Vaccine Trials Shows Promising Results

Vaccine trial shows promising results
The first COVID-19 vaccine to undergo a clinical trial in China has been found to be safe and able to generate an immune response against the novel coronavirus in humans, based on the results of a preliminary trial, according to research published on Friday night in the medical journal The Lancet.
The phase-one clinical trial of the vaccine involving 108 healthy adults, which lasted 28 days, showed promising results, although further trials are required to determine whether the immune response it elicits can effectively protect humans against SARSCoV-2 infection, according to the researchers of the vaccine.
“These results represent an important milestone. The trial demonstrates that a single dose of the vaccine produces virus-specific antibodies in 14 days, making it a potential candidate for further investigation,” said Chen Wei from the Beijing Institute of Biotechnology, a leading researcher in the study.
“However, these results should be interpreted cautiously. The challenges in the development of a COVID-19 vaccine are unprecedented, and the ability to trigger these immune responses does not necessarily indicate that the vaccine will protect humans from COVID-19. We are still a long way from this vaccine being available to all.”
In the trial, carried out in March in Wuhan, capital of Hubei province, about 80 percent of the 108 volunteers had at least one adverse reaction within seven days of vaccination, with the most common reactions being pain, fever and fatigue, but most of the reactions were mild or moderate in severity, according to the study. No serious adverse effects were reported within four weeks of vaccination, the study said.
Meanwhile, virus antibodies increased significantly in the volunteers two weeks after they were vaccinated, and the level of the antibodies peaked on the 28th day, according to the study.
Despite promising results, the trial had limitations such as its small sample size and limited duration, and further research is required, said the authors of the study.
In April, a phase-two clinical trial of the vaccine started in Wuhan, making it the first COVID-19 candidate vaccine worldwide to have entered the second stage of clinical trials, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology.
The trial, which involves 500 adults, will test whether the results of the first-phase clinical trial can be replicated, and whether any adverse reactions occur up to six months after vaccination. The results of the trial have yet to be released.
Production of effective vaccines has been regarded as a long-term solution to the COVID-19 pandemic. Currently, more than 100 candidate COVID-19 vaccines are under research and development worldwide, according to the World Health Organization.
Following the outbreak, China intensified efforts on the research and development of vaccines for COVID-19. Some other institutes and companies have also made progress in vaccine development. Last week, a candidate vaccine developed by the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences was put under clinical trials after gaining approval from China’s top drug regulator.
Domestically developed COVID-19 vaccines, once put into use, will be made public goods for the world to ensure their accessibility and affordability in developing countries, President Xi Jinping said at the opening ceremony of the 73rd session of the World Health Assembly via video link on Monday.
China will intensify investment in the research and development of COVID-19 vaccines, drugs and rapid testing technologies in its efforts to fight the epidemic, Premier Li Keqiang said in the Government Work Report delivered to the third session of the 13th National People’s Congress on Friday. (via China Daily)

House Of Reps Wants Schools Fumigated Before Resumption

The Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu has been requested by the House of Representatives to ensure that all schools in the country, whether public or private are fumigated before they open for school activities.

Adamu Adamu was also urged by the House to reach students in rural areas with online teaching which was recently introduced to keep the students busy.

This was contained in a letter written to the Minister by the Chairman House Committee on Education, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere.

Amotekun in Osun apprehend suspected ritualists who specialize in stealing female underwear

Two young men who specialize in stealing women’s underwear, have been arrested after they had burgled a house and stole some female panties at Kajola Ajaba in Osun state on Saturday, May 23.

The two-man syndicate, led by one Friday also known as ‘frayo’, had succeeded in stealing five female panties before they were nabbed by men of Amotekun Corps, state of Osun.

Items recovered from the burglars include five female underwear and a small axe.

They have since been handed over to the police.

Burna Boy reportedly arrested by police after noise complains from his neighbours

Nigerian music star Burna Boy has reportedly been arrested by the police after neigbours complained about noises coming from his house.

A video has been circulating online which purportedly shows some of Burna Boy’s neighbours complaining about the music star.

His father is also said to be arrested all though Pulse has not been able to confirm any of the reports.

In the video, a supposed neighbour complains of the music star and compares him to Nigerian footballer Odion Ighalo who he says also stays in that same neighbourhood without disturbing anyone.

It is also alleged that Burna Boy has not made complete payment for the land he built his house on, and reportedly owing N100M.

BREAKING: Nigeria Government Fines British Airline, Flairjet, For Running Illegal Commercial Flights Into Country During COVID-19 Lockdown

Hadi Sirika, Minister of Aviation, made the announcement on Sunday via his Twitter handle.

He said, “Flairjet was found to violate our Civil Aviation Regulations IS 1.3.3(a) Table 2(IV)7(a) and IS 1.3.3 (a) Table 2(VIII)(4). 

“The maximum penalty for each is N500,000. We caused them to pay and reported their callous misdemeanour to UK CAA, MFA and the UK High Commission.”

Hadi Sirika@hadisirika

Flairjet were found to violate our Civil Aviation Regulations IS 1.3.3(a) Table 2(IV)7(a) and IS 1.3.3 (a) Table 2(VIII)(4). The maximum penalty for each is N500,000:00K. We caused them to pay and reported their callous misdemeanor to UK CAA, MFA and the UK High Commission.4254:35 PM – May 24, 2020Twitter Ads info and privacy196 people are talki

A MESSAGE FOR THE ANGRY YOUTHS – By Tope Fasua

There is this tendency to criticise everything and everyone. It is natural to be suspicious but it is better to try and offer solutions to the problem. There is a simple test to know. What kind of person are you? If you drive a car into a traffic snarl? Are you the guy who tries to sort himself out but cutting corners even if it makes the situation worse for everybody? Or the guy who sits in the car and just hopes someone comes in to solve the problem? Or the guy who actively tries to be a solution, either by creating needed space for the entanglement or even alighting from his vehicle to pass traffic where possible? 99.999% of people fall into the former categories. Only 0.001% are leaders who try to solve problems.
A moment of reflection beckons on the Nigerian youths and the not-so-youthful too. It is not productive to take a stance that rubbishes every initiative. If you tag every leader as bad from beginning to the end it means you have not reflected enough on the challenges of leadership itself and so you may not or never be ready for leadership or will equally fail if thrust upon you, like the people you criticise. Ditto if you refuse to see anything good in a particular leader no matter what he does. Remember that a dead clock is right, at least twice a day. So no leader is totally bad, and certainly none is totally good.
Be careful of being drawn into dogma. Be careful of mild and real cultism, some of which requires that you queue behind the company rhetoric whether oga or right or wrong. This is what happened to many decent people in the Hitler era. They knew it wad wrong and evil to gas the Jews but they dare not say anything. They thus became culprits, with some advancing to become serious mass perpetrators. There was the case of a ‘decent’ German engineer, who didn’t see anything wrong in increasing the capacity of gas chambers to gas 5 thousand more Jews per day… he felt he was just innovating. Where is your conscience when most needed? Are you the type that calls everyone back to their senses when herd mentality takes oveŕ and we all cascade in a destructive direction, blinded by fanaticism and dogmatism? Or are you the type that readily follows the drift without question? If you are the latter then leadership is not in you and you will likely fare worse than those you delight in criticising today.
But by and large, the reason I am writing to you today is to ensure you don’t become forever bitter and unaccomplished. I am not accomplished, yet, but i am certainly not bitter. If you don’t see anything good in anyone then you are solidifying the foundations of bitterness. You don’t need that in your life. Give people a chance. And another. Be very slow in writing people off. Many of your leaders had good intentions. Not all of them set out to steal and plunder. For some of them, your cynicism pushed them to the other side. You must break the cycle of bitterness, self-hate, mutual distrust and negativity that has turned Nigeria into what it is today. Do you know most Nigerian leaders now hate the country and especially detest the youth? I know you didn’t create the problem. But you must think of how to solve the problem.
I was also inspired to write you, dear Nigerian youth, when I considered that you are most likely unwilling to be a doer. I know that many of you lack resources but that too is debatable. Never wait until everything is set. Everything will never be set. You have to START WHERE YOU ARE, WITH WHAT YOU HAVE, TO DO WHAT YOU CAN DO. This also goes to those who are above 35 and can no longer be considered as youths. It is far better for your health, to try and get in the fray and be part of th3 solution, in your own way, than to be mere perpetual complainants. In fact your complaints take on higher importance and direction when you have tried and failed. Good for you if you succeed but ensure you don’t complicate the problems of your people.
Fela Anikulapo Kuti, Gani Fawehinmi were two of the most vociferous and committed critics this country or even the continent ever saw. They saw this fact and never remained mere critics. They formed parties. They contested. They failed to get into office, but they tried and it put them in a better place..it gave them perspective. It also tapered their anger and helped then channel same to where it mattered. Other all time greats like Zik, Awo, Bola Ige, Onabanjo and co, were complainants, for they were columnists and journalists, but at some point they were intelligent enough to know they had to be propelled to become part of the solution
So Dear Youth, don’t be boring. Don’t be bitter. Avoid the path of wretechedness. Don’t let them con you to remain a directionless ranter forever. Be focused. Repackage yourself. Don’t be a philistine. Yes, i am not asking you to avail yourself to some highest bidder. Don’t be all about the money. But ensure you are growing. Find a job and do it well. Be valuable. Create a venture and nurture it carefully. Be well presented. Work on your flaws. Be likeable. Be fair. Be kind. Be nice. Life is short. You may just be the one humanity has been waiting for. Perhaps no one else but you can solve the many problems you’ve been complaining bitterly about. Or it may just be a tiny bit that you can handle. It all adds up. Stand up for yourself..stand up for humanity

Laliga can resume week of 8 June- Spanish Prime Minister

Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Saturday that LaLiga can resume from its coronavirus lockdown on the week of 8 June.

“The resumption of major professional sporting competitions and in particular LaLiga will be allowed from the week of 8 June,” Sanchez told a press conference.

More than two months after the Covid-19 pandemic halted the season in Spain, players have begun training in small groups as they aim to be as ready as possible for the planned reboot next month.

LaLiga president Javier Tebas has said the preferred date for games to resume is Friday, 12 June and Sanchez’s announcement means that plan has been given the green light from the government.

Clubs have 11 games left to play to finish the season, with the proposed final round to be completed by the end of July.

A compressed calendar would mean teams playing matches both in midweek and at weekends while fixtures will be held behind closed doors, with only 197 people allowed to attend, according to a protocol prepared by LaLiga.

Players will also undergo tests for coronavirus the day before games and will have their temperatures taken before being allowed to enter stadiums.

LaLiga’s staggered training programme meant players began working individually at training grounds on 4 May and were able to expand into groups of up to 10 players this week.

The top-flight was first suspended on 12 March after Real Madrid went into quarantine on the same day following the positive test of one of the club’s basketball players.

But Tebas has been adamant the league must restart, having estimated that a cancellation of the season would cost clubs around one billion euros.

France’s Ligue 1 has been cut short, with Paris Saint-Germain declared champions, while the Bundesliga in Germany became the first major European league to resume behind closed doors last weekend.

Tebas has said the chance is low of players infecting each other during games.

“In the match environment, infection is practically impossible because we have carried out a study that we will present that shows the smallest risk is in matches if everyone respects the medical protocol,” Tebas said earlier this month.

“If things are done as they should be, there shouldn’t be any infections. If five infections appear in one club, it would suggest some negligence.”

Lagos Makes More Money Than 26 States Combined- Report

Lagos State has retained its place as Nigeria ’s economic capital, generatinng N 398 . 7bn in 2019 alone .
The sum is the equivalent of the combined internally generated revenue by 26 states of the federation .
The N 398 .7 bn IGR of Lagos State is more than those of Taraba , Gombe , Kebbi , Ebonyi , Borno , Yobe , Katsina , Ekiti, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Bauchi , Niger , Jigawa, Abia , Zamfara , Imo , Bayelsa, Kogi , Plateau, Benue, Osun , Sokoto, Cross River, Anambra , Oyo and Edo which had a combined N 375 .2 bn .
According to a report by the National Bureau of Statistics , the state with the second highest IGR remains Rivers which generated N 140 . 3bn .
The Federal Capital Territory which was classified as a state in the report , came third with N 74 .5 bn while Ogun came 4 th with N 70 . 9 bn .
The states with the lowest revenue are Taraba , Gombe and Kebbi which generated N 6 . 5bn , N 6 . 8 bn and N 7 . 3 bn respectively.
The combined revenue generated internally by the 36 states and the FCT in 2019 was N 1 .33 tn , according to the report .

Burna Boy Viciously Attacks Davido “Your Daddy Bought Your Career”

Burna Boy toasted Davido on social media after the ‘If’ hitmaker said he and Wizkid are the greatest Nigerian artistes of all time.

A peeved Burna Boy responded, calling Davido a daddy’s boy who would not be in the industry without his father’s money.

Davido shared a photo of himself and Wizkid with the caption: “The two greatest of all time,”

Burna Boy was not impressed with the description and also responded with fire.

Using a football metaphor, he said the only reason Davido is ‘playing football’ is because his father ‘bought the whole team!”

Everyone is aware Davido’s father is a billionaire and it is often used to attack him that without his father’s money he won’t be who he is.

It’s clear Davido’s declaration really hit Burna Boy. A new beef is on!

Covid-19 vaccine could be ready by late June – UK scientists predict

Scientists have predicted that a vaccine for coronavirus could be ready as soon as results of over 10,000 Covid-19 patients who were involved in a clinical trial are ready by late June 2020.
The Sun UK reports that if the experts carrying out the trial process are successful, the vaccine could be rolled out immediately.
According to the same media, the recovery trial is a scientific evaluation that looks at overall Covid-19 therapy and medications that were administered with the hope of getting the combination that is effective in treating patients.

The deputy chief investigator of the trial at Oxford University, Professor Martin Landray, said they are being meticulous with their process.
A picture showing a scientist working in the lab. Photo source: SafetySkills
Landry added that a combination of different drugs could be the best way to beat the coronavirus once and for all.
It should be noted that among the drugs that have been tested and that could make the final combination are hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir-ritonavir, and tocilizumab.
Meanwhile, Purpleworld earlier reported that a dedicated team of local researchers was working on a Covid-19 vaccine with a modification process that can be completed within three weeks to combat Sars-Cov-2 virus and go through a human trial in six months .
The team involved in the vaccine development is called Home-grown Esco Aster and they are working with the
United States biotechnology company, Vivaldi Biosciences, as they combine proteins from different viruses to find a cure.

The vaccine they are working on is tagged Esco-Aster DeltaCov and was made by putting together antigens from Sars-Cov-2 virus with “backbone” protein from a flu virus.

Dr Nandini Prabhakar, a senior scientist, has said that the use of the “backbone” will speed up the process of finding a vaccine.
Another thing worthy of note is that when the vaccine is ready, it can be administered into a patient’s body through a nasal spray, the same way the virus gets into the human body.
In other news, a black taxi driver, Trevor Belle, died from coronavirus after a passenger who claimed he had the virus spat on him when they were fighting over £9 (N4,263.55) fare .
The 61-year-old driver died from the illness in April at the Royal London Hospital after battling the virus.