Covid new cases dey high for Nigeria - Any cause for alarm?

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control say e don detect increase of COVID-19 cases inside di kontri.

Di agency say di number of case don go up from 267 to 445 in di last month, at di time of dis report.

NCDC expert, Kola Jinadu explain say genomic surveillance confam say Omicron, BA4, and BA5 be di dominant variant wey dey spread for Nigeria.

Nigeria first detect covid case for 27th February 2020- since den, di kontri don record 257,637 Coronavirus cases.

Di west African nation deon so far treat and discharge 250287 cases and record 3,144 deaths.

Di kwesion for many health expert mouth on top dis increase be say Nigeria dey at risk of a 5th wave?

Consultant gynaecologist, Ibrahim Wadda say goment gatz research di recent surge for Lagos and avoid any future disaster.

Dr Wadda na Chief Executive Officer (CEO) and Founder of Nisa Premier Hospitals for Abuja.

E explain say if di authority no tackle di rise in cases sharp-sharp, by vaccinating pipo, e fit lead to anoda wave and e go bad pass di first one.

Di health expert tok dis one as Nigerian delegation wey go Cuba meet for Abuja to discuss dia findings on top Coivid vaccine production.

Dem dey also look at di need for transfer of technology from Cuba to Nigeria.

Covid 19 increase na threat - NCDC

Population immunity, di rise of di new omicron sublenage, poor adherence to public health measures and better hygiene sake of pandemic fatigue increase.

And low vaccination rate, be di reasons for di sudden recent rise in covid-19 new cases, Kola Jinadu, wey be NCDC expert tok.

"Until di pandemic dey over, any threat for any part of di kontri, na threat everiwia - I beg all state to dey on alert...

"... and proactively detect and respond any possible case surge," im tok

Di expertfurther explain give say vaccine dey put pipo no dey take am.

However, anoda sabi pesin, Dr Wadda say aside increasing vaccination rate, time don reach for di kontri to begin local development of im own vaccine.

Na to prevent wetin happun for 2020, Wadda believe.

Oga Wada say if to say Nigeria get high rate of vaccination, e for reduce di rate of infection for di kontri.

Dis na why e say low vaccination rate for di kontri contribute to di new cases of COVID-19 and dat goment gatz take urgent step to save lives.

E urge Nigeria to explore bilateral relations wit Cuba wey don develop dia own vacine, to learn from dem as Nigeria dey try develop im own vaccine.

Nigeria vaccination rate

National Primary Health Care Development Agency say di only way to stop di spread of COVID 19 na for Nigerians to go get dia COVID 19 vaccine.

Di agency say di vaccine na di best way for kontri pipo to protect demself and oda pipo dem.

And dat di more pipo get dia vaccination, di beta, NPHCDA add.

Di agency for dia website say at least 7 million Nigerians don get dia monthly vaccination for di past three months.

Dem also explain give say dem don vaccinate over 21% of eligible persons.

And di state wey di top di chat for vaccination na Nasarawa, Jigawa, Kano, Osun, Kaduna and Kwara states.

Dis low vaccination rate make Nigeria miss di 70 percent mid-year COVID 19 vaccination target wey World Health Organisation set.

WHO Regional Director for Africa, Matshidiso Moeti, reveal say na only two kontris Mauritius and Seychelles meet di target.

Di agency don call on Nigerians to go out to take dia vaccines to prevent di spread of any outbreak.

Nigeria plan to produce local vaccine for Covid

Di politics wey follow di distribution of vaccine under di COVAX arrangement make di Nigerian Federal Ministry of Health to begin plan to produce vaccine.

WHO for February 2022 list Nigeria and five oda kontris - Egypt, South Africa, Senegal, Kenya and Tunisia, as beneficiaries of im support.

World Health Organization wan provide technology and technical guidance to produce mRNA COVID-19 vaccines.

Federal Ministry of Health launch di Nigeria Vaccine Policy and di goment pledge to comit 10 billion naira to set up a vaccine production company.

But two years since den, di project neva take off.

Officials bin send some health officials to Cuba to go learn from di northern Caribbean kontri last year, in order to achieve im goal.

Director of Health Planning, Research and Statistics for Ministry of health. Dr Ngozi Azodoh wey visit Cuba say dia exposure na eye opener.

And time don reach for Nigeria to build dia own national health security, Azodoh tok.

She add say di kontri gatz begin produce wetin im need for di health sector and stop to kontinu to be market for health products from oda kontris.

Di Nigerian official say di health ministry don set up Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee and Technical Working Group Committee to produce local vaccine.

"You no go fit do local vaccine manufacturing without strengthening research and development for Nigeria.

"Wen you do research ecosystem e go epp you find out di skill set you need".

"Di lesson of covid no fit leave us alone - and failure no be option," she explain.

Director of Registration and Regulatory Affairs at NAFDAC, Dr Monica Eimunjeze say Nigeria want technology transfer from Cuba.

Di move na to step up di production of vaccines, whether COVID-19 vaccines or other vaccines.

"We dey look forward to contract manufacturing technology transfer. We no dey interested to import but we wan strengthen and build capacity within Nigeria".

Nigeria, Cuba go build knowledge for local vaccine

Ambassador of Cuba to Nigeria, Clara Pulido-Escandell say di island nation don express willingness to partner Nigeria for local vaccine production.

Pulido-Escandell say di goment ready to join-bodi for areas of technology transfer and di experience wey di kontri don get for vaccine production.

She say during di covid, Cuba produce im own local vaccine dem call Soberana 02 and Abdala.

WHO don certify dem safe and effective for clinical trial wit little or no side effect, di diplomat add.

Di Ambassador say Nigeria and Cuba don strengthen di bilateral relationship between dey two kontris for areas of medical research and technology transfer.

She say at di moment di two kontri don sign document to Kontinu to work togeda.

"We dey very proud to say today say more than 90 per cent of Cubans don dey fully vaccinated against COVID-19 wit our vaccines.

E include pikin dem from two years old, according to di cuban official.

"Dis wan dey possible becos we already get di platform and production capacity to do am.

"We dey produce our vaccines and dem go partner Nigeria to achieve di same goal of producing im own vaccine".