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FG Identifies ‘Loss of Smell, Taste Senses’ As COVID-19 Symptoms
The Nigerian government has recognised the sudden loss of the senses of taste and smell as a valid symptom of COVID-19.
“If you feel you are having sudden loss of the senses of taste and smell, you should know it’s now a common symptom of COVID,” Chikwe Ihekweazu, the head of Nigeria’s Infectious Disease agency, NCDC, said during Thursday’s President Task Force Meeting on COVID-19 pandemic.
“These symptoms have been recognised globally as that of COVID-19; there are very few other diseases that would cause a sudden loss of smell and taste especially in normally otherwise healthy people,” the official noted.
This is coming several weeks after many Nigerians took to social media to complain of losing their senses of smell and taste especially during or after treating a fever.
PREMIUM TIMES also reported how the increasing complaints triggered a coronavirus scare among Nigerians especially because there was no official response from health authorities about the symptoms.
On Monday, the NCDC updated its case definition of common symptoms of COVID-19 to include “sudden loss of sense of smell and or taste”.
“A sudden loss of taste and smell with fever, headache or runny nose may be #COVID19. Please do not ignore these symptoms. Call your state hotline immediately to arrange for a test,” the NCDC twitted on its official handle.
During Thursday’s PTF meeting, the NCDC boss said the agency has been following the complaints about the strange symptoms trending on social media.
“Over the past few weeks, there have been a lot of discussions over the loss of smell and taste as symptoms of COVID-19.
“It is most likely this is linked with an increasing incidence of COVID-19 so we would expect that this should also lead to increased presentation at clinical facilities and increased testing.
“If you feel you are losing your sense of smell or taste, you should be presenting yourself for testing in the clinical facilities to determine whether or not you have COVID-19.
“I will also like to advise. Face shields are great but they should be used in addition to face masks and not in place of face masks. We are learning everyday, new technologies is emerging.”
Meanwhile, health experts have questioned the government’s ability to increase its testing capacity and also include those having these new symptoms.
On April 28, the Nigerian government announced its target of testing at least two million people within the next three months.
Almost halfway into the ambitious 90 days’ target, the country is yet to cover 10 per cent of the two million.
Nigeria still conducts only about 900 to 1,400 tests per day across 26 molecular laboratories in the country, a source confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES.
As of June 22, Nigeria has conducted a little over 115,760 tests of its estimated 200 million population and found more than 20, 000 infected persons. Out of these, over 7,000 have been treated and discharged and over 500 fatalities recorded.
Premium Times
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, has picked former Rivers State Governor and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, as his running mate.
Announcing the decision, ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said Amaechi’s emergence followed broad consultations within the party and reflected his strong performance as runner-up in the party’s presidential primaries as well as his track records of service to his state and the country.
According to the ADC, Amaechi’s extensive experience across both the legislative and executive arms of government, as former Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly, two-term Governor of Rivers State, and former Minister of Transportation, makes him uniquely qualified to complement Atiku’s leadership, strengthen the party’s national appeal, and bolster its campaign to offer Nigerians an experienced and credible alternative ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
The party said the choice of Amaechi underscores its commitment to presenting a leadership team with proven governance experience and national appeal as it prepares for the 2027 presidential contest.
ThisDay
