Bbc.com Nigeria

Coronavirus: Chelmsford nurse died due to lack of PPE, family says - BBC News

Andrew Ekene Nwankwo was so desperate for PPE he tried to buy it himself, his family claims.

Image copyrightFAMILY PHOTOImage caption Andrew Ekene Nwankwo died with coronavirus on 16 May An NHS nurse described as a "big friendly giant" was not given adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) by his hospital, his brother has said. Andrew Ekene Nwankwo, 46, a locum nurse at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford, died with coronavirus on 16 May after spending five weeks on a ventilator in intensive care there. Tochukwu Nwankwo said his brother had even tried to buy his own PPE online. A spokesman for the hospital said there had never been a lack of the equipment. Mr Nwankwo, 45, said his brother first reported Covid-19 symptoms on 4 April and self-isolated, but his condition worsened and he was left gasping for breath. He was admitted in the early hours of 11 April but never left intensive care. Image copyrightGoogleImage caption Mr Nwankwo worked as a locum nurse at Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford The nurse, who worked for the NHS for more than 10 years, had no underlying health conditions, his family said. Mr Nwankwo said: "He was being sent to face the danger without being given the adequate protection - that's the bottom line, and he told me as much. "That's what's really annoying and I'm really angry about this whole thing." A Broomfield Hospital spokesman offered condolences to the family but said: "The safety of all of our staff is our absolute priority and we have worked incredibly hard to ensure there have always been sufficient stocks of protective equipment for every member of staff who needs it." Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]

Eid-al-fitr 2020: Muslims go mark di day for house? Dis na wetin we know - BBC News

Up to six northern states for Nigeria don remove ban on religious gatherings to allow for Eid-al-Fitr and Jumat prayers but Sultan of Sokoto don advise make pipo pray for dia house.

Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage example Pipo wey dey enter mosque must wear face masks and wash dia hands Sultan of Sokoto, Sa'ad Abubakar don ask Muslims for Nigeria to avoid wia plenty pipo gada as dem dey prepare to mark Eid-el-Fitr celebrations. Di Sultan wey also be di President-General of di Nigeria Supreme Council for Islamic Affairs say instead make dem pray for dia houses wit dia family members or alone if dem dey live on dia own. Dis tok from di Sultan dey come as some state govnors for Nigeria don lift ban on religious gatherings even though say di kontri still dey record cases of Covid-19. Eid-el-Fitr celebrations for Muslims for Nigeria and around di world na to mark di end of Ramadan and e go hold dis weekend. For inside statement wey di deputy secretary-general release, im say "e dey important to know say we dey for unusual times wen almost everytin normal don become abnormal including social gatherings and big congregational prayers. "So therefore, Muslims need know say Eid-el-fitr no be compulsory religious activity and pipo no need observe am if e go undermine fundamental purpose of Shariah" Di statement add say "Muslims need to observe dia Eid prayers while dem still dey take necessary safety measures as e concern personal hygiene, face masks and social distancing." Image copyrightGetty Images 'Govnors wey say make Eid hold get power pass Sultan' Chief Imam of Sheik Jafar mosque for Kano, Sheik Abdullahi Ishaq Garangamawa tell BBC say Nigerian govnors wey give go ahead for Eid prayers to hold get power pass Sultan of Sokoto wey be leader of Nigerian muslims. According to Sheik Garangamawa wey go also lead Eid prayers, e beta as e be say Sultan na advise e advise muslims no be order because govnors tok carry weight pass im own. "Wetin Sultan tok na good thing and even for Saudi Arabia, na di same line dem take but for here since we get govnors wey don give go ahead, na di govnors own pipo go follow." "As sultan tok, every mosque wey dey go ahead must abide by di safety guidelines and so e suppose be." Wen Mosque and churches go reopen? On Tuesday May 12, 2020, Jigawa state govnor Abubakar Badaru for northwest Nigeria announce say Muslims wey dey di state fit go for dia Friday prayers for mosques for di first time in four weeks. But im also add say pipo wey don old, pikin dem and women no go dey allowed to attend di prayers. Two days later, Zamfara state govnor, Bello Matawalle announce di same lifting of ban on congregational prayers for Mosques and churches. E no tey, Kano state follow agree to allow eid-el-Fitr prayers to hold across di state as govnor Abdullahi Ganduje tok say pipo fit begin hold Friday prayers under di supervision of di Kano Hisbah board. But Ganduje also cancel Hawan Sallah - wey be traditional festival to mark di Eid celebration - across all five emirates for di state. Meanwhile for Nasarawa state, di lifting of di ban go last for two weeks after which di goment go review di situation. Image copyrightGoogleImage example Kano state central mosque 'Wetin sultan tok na di best tin' Dr Ahmad Gummi na chief imam for Sultan Bello mosque for Kaduna and one of di most popular imams for Nigeria, im tell BBC say, to follow wetin Sultan tok na im be di best for Nigerian Muslims. "Wetin sultan tok say make Muslims observe dia Eid for house na di best thing even for places like Saudi Arabia and Egypt wey get top top mallams na dis same line dem follow." "Islam na religion wey no like to put pipo inside wahala, some pipo dey fear to comot then why tell dem to comot for Eid prayer. Coronavirus na disease wey dey disturb di whole world and precaution where necessary is the best, so i support sultan 100%." 'Pipo must wear face masks for mosques' Even though say di state goments don give go ahead for mosques and churches to open, dem draw ear warn say pipo must wear face masks, observe social distancing and wash dia hands. Govnor Ganduje for im Monday meeting wit Islamic clerics for Kano state say dem don: "brief di Hisbah board to hold meetings with Imams and also deploy dia personnel to Friday Mosques across di state to ensure say worshippers comply with personal hygiene through maintaining of social distancing, wash dia hands and use sanitizers". How many cases of coronavirus dey northern Nigeria? According to di Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, as at Tuesday 19, May:

• Kano don record 842 confam cases of Covid-19
• Borno get 227 cases
• Bauchi don record 224 Covid-19 cases
• 205 Covid-19 cases na im Jigawa state don record.
• While zamfara state get 84.
• Nasarawa don record 34.

Madagascar president on coronavirus: Ghana request for Madagascar Covid-Organic herbal medicine - BBC News

Despite de lack of endorsement from WHO, Ghana wan do independent test on de what dis herbal cure dey like

Image copyrightGetty Images Govment of Ghana request for de herbal medicine wey Madagascar develop as COVID-19 'cure' for testing. Ghanaians start dey mount pressure on govment after news of Madagascar President, Andry Rajoelina reveal say dem find herbal cure for de virus. Despite de lack of endorsement from WHO, Ghana wan do independent test on de what dis herbal cure dey like. "We reach out to dem (Madagascar). We ask say make dem am available to us like all drugs" Ghana Information Minister Kojo Oppong Nkrumah reveal. "Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and Centre for Plant Medicine go test am to proven efficacious, we can recommend it use" he add. Some African countries already take stock of de said cure, but World Health Organisation (WHO) no endorse de medicine yet. Meanwhile, Ghana dey research for herbal cure too, Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine talk BBC Pidgin. Image copyrightGetty Images Wetin dey inside di drink Launched as Covid-Organics, dem produce di drink from di Artemisia plant - di source of ingredient wey dem dey use for malaria treatment and oda Malagasy plants. Dem dey market am inside bottle and as herbal tea afta dem test am on less than 20 pipo over period of three weeks, na so di president chief of staff tell BBC. Di Malagasy Institute of Applied Reseach (Imra) don "test am for two pipo and e don cure dia treatment", according to president Rajoelina. Im add say "dis herbal tea dey give results in seven days". Oga Rajoelina say di kontri dey work wit foreign researchers to create di drink as injections. Madagascar as at Wednesday 6 May, get 158 confam case of coronavirus and 99 pipo don recover from di sickness and nobody don die, according John Hopkins University. Image copyrightOtherImage example Dry Artemisia for pesin hand Wetin you need to know about Artemisia Artemisia na herbal plant. One of di local names na Wormwood. Dis herb no dey new to pipo wey dey use am for different tins including for food and medicine. E popular with di treatment of malaria. BBC Pidgin reporter Mansur Abubakar say e common for north with di Hausa pipo wey dey call di herb Tazargade. Many pipo dey use am before for one ailment or di oda. Infact as Madagascar announce say na Tazargade dem use for dia herbal cure some mosques for Kano don tell dia pipo to make use of am for dia body as protection. Image copyrightAFPImage example Di president ask researchers to come up wit a locally made product. 86 year old Aisha Musa wey dey stay Kano northwest Nigeria tell BBC say, all her life she dey use Tazargade herb for different things and e dey always dey by her side. "As I dey tok to you now, Tazargade dey my side, I dey put am for water for my grandchildren to drink or burn am for charcoal for the smell to go round the house, e dey do a lot of things, cold and flu, fever and body pains."Married women wey dey also face one problem or the other for bedroom dey also use am for north. Di 'cure' dey safe? World Health Organization (WHO) don advise pipo against di use of Covid-19 remedies wey dey untested. "Africans deserve to use medicines wey dem test to di same standards as pipo for di rest of di world," na so WHO, di United Nations health agency, tok in for statement on Monday. "Even if therapies come from traditional practice and natural, to establish if e dey work and dey safe e dey important for am to go through serious clinical trials," na so di statement add. Meanwhile, di African Union say dem dey discuss wit Madagascar wit aim to obtain technical data regarding di safety and efficiency of di herbal remedy. For attempt to reassure pipo and brush aside safety concerns, Rajoelina drink di Covid-Organics for di launch event and say e dey safe for children to take am. Meanwhile, President Andry Rajoelina say di reason pipo dey doubt im kontri herbal remedy for Covid-19 na because di cure "comes from Africa". "If na European kontri dem discover dis remedy, shey many doubts go dey?''E tell France 24 and Radio France International inside interview. ''Di problem na say e come from Africa. And dem no fit accept say kontri like Madagascar, wey be one of di poorest kontries for di world, don discover dis formula to save di world," e tok. Confam cases wey dey for di world Group 4 Abeg upgrade your browser to see di full interactive Di circles dey show di numba of confam coronavirus case per kontri. Source: Johns Hopkins University, national public health agencies Last figure update May 19, 2020, 5:04 PM GMT+1 Scroll table to see more data *Deaths per 100,000 population Abeg update your browser to see full experience

Climate change: Top 10 tips to reduce carbon footprint revealed - BBC News

A report lists some of the best ways people can tackle their own contribution to climate change.

Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Switching to a vegan diet can help but doesn't quite have the impact of other measures Climate change can still be tackled but only if people are willing to embrace major shifts in the way we live, a report says. The authors have put together a list of the best ways for people to reduce their carbon footprints. The response to the Covid-19 crisis has shown that the public is willing to accept radical change if they consider it necessary, they explain. And the report adds that government priorities must be re-ordered. Protecting the planet must become the first duty of all decision-makers, the researchers argue. The authors urge the public to contribute by adopting the carbon-cutting measures in the report, which is based on an analysis of 7,000 other studies. Top of the list is living car-free, which saves an average of 2.04 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person annually. This is followed by driving a battery electric car - 1.95 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person annually - and taking one less long-haul flight each year - 1.68 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per person. Switching to a vegan diet will help - but less than tackling transport, the research shows. It says popular activities such as recycling are worthwhile, but dont cut emissions by as much. Change of mindset The lead author, Dr Diana Ivanova from Leeds University, told BBC News: We need a complete change of mindset. We have to agree how much carbon we can each emit within the limits of what the planet can bear then make good lives within those boundaries. The top 10 options are available to us now, without the need for controversial and expensive new technologies. Dr Ivanova said the coronavirus lockdown has shown that many people could live without cars if public transport, walking and cycling were improved. Her research highlights rich people who typically take more flights, drive bigger cars and consume the most. A 'moral issue' She said: All the world suffers from climate change, but its not the average person who flies regularly its a small group, yet aviation is under-taxed. Its a moral issue. In her league table, buying renewable power and using public transport rank fourth and fifth. Sixth is insulating your home well, which saves 0.895 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. Seventh is switching to a vegan diet, which saves 0.8 tonnes. Image copyrightPA MediaImage caption Effectively insulating your home is an important step Other top actions are using heat pumps; switching from polluting cookstoves (in developing countries) to better methods of cooking, and heating buildings with renewable energy. Dr Ivanova said that if people implemented the measures, it would save around nine tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e) per person per year. Current annual household emissions are around 10 tonnes in the UK, and 17 in the US. 'Valuable' study The study, out soon in the journal Environmental Research Letters, says the following are worthwhile, but of lesser benefit to the climate: green roofs; using less paper; buying more durable items; turning down the thermostat - and recycling, which saves 0.01 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year, according to Dr Ivanova. Image copyrightReutersImage caption Outside of lockdown, taking fewer flights can make a major contribution to cutting carbon Some of the findings will be questioned. Polls suggest some people think climate is as important as the virus, for instance, but some dont. Professor Tommy Wiedmann from the University of New South Wales in Australia, said: This is a valuable study. But it only looks at the carbon footprint and not at other impacts like water scarcity because of lithium mining for electric car batteries. Libby Peake, from the Green Alliance think tank, told BBC News: People shouldnt stop good habits like recycling, which saves some carbon while preventing waste and conserving resources. Better design allows people to buy fewer but higher-quality things and to live in buildings with lower carbon footprints. These savings arent necessarily covered by this study. Follow Roger on Twitter.

Madagascar: Di kontri wey dey try 'save' Africa from coronavirus - BBC News

President Andry Rajoelina don catch di world attention wit im proposed 'cure' for coronavirus.

Image copyrightAndry Rajoelina/TwitterImage example Rajoelina na one-time DJ For time wey di World dey look for answer to di global coronavirus pandemic, one kontri leader don dey di forefront of di battle. Madagascar President Andry Rajoelina don catch di world attention wit im 'herbal drink' wey im say dey cure coronavirus. Although di World Health Organization (WHO) don warn say di drink need further testing, some African kontris don begin enter queue to order am to test. On 8 April, president Rajoelina announce to di world di "medicinal plant" wey go see Madagascar" change di course of history" sake of im discovery. Despite wetin WHO tok, Rajoelina say pipo wey dey criticize im solution to coronavirus dey show di West attitude towards tins wey come from Africa. Im say "If e be say na European kontri actually discover dis remedy, so much doubt go dey? I no tink so." Image copyrightAFPImage example President Rajoelina launch Covid Organics wey im say fit cure coronavirus Who be Andry Rajoelina? 46-years-old Rajoelina na long time businessman and na one-time Disk Jockey alias DJ. Im enter politics for 2007 wen im contest to be Mayor of Madagascar capital, Antananarivo. Rajoelina na di 7th president of di island nation, im don marry and get three children. Wetin you suppose know about Madagascar

• Madagascar na di fourth largest island for di world after Greenland, New Guinea and Borneo
• Di kontri get population of ova 26 million pipo according to informate from di World Bank
• According to di United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, almost one in 10 Malagasies dey smoke weed
• Madagascar currency name na Malagasy Ariary and for today market, one Ariary dey equal to $3,827
• Di French na dem colonize Madagascar, di kontri gain independence on June 26, 1960

Khashoggi fiancée calls for Premier League to block Newcastle Saudi takeover - BBC News

Hatice Cengiz said the Premier League should block the takeover due to the killing of her fiancée.

Image copyrightAFPImage caption Hatice Cengiz has called on the Premier League to block the takeover The fiancée of murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi has urged the Premier League to block the takeover of Newcastle United by Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi, a dissident Saudi columnist, was killed in 2018 inside Saudi Arabia's consulate in Turkey. Western intelligence agencies believe Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman ordered his death - which he denies. Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund, led by the prince, looks set to acquire an 80% stake in the club. But lawyers speaking on behalf of Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggi's fiancée, said the takeover should be blocked over the killing. Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Newcastle were 13th in the Premier League when football was suspended indefinitely amid the coronavirus pandemic What do we know about the takeover? Mike Ashley has owned Newcastle since 2007 and put the club up for sale in 2017. The proposed Saudi takeover is thought to be worth some £300 million. But it has already caused much controversy. The Saudi government has been accused of facilitating the theft of Premier League commercial rights, while Amnesty International has criticised the potential deal due to the country's dire human rights record. The country has also been accused of "sportswashing", a term used to describe countries that try to improve their international reputation by investing in major teams or hosting big sporting events. But these accusations have been rebuffed by the Saudi government, which claims it wants to get more of its people engaged in sport. What has Khashoggi's fiancée said? Lawyers for Ms Cengiz said in a letter on her behalf that the Premier League should block the takeover. "It is undoubtedly the right, proper and lawful action for you (chief executive Richard Masters) and the Premier League to take, especially in light of the ruthless killing of Ms Cengiz's fiancée," the letter said. There should be no place in English football for anyone "involved in such abhorrent acts", it said. Media captionMohammed bin Salman is asked: "Did you order the murder of Jamal Khashoggi?" "The standing of both the Premiership and English football in general would be tarnished by your connection with those who commit the most appalling crimes and then seek to whitewash them, and who seek to use English football as a way of improving their image and hiding their transgressions." What happened to Jamal Khashoggi? The journalist - who had gone into self-imposed exile in the US in 2017 - went to the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October 2018, seeking papers to marry Ms Cengiz. Investigators believe that as she waited outside, the 59-year-old was murdered and then dismembered. Khashoggi's remains have never been found. The gruesome killing shocked the world and UN Special Rapporteur Agnes Callamard said there was credible evidence that Crown Prince Mohammed and other high-level Saudi officials were individually liable. A court in Saudi Arabia last year sentenced five people to death and jailed three others over his murder. Turkey has separately charged 20 suspects over the murder.

Coronavirus: Nigeria to ease Abuja and Lagos lockdowns on 4 May - BBC News

There will be new nationwide measures, including a night-time curfew and mandatory face masks.

Image copyrightReutersImage caption People banged pots and pans in protest at the scarcity of food in Abuja on Saturday Nigeria will begin a "gradual easing" of coronavirus-related lockdowns in the federal capital territory of Abuja, and Lagos and Ogun states from 4 May. The lockdowns had been due to end on Monday night, but President Muhammadu Buhari said they needed to continue. He also ordered new nationwide measures against Covid-19, including a night-time curfew and mandatory face masks. The moves would ensure the economy functioned "while still maintaining our aggressive response", Mr Buhari said. Earlier, workers at a construction site in Lagos rioted in protest at the lockdown. A police spokesman said the workers at the Lekki Free Trade zone - including those at the oil refinery of billionaire Aliko Dangote - went on the rampage and injured several officers in the area. Fifty-one people were arrested, he added. There are reports that the protesters were angry that some foreign nationals were allowed to go to work at the site. Nigeria, Africa's most-populous nation and largest economy, has reported 1,273 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 40 deaths. In a televised address on Monday night, Mr Buhari acknowledged that the lockdowns in Abuja, Lagos and Ogun had "come at a very heavy economic cost" since they began on 30 March. "Many of our citizens have lost their means of livelihood. Many businesses have shut down," he said. Image copyrightReutersImage caption President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigeria was maintaining its aggressive response to Covid-19 He added: "No country can afford the full impact of a sustained lockdown while awaiting the development of vaccines." The president said there would therefore be a "phased and gradual easing" of the lockdowns next Monday to allow some economic activities to resume. But to limit the spread of Covid-19, he announced that the government would impose a curfew across the country between 20:00 and 06:00, require everyone to wear face masks in public, and stop "non-essential inter-state passenger travel". Media captionThe BBC's Secunder Kermani and Anne Soy compare how prepared Asian and African countries are Bans on social and religious gatherings will also remain in place. Mr Buhari also expressed deep concern over the unexplained deaths of a number of people in the northern state of Kano. He said a lockdown would be imposed there for two weeks with immediate effect and that he was sending a government team to investigate.

Coronavirus: Disinfectant firm warns after Trump comments - BBC News

The makers of Lysol and Dettol say disinfectants are hazardous substances and should not be ingested.

Let us know you agree to cookies We use cookies to give you the best online experience. Please let us know if you agree to all of these cookies. Video caption Top US doctor says heat is "not a treatment" for Covid-19 A leading disinfectant producer has issued a strong warning not to use its products on the human body after Donald Trump suggested they could potentially be used to treat coronavirus. Reckitt Benckiser said "under no circumstance" should its products be injected or ingested. On Friday, Mr Trump said his comments during Thursday's coronavirus taskforce briefing had been made "sarcastically". Disinfectants are hazardous substances and can be poisonous if ingested. Even external exposure can be dangerous to the skin, eyes and respiratory system. Mr Trump's comments have been heavily criticised by doctors and have generated a huge online response. They have provoked hundreds of thousands of comments and caused well-known cleaning brands to trend on social media. Reckitt Benckiser, which owns brands including Lysol, Dettol, Vanish and Cillit Bang, said its products should not be administered "through injection, ingestion or any other route". "Our disinfectant and hygiene products should only be used as intended and in line with usage guidelines. Please read the label and safety information," the company said in a statement . During Thursday's White House coronavirus task force briefing, an official presented the results of US government research that indicated coronavirus appeared to weaken faster when exposed to sunlight and heat. The study also showed bleach could kill the virus in saliva or respiratory fluids within five minutes, and isopropyl alcohol could kill it even more quickly. Mr Trump then hypothesised about the possibility of using a "tremendous ultraviolet" or "just very powerful light" on or even inside the body as a potential treatment. "And then I see the disinfectant where it knocks it out in a minute. One minute," he said. "And is there a way we can do something like that, by injection inside or almost a cleaning? "Because you see it gets in the lungs and does a tremendous number on them, so it'd be interesting to check that," he said. Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Disinfectants are hazardous substances and even external exposure can be dangerous In a statement on Friday morning, the White House press secretary said the president had "repeatedly" told Americans to consult doctors about coronavirus treatment. "Leave it to the media to irresponsibly take President Trump out of context and run with negative headlines," Kayleigh McEnany said. However, the White House statement did not make any reference to the comments being sarcasm. On Friday afternoon, Mr Trump told journalists: "I was asking a question sarcastically to reporters like you just to see what would happen," The president's comments have dominated social media platforms like Twitter and Reddit since Thursday night. Many compared his idea to a dangerous viral trend in 2018 where people ate Tide laundry detergent pods. Lysol, which is one of the America's best known cleaning brands, has been named in tweets at least 125,000 times since the White House news conference. Owners Reckitt Benckiser said they issued their statement on Friday "due to recent speculation and social media activity". Doctors warned that the president's suggestion could have fatal results. "This notion of injecting or ingesting any type of cleansing product into the body is irresponsible and it's dangerous," Dr Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and global health policy expert, told NBC news . "It's a common method that people utilise when they want to kill themselves." Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Mr Trump directed his seemingly off-the-cuff suggestions to Dr Deborah Birx, his coronavirus response co-ordinator "Inhaling chlorine bleach would be absolutely the worst thing for the lungs," pulmonologist John Balmes told Bloomberg News . "The airway and lungs are not made to be exposed to even an aerosol of disinfectant. "Not even a low dilution of bleach or isopropyl alcohol is safe. It's a totally ridiculous concept." This is not the first time that Mr Trump's medical advice has generated controversy and criticism. He has previously hyped a malaria medication, hydroxychloroquin, despite a lack of clinical evidence it helps treat Covid-19 and some concerns it can even be detrimental. Analysis by Rachel Schraer, BBC health reporter Using a disinfectant can kill viruses on surfaces. It's a very good idea to keep clean the things you touch, using products with anti-microbial properties - for example, substances with a high alcohol content. There is also some evidence that, in general, viruses on surfaces die more quickly when directly exposed to sunlight. But we don't know how much or how long they have to be exposed for UV light to have an effect, so you're far safer just washing your hands and surfaces and trying not to touch your face. Crucially, this is only about infected objects and surfaces - not about what happens once the virus is inside your body. One of the main ways of catching the virus is by breathing in droplets expelled by an infected person, mainly by sneezing and coughing. The virus very quickly begins to multiply and spread, eventually reaching the lungs. Not only does consuming or injecting disinfectant risk poisoning and death, it's not even likely to be effective. Equally, by the time the virus has taken hold inside your body, no amount of UV light on your skin is going to make a difference. And since UV radiation damages the skin, using it to kill the virus could be a case of - to borrow a well-worn phrase - the cure being worse than the disease. Earlier this week, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warned Americans to be careful with cleaning products as sales of household disinfectants soar amid the pandemic. "Calls to poison centres increased sharply at the beginning of March 2020 for exposures to both cleaners and disinfectants," the agency's weekly morbidity and mortality report found . The US Food and Drug Administration has also warned against ingesting disinfectants , citing the sale of bogus miracle cures that contain bleach and purport to treat everything from autism to Aids and hepatitis. Last week, a federal judge secured a temporary injunction against one organisation, known as the Genesis II Church of Health and Healing, for marketing one of these products as a potential coronavirus cure.

Hopes dashed as coronavirus drug remdesivir fails first trial - BBC News

There had been hope that remdesivir could treat Covid-19, but its first study proved unsuccessful.

Image copyrightReutersImage caption There had been been widespread hope that remdesivir could treat Covid-19 A potential antiviral drug for the coronavirus has reportedly failed in its first randomised clinical trial. There had been widespread hope that remdesivir could treat Covid-19. But a Chinese trial showed that the drug had not been successful, according to draft documents accidentally published by the World Health Organization. The drug did not improve patients' condition or reduce the pathogen's presence in the bloodstream, it said. The US firm behind the drug, Gilead Sciences, said the document had mischaracterised the study. What do we know about the study? News of the failed trial spread after the WHO posted details on its clinical trials database, before it was removed. The WHO has since confirmed the draft report was mistakenly uploaded. It showed that researchers studied 237 patients, administering the drug to 158 and comparing their progress with the remaining 79, who received a placebo. After a month, 13.9% of the patients taking the drug had died compared to 12.8% of those receiving the placebo. The trial was stopped early because of side-effects. "Remdesivir was not associated with clinical or virological benefits," the summary states. All three main US stock indexes fell back from gains of over 1% after the news broke over the trial. What do I need to know about the coronavirus? What has the company said? Gilead has disputed the WHO post. "We believe the post included inappropriate characterisations of the study," a spokesman for Gilead said, adding that it was terminated early due to low enrolment and was therefore not statistically meaningful. "As such, the study results are inconclusive, though trends in the data suggest a potential benefit for remdesivir, particularly among patients treated early in disease," he said. This does not spell the end of the road for the drug, however, and several continuing trials will soon provide a clearer picture on the drug's use. Media captionCoronavirus: What is a vaccine and how is one made?

Coronavirus: Why some Nigerians are gloating about Covid-19 - BBC News

Many rich Nigerians, including the political classes, used to go abroad for medical treatment - but no longer.

Image copyrightGetty Images In our series of letters from African writers, Nigerian novelist Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani reflects on the different attitudes of the rich and poor towards coronavirus. Many Nigerians gloat that Covid-19 is mainly targeting the country's elite, particularly politicians, despite warnings that the life-threatening respiratory illness could hit the poor as well. The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has recorded more than 600 cases since the end of February - most of them people who had been abroad, and those they had interacted with after their return to Africa's most-populous state, which has a population of about 200 million. So far, Nigeria's list of people who got or have died from Covid-19 includes President Muhammadu Buhari's chief of staff, politicians, heads of government agencies, former ambassadors and their aides or relatives. These are the kind of people who normally jet off to the UK, Germany, or the US at the slightest headache because Nigeria's state hospitals are poorly funded, run-down, and lack adequate equipment. Nigeria: Key factsPopulation of about 200m

• 50%live in extreme poverty
• 70%do not have safe drinking water and sanitation
• 69%of urban residents live in slum conditions
• 49%of children under five are stunted, too thin or overweight
• 23%of labour force is unemployed