Covid-19: Singapore engages robotic dogs to monitor, record and report social distancing defaulters

Singapore has announced that henceforth it'll be deploying robot dogs in an effort to help encourage people to practise social distancing as the country deals with the Coronavirus pandemic  

On Friday, the government announced it would start deploying Spot, a famous yellow and black canine robot made by BostonDynamics' at local parks and that the robot "dog" will patrol the local areas broadcasting a pre-recorded message to visitors to remind them of the importance of social distancing.

The robotic dog will be equipped with cameras that will scan the surroundings and help government officials estimate the number of people gathering in parks.

"These cameras will not be able to track and/or recognize specific individuals, and no personal data will be collected," the government said in a statement.

"Unlike wheeled robots, Spot works well across different terrains and can navigate obstacles effectively, making it ideal for operation in public parks and gardens," it noted.

According to the government of Singapore, the robotic dog project will run in a limited trial for two weeks at one park during off-peak hours and if all goes well, authorities will consider expanding the program.

Singapore has suffered an alarming spike in Coronavirus cases recently after being praised initially for their handling of the virus.

Since March 17, Singapore's number of confirmed Coronavirus cases grew from 266 to 21,707 cases, according Johns Hopkins University which collates Covid-19 data worldwide .

In March, Singapore launched a contact-tracing app that uses Bluetooth to help users find out if they had close contact with someone infected by the virus.

Source: LIB

Covid-19: Tested Sperm in New Research Reveals Coronavirus Coud Also be STD

By News Proof 

Chinese researchers who tested sperm of men infected with COVID-19 found that a minority of them had the new coronavirus in their semen, opening up a small chance the disease could be transmitted sexually, scientists said on Thursday.

According to Reuters, a study by doctors at China’s Shangqiu Municipal Hospital of 38 men hospitalised with the disease found that six of them, or 16 per cent, tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in their semen.

The researchers said that while the findings were preliminary and based on only a small number of infected men, more research is needed to see whether sexual transmission might play a role in the spreading COVID-19 pandemic.

“Further studies are required with respect to the detailed information about virus shedding, survival time and concentration in semen,” the team wrote in a study published in JAMA Network Open.

“If it could be proved that SARS-CoV-2 can be transmitted sexually … (that) might be a critical part of the prevention,” they said, “especially considering the fact that SARS-CoV-2 was detected in the semen of recovering patients.”

Independent experts said the findings were interesting but should be viewed with caution and in the context of other small studies that have not found the new coronavirus in sperm.

A previous small study of 12 COVID-19 patients in China in February and March found that all of them tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 in semen samples.

Allan Pacey, a professor of andrology at Britain’s Sheffield University, said the studies should not be seen as conclusive, since there were some technical difficulties in testing semen for viruses. He said the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in sperm did not show whether it is active and capable of causing infection

Comply with directives, protocols at isolation centres, Minister tells…

“However, we should not be surprised if the virus which causes COVID-19 is found in the semen of some men, since this has been shown with many other viruses such as Ebola and Zika,” he said.

Sheena Lewis, a professor of reproductive medicine at Queen’s University Belfast, stressed that this was a “very small study” and said its findings were in keeping with other small studies showing low or no SARS-CoV-2 in tests of semen samples.

“However, the long-term effects of SARS-CoV-2 on male reproduction are not yet known,” she said.

Covid-19: Popular Nigerian born British rapper dies of coronavirus

A Nigerian born British Rapper, Ty is dead at the age of 47 due to “complications” from coronavirus, his team reportedly confirmed on Thursday.

Ben “Ty” Chijioke was fighting for his life in a medically-induced coma after he tested positive for COVID-19, according to The Daily Mail.

A fundraiser for the critically acclaimed UK hip-hop star was launched in early April.

According to the page, the music star was: “admitted into the hospital with medical complications related to Covid-19.

“Shortly after, he was put in a medically induced coma to temporarily sedate to help his body receive the appropriate treatment.”

The star was then placed into a medically-induced coma, and later put on a ventilator, but was moved out of intensive care after his condition improved.

In the fundraisers’ last post on April 19, friend Diane Laidlow said: ‘Hey guys. Just to update you that TY is now out of the intensive care unit and is on a normal ward. He is doing much better. Super excited.’

‘I closed the page a few days ago but several people contacted me because they wanted to donate so I opened it again for a few days.’ 

Ty first shot to prominence in 2001 with his The Awkward, and his second album Upwards was nominated for The Mercury Prize in 2004. 

He went onto release three more albums with his last being A Work Of Heart in 2018.

Last year Ty also formed a supergroup called Kingdem featuring rappers Blak Twang and Rodney P. 

The rap superstar also collaborated with artists including Soweto Kinch, De La Soul and Roots Manuva. 

Since Ty’s passing many stars have paid tribute on social media, with Roots Manuva writing: ‘Rest my Brother. You did good.’

Blak Twang posted: ‘KING ”BENEDICT OBIOMA GODWIN EVERY LITTLE STEP IS A SOVEREIGN” Forever in my heart bro… Rest well my guy… we were blessed with your greatness.’  

Ghetts simply posted: ‘Ty fly high my brother,’ while  Roots Manuva posted: ‘Rest my brother. You did good.’ 

BREAKING: 381 New Covid-19 index cases in Nigeria

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control NCDC has announced the at there are 381 new index cases of Covid-19 in in Nigeria 

381 new cases of #COVID19;

183-Lagos

55-Kano

44-Jigawa

19-Zamfara

19-Bauchi

11-Katsina

9-Borno

8-Kwara

7-Kaduna

6-Gombe

5-Ogun

4-Sokoto

3-Oyo

3-Rivers

2-Niger

1-Akwa Ibom

1-Enugu

1-Plateau

3526 cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria

Discharged: 601

Deaths: 107 https://t.co/H5ouYwO9Cj

Covid-19: Nigeria'll consider local herbs treatment but... - Health Minister

By Dansu Peter 

The Nigeria's Health Minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire has the government would consider treating Coronavirus patients with local herbs but not until they are tested and certified safe for human body. 

Answering reporters’ questions at the briefing, the minister said the federal government would not settle for local herbs for COVID-19 cure now because such herbs were yet to be tested on any patient.

He said it would be risky to give patients to such claimants to the cure, in order to avoid toxic being administered on the patients.

“We have to test the efficacy of local drugs to see of it can kill the virus and also to find out that is in the process of killing the virus, it can affect the body. So, the institute will carry out the required test on the local drugs find out how it can work,” Ehanire said.

Covid-19 Herbal Cure : African Union defies WHO's warning, contacs Madagascar for CovidOrganic

By Dansu Peter 

In defiance to the warning of the World's Health Organization, WHO, the African Union has opened discussions with Madagascar aimed at exploring the safety and efficiency of a herbal remedy purported to cure COVID-19.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a warning against people using untested remedies for coronavirus.

It's no longer news that  Madagascar had launched Covid-Organics, a herbal cure vaccine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic

after conducting internal tests on the herbal remedy. 

The product has been championed by President Andry Rajoelina, who has held talks with various other African leaders in Africa to take up the remedy to aid their fight against the disease.

Countries that have expressed a willingness to acquire the drug include Comoros, the Republic of Congo and Guinea Bissau.

Now, the African Union says it will look into CovidOrganics after Rajoelina presented the medicine to other leaders from Africa in a teleconference Meeting on April 29.

“Once furnished with the details, the Union, through the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC), will review the scientific data gathered so far on the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 Organics. This review will be based on global technical and ethical norms to garner the necessary scientific evidence regarding the performance of the tonic,” the African Union said.

WHO has issued a warning against people using untested remedies for coronavirus.

Africans deserve access to medicines that have gone through proper trials even if they are derived from traditional treatments, it said.

Its statement comes as Madagascar's president is promoting a herbal tonic for treating Covid-19 patients.

The African Union (AU) said it wanted to see the scientific data on the "safety and efficacy" of the product.

The tonic, known as Covid-Organics, was tested on fewer than 20 people over three weeks, a presidential aide told the BBC - which is not in line with WHO guidelines on clinical trials.

This can be a lengthy process in which a potential drug is tested in four phases, scaling up from a trial on a small number of patients to using it on a population countrywide.

Despite these reservations, several African countries, including Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea and Liberia, have already ordered Covid-Organics, which is produced from the artemisia plant - the source of an ingredient used in a malaria treatment - and other Malagasy plants.

Last week, Madagascar's President, Andry Rajoelina, spoke to an online meeting of African leaders about the tonic.

Following that meeting the AU asked to see more details about Covid-Organics which could be reviewed by the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC).

4 already dead of Covid-19 in Kogi Journalist makes shocking revelations

Despite the official reports by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, which indicates there is no index case of coronavirus in Kogi state , a journalist, Fisayo Soyombo's shocking revelations about the virus in the state has suggest otherwise. 

Soyombo in serial tweets this afternoon  narrated shocking details of deaths in FMC, Lokoja, Kogi state, after patients exhibited COVID-19 symptoms, as he accused the state government of cover-up.

According to Soyombo, at least 4 patients have died within one week at the Federal Medical Centre, Lokoja, yet their samples weren't taken while they were alive or after they died to check if they had Coronavirus.

He added that there have been other patients who exhibited COVID-19 symptoms but were not tested and were later discharged.

He told of a pregnant woman who recently returned to Kogi from Lagos. She went to FMC, Lokoja, on March 22, for a ceserean section operation and showed symptoms of COVID-19, yet she wasn't tested and was discharged after her surgery.

He added that last week, there were patients in the O&G ward "who manifested respiratory issues, inability to breathe and other COVID-19 symptoms." He said three of them ended up dying. 

He tweeted: "One more patient exhibited potential COVID-19 symptoms on Sunday but moves for sample collection were futile; by yesterday (May 4), the patient was dead.

"I’ve been told there are more suspected cases, but these were the ones I personally tracked."

Fisayo accused the Kogi state government of cover up and suggested that they might be covering up Coronavirus cases in the state for three reasons, one being that none of the isolation centres in the state are ready for use. He said the second reason is that the state government doesn't have money to give to the people as palliatives so they pretend the state is free of COVID-19 cases.

He wrote: "Why would the state govt want to hide COVID-19 cases? There may be many reasons but I’m sure of three, so far:

"1. None of the 3 isolation centres — at SDG/FAREC Clinic, the Kogi State Diagnostics Centre & the Maimuna and Usman Yahaya Foundation Hospital — is ready for use."

Kogi state claims it has no case of Coronavirus but Fisayo's thread is questioning this claim.

Read the full thread below.

Man with chronic Covid-19 symptoms tests NEGATIVE, shares result online

By Dansu Peter 

A South African, Dumisani Ndubane by name has shared his negative test result of the global ravaging pandemic, the Covid-19, despite having chronic symptoms associated with the dreaded virus. 

Ndubane, in a post on his Facebook time-line said he decided to share the result of his Covid-19 test to correct the misconception many have about subjecting self to the test having observed some related symptoms. 

See text of Dumisani Ndubane's on Facebook below:

"Friends and comrades, my test results are finally in. The SARS-CoV-2  PCR test is Negative. This means they did not detect the viral RNA signature of the Corona virus in the throat swab sample they took from me." 

"This is welcome news for me particularly because I do have a history of acute pneumonia and ended up being hospitalized for 5 days in 2009 after developing a cruel case of pneumonia in one lung." 

"It does mean however that I need to continue being vigilant and take precaution when venturing out, as I can still get infected with this virus and I don't know if my body will mount a good enough response when I do." 

"On the positive side, it does mean that my hyper active mind will dial down on imagining pseudo symptoms. And just concentrate on conquering this cough that I still have." 

"Why share this here in this public platform? I want to contribute in fighting the fear around testing. Would I have shared if the results were positive? Yes, I would have, because even that would go some way towards delivering the message that at some point many of us will contract this disease."