Author: Chief Editor

Osun State has emerged as the third state with the highest number of infections in Nigeria. This was after recording nine new cases on Wednesday, The PUNCH reports. With the nine new cases, Osun has a total of 14 confirmed cases to place third behind Lagos (82 cases) – first; and Abuja (28 cases) – third. Of the 82 confirmed cases in Lagos State, eight patients have been discharged from the isolation centre after recovering and testing negative. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control announced the new cases on Wednesday, saying the total number of cases in the country had risen to…

The French government announced on Monday it would put victims of domestic violence in hotel rooms and finance pop-up counselling centres in grocery stores, amid a surge of reported domestic violence cases since the lockdown began on March 17 according to The Time. Since France imposed strict measures prohibiting citizens from leaving their homes except to buy food or medication, to see a doctor, or to get exercise, France has witnessed a 36% increase in the number of reported domestic violence cases to the police in Paris and a 32% rise throughout the rest of France. Two women have been…

The death toll from the novel coronavirus in the United States has surged past 4,000—that’s double the figure from just three days ago. The latest figures from Johns Hopkins University reveal there are more than 189,000 confirmed virus cases in the U.S., and 4,081 people have died. The milestone comes the morning after President Donald Trump admitted that at least 100,000 and as many as 250,000 Americans are likely to die from the pandemic, after spending weeks downplaying its threat. Elsewhere in the world, Spain’s health minister reported the number of cases in the country has surpassed 100,000 and the…

Azuka Onwuka Over the weekend, it was reported that some rioters torched a police station in Kusada, Katsina State, leading to the death of one person, because of the arrest of an Islamic cleric who held public prayers on Friday in breach of the Federal Government’s ban on gathering of crowds as a measure to stem the spread of COVID-19 pandemic. Putting what happened in Katsina in context, it was not strange. Nigeria has three key problems that have bogged it down for decades: religion, ethnicity, and politics. The absence of a structure that puts these issues into cognisance and…

Tayo Oke Coronavirus infection (aka COVID-19), is spreading worldwide like bushfire. Like the fallout from a nuclear explosion, no one, no country, is immune from its deadly effect. It is a pandemic on the much heralded biblical (apocalyptic) proportions in its scale and reach. It is more than just a disease; it is a rude awakening for humanity. There are two dimensions to it though; the medical and the economics. ‘Coronavirunomics’ as we name it here, is the economics of survival within the context of a rapidly evolving pandemic. The $2tn emergency spending just passed by the United States Congress,…

It is easy to lose track of time in these strange days of lockdowns and isolations caused by the coronavirus pandemic. Right now it seems an eternity ago, yet it was only a year to the day – March 28, 2019 – that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was appointed as Manchester United’s full-time manager. The Red Devils had won 14 of their 19 games in all competitions during Solskjaer’s temporary stint, including a famous Champions League last-16 second-leg comeback at Paris Saint-Germain. Rio Ferdinand had demanded United hand his fellow club icon a blank contract to sign and the good times were, it…

The head of UEFA said European football leagues were still looking at all options and not ruling out finishing this season — if the coronavirus pandemic subsides. “We could start again in mid-May, in June or even late June,” Aleksander Ceferin told Italy’s La Repubblica daily. Any time after that and “the season will probably be lost,” he said. The idea of the entire season simply being cancelled stirs panic in fans of clubs such as Liverpool — on the cusp of lifting their first title in 30 years. Ceferin did not say when UEFA will issue a final ruling…

Nigeria is among six African countries with the highest number of COVID-19 cases, the World Health Organisation chart shows. Nigeria’s case of COVID-19 rose astronomically from one to 81 cases in about four weeks beginning when an Italian was confirmed its first index case on February 27. WHO stats showed on Saturday that Nigeria ranked sixth African country with exploding cases of the pandemic which has infected over 400,000 people globally with over 25,000 deaths recorded so far. South Africa with 927 cases and two deaths; Algeria with 305 cases with 21 deaths, Burkina Faso with 146 and three deaths,…

TOBI AWORINDE For over a month, Nigerians watched with bated breath as the world’s superpowers battled thousands of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases. But it was not until February 27 that the fears of many Nigerians were realised. That was when the country recorded its index case. There have since been about 51 COVID-19 cases and one death, with the Federal Capital Territory and seven states, including Lagos, Ogun, Ekiti, Oyo, Edo, Bauchi and Osun affected. While many world leaders have periodically mounted the proverbial soapbox to educate, update and reassure their citizens and bring hope to a tense national atmosphere,…

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro decreed Thursday that places of worship are “essential services” that must be exempted from coronavirus confinement orders, the far-right leader’s latest jab at aggressive containment measures. The decree, published in the government diary, adds “religious activities of any kind” to the list of exempted services, alongside supermarkets and pharmacies. It adds that such activities must be carried out “in accordance with health ministry guidelines.” Bolsonaro, who was elected in 2018 with the backing of Brazil’s burgeoning evangelical Christian community, has clashed with local authorities who have closed schools and businesses in places such as Sao Paulo…