Coronavirus
UN Predicts Global Famine of Biblical Proportion; Listing Nigeria Among Countries at Risk of Famine
UN Predicts Global Famine of Biblical Proportion; Listing Nigeria Among Countries at Risk of Famine
The United Nations predicts global famine of ‘biblical proportions’ and warns nations of the world; including Nigeria on the list of top 10 countries at risk of famine.
In view of this, UN urge nations of the world to prepare ahead due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic.
According to the executive director of the UN World Food Programme (WFP), David Beasley, in a matter of months the pandemic will push an additional 130 million people to the brink of starvation and in a worst-case scenario famine will occur “about three dozen countries”.
According to the UN, ten out of those three dozen countries already have more than 1 million people close to starvation.
Beasley said the vast food shortages will occur due to factors like conflict, economic recession, a decline in aid and a collapse in oil prices.
“While dealing with a Covid-19 pandemic, we are also on the brink of a hunger pandemic,” David Beasley told the UN’s security council.
“There is also a real danger that more people could potentially die from the economic impact of Covid-19 than from the virus itself.”
The agency identified 55 countries, with ten being singled as mostly at risk of a ‘hunger pandemic’. The ten countries include Yemen, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Afghanistan, Venezuela, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Nigeria and Haiti.
According to the UN Agency, these countries apart from being at risk of entering famine have fragile healthcare systems which make them unable to cope with the impact of the virus.
“These countries may face an excruciating trade-off between saving lives or livelihoods or, in a worst-case scenario, saving people from the coronavirus to have them die from hunger,” the report said.
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“Lockdowns and economic recession are expected to lead to a major loss of income among the working poor,” Beasley said. Overseas remittances will also drop sharply, affecting countries such as Haiti, Nepal, and Somalia, for example.
“The loss of tourism receipts will damage countries such as Ethiopia (and) the collapsing oil prices in lower-income countries like South Sudan will have an impact significantly,” he added.
He appealed to UN member states to act now, telling them: “There are no famines yet. But I must warn you that if we don’t prepare and act now — to secure access, avoid funding shortfalls and disruptions to trade — we could be facing multiple famines of biblical proportions within a short few months.
“The truth is, we do not have time on our side, so let’s act wisely — and let’s act fast,” he added. “I do believe that with our expertise and partnerships, we can bring together the teams and the programs necessary to make certain the Covid-19 pandemic does not become a humanitarian and food crisis catastrophe.”
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Coronavirus
COVID-19: Chinese Embassy Issues Nigerians and Other Nationals Travel Restrictions into China
COVID-19: Chinese Embassy Issues Nigerians and Other Nationals Travel Restrictions into China
The Chinese authorities have issued fresh travel restrictions into China by Nigerians and other nationals in Nigeria holding valid Chinese visas or residence permits.
A public notice issued by the Embassy of China and Consulate in Nigeria today November 5, states that the decision was based on the COVID19 concerns in Nigeria. Other countries placed on temporary travel restrictions include the United Kingdom, Belgium, Luxembourg, Philippines, and a few others.
The Chinese embassy says it will no longer issue certified health declaration form for non-Chinese nationals in the country. It, however, said holders of diplomatic passports, courtesy, or C visas would not be affected by the regulation.
‘Notice of temporary suspension of entry into China by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding valid Chinese visas or residence permits.’
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, China has decided to temporarily suspend entry into China by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria holding visas or residence permits still valid at the time of this announcement.
The Chinese Embassy and Consulate in Nigeria will no longer issue a certified health declaration form for the above-mentioned personnel. Entry by holders of diplomatic service, courtesy or C visas will not be affected.
Foreign nationals visiting China for emergency needs may apply for visas at the Chinese Embassy or Consulate. Entry by non-Chinese nationals in Nigeria with visas issued after November 3, 2020, will not be affected.” the public notice read
Reacting to the development, the spokesman, Chinese Foreign Affairs Ministry, Wang Wenbin, told AFP that the entry suspension was a legitimate and valid move consistent with international customary practices.
Woman loses hearing in one ear after mild Covid-19 infection
A woman identified as Meredith Harrell lost her hearing in one ear after mild Covid-19 Infection.
According to Elizabeth Cohen, CNN Senior Medical Correspondent, Harrell was walking from her backyard into the house, her right ear suddenly started to ring.
She realized that, other than the ringing, she couldn’t hear anything out of that ear.”It was like someone flipped a switch,” she said.
Harrell’s hearing loss was a mystery until about a week later, when she took a Covid-19 test. It was positive.
Even though she never felt sick, an otologist — a doctor who specializes in hearing — explained to Harrell that the virus was likely the culprit.
Meredith Harrell with her son, Mason. The family tested positive for Covid-19.
Viruses such as measles, mumps and meningitis are known to sometimes cause sudden hearing loss, and there’s growing evidence that the novel coronavirus should be added to the list.
“We’re hearing more and more that people have hearing loss as part of their Covid infection,” said Dr. Matthew Stewart, associate professor of otolaryngology at Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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There are no statistics on how common it is for people who’ve had Covid-19 to experience hearing loss, but a few small studies point to a possible link.
A team in Manchester, England, asked Covid-19 patients eight weeks after they’d been discharged from the hospital whether they’d experienced any hearing changes or ringing in their ears.
Of the 138 patients in the study, published in the International Journal of Audiology, 13% said yes.
He said the reason is that the coronavirus is known to cause blood clots in other areas of the body, and he thinks that could be happening in the “extremely small blood vessels” in the inner ear.
Kevin Munro, an audiological scientist who co-authored the study in Manchester, said he thinks that theory makes sense.”
The capillaries in the inner ear are the smallest in the human body, so it wouldn’t take much to block them,” he said.
Munro and his team at the University of Manchester are planning larger studies on Covid-19 and hearing loss.
Until then, they’re not sure why it seems like some Covid-19 patients develop hearing loss while others don’t.
