
This makes the nation a place to avoid right now.

https://www.pmnewsnigeria.com/2021/02/05/covid-19-nine-dangerous-african-countries-you-must-avoid-right-now/