Health
No 10 to buy new antiviral treatments for Covid in time for winter

No 10 to buy new antiviral treatments for Covid in time for winter
No 10 has made deals to buy hundreds of thousands of doses of two new antiviral treatments for coronavirus, ministers have announced, at least one of which it is hoped will be approved for use in the UK ahead of the winter.
One deal covers 480,000 courses of molnupiravir, which can be taken as a pill twice a day. In trials, the drug, made by Merck, known as MSD outside the US, has been shown to cut the risk of hospitalisation or death for patients not in hospital by half.
The other treatment is PF-07321332/ritonavir, a combination of another oral antiviral treatment with ritonavir, a drug usually used to treat HIV/Aids. Made by Pfizer, the UK has a deal for 250,000 courses, the announcement said.
Neither treatment would be used in patients before approval by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA); trials for PF-07321332/ritonavir are still under way. The supply of molnupiravir is expected to arrive no earlier than mid-November, with the Pfizer antivirals expected in late January.
Ministers and health advisers said the deals, made by the government’s antivirals taskforce, could play a significant role in reducing the extent of serious Covid cases over the winter. The health secretary, Sajid Javid, said they would form part of “an armoury of lifesaving measures to tackle the virus”.
Prof Jonathan Van-Tam, England’s deputy chief medical officer, said antivirals would be “particularly vital in protecting those who may not get the same antibody response to the vaccines as the majority of the population”. He added: “We will now work quickly to ensure the right cohorts of people receive these treatments as soon as possible, should they be approved by the MHRA.”
Health officials expect that most of the antivirals will be used to treat elderly people and immunocompromised individuals, who are most likely to be hospitalised with severe disease. The drugs work in different ways and could be used in combination in the future. The supplies are expected to last this winter and next.
Antivirals, which can be used to either treat those infected with a virus or protect people from becoming infected, have become an increasingly important part of the response to Covid. The health department says the first treatment used for Covid, dexamethasone – a steroid that dampens lung inflammation rather than an antiviral – has since saved 22,000 lives in the UK and about a million worldwide.
One key aim for the taskforce has been to find an antiviral pill that people can take at home before winter sets in.
Health
NCDC records 832 Lassa fever, Mpox cases, 135 deaths

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has confirmed the country has recorded 832 confirmed cases of Lassa fever and Mpox.
Speaking during a press briefing on Friday in Abuja, the agency’s Director General, Dr. Jide Idris, revealed that 132 fatalities were recorded from Lassa fever and three from Mpox.
While acknowledging a recent decline in Lassa fever infections during epidemiological week 16 (ending April 20, 2025), he warned that the overall risk remains high, particularly in endemic regions.
“Cumulatively, as of week 16, Nigeria has reported 4,253 suspected cases of Lassa fever, 696 confirmed cases, and 132 deaths, resulting in a case fatality rate of 19.0 percent,” he stated.
Dr. Idris attributed recent improvements to intensified surveillance, treatment efforts, and enhanced community engagement. He emphasized, however, the continued need for vigilance and collaboration to sustain progress.
Regarding Mpox, the NCDC boss disclosed that three deaths have been recorded in 2025—two in Abia and Ebonyi States in week 10, and one recently in Rivers State involving a patient co-infected with HIV and tuberculosis. As of week 16, 723 suspected cases and 136 laboratory-confirmed cases of Mpox have been reported across 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). The national case fatality rate currently stands at 2.2 per cent.
“The epidemic curve reveals multiple peaks in Mpox cases, indicating ongoing transmission. While most states have reported suspected cases, confirmed infections are heavily concentrated in Nigeria’s southern and central regions,” Dr. Idris noted.
To address these outbreaks, the NCDC has activated its Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), deployed National Rapid Response Teams to affected states, and prepositioned essential medical supplies, including personal protective equipment and laboratory consumables. Five additional Mpox diagnostic laboratories have also been optimized in Bauchi, Kano, Cross River, Rivers, and Enugu States.
“Healthcare workers are undergoing specialized training in infection prevention, case management, and cerebrospinal meningitis (CSM) care. Community outreach is being reinforced through public awareness campaigns, media engagement, and targeted health communication strategies,” he added.
On cerebrospinal meningitis, Dr. Idris reported a consistent decline in new cases and fatalities over the last three weeks.
He attributed the improvement to effective vaccination, early treatment, and adaptive surveillance strategies tailored to real-time data.
“Although the situation remains serious, strong national and state-level coordination is showing positive results. The response will continue until full containment is achieved and states take full ownership of the CSM Incident Action Plan,” he said.
Dr. Idris also expressed concern about the rising Mpox trend since its reemergence in 2017, with significant spikes recorded between 2022 and 2024, positioning Nigeria among the most affected countries globally. He warned that underreporting and delayed data entry remain challenges that need urgent resolution to ensure accurate and timely outbreak response.
A national mortality review for the recent Mpox deaths is being planned to further assess response effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
The NCDC reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding public health through timely surveillance, transparent reporting, and coordinated national response mechanisms aimed at reducing disease burden and preventing future outbreaks.
Health
Only 89 doctors left in Kwara Govt hospitals amid ‘Japa’ crisis – Health Board
The Executive Secretary of the Kwara State Hospital Management Board, Abdulrahman Malik, disclosed that there is an acute shortage of medical doctors in the state-owned hospitals.
Speaking at the state interministerial press briefing for the first quarter of 2025 on Tuesday, April 29, Malik said that due to the ‘Japa’ syndrome, doctors do not want to take up appointments with the state government, even when the government is ready to recruit them.
He lamented that while between 180 and 200 doctors are required in the government service, only 89 of them are available in the service.
He said the number of available doctors only recently became 89 from 86 when three who had left the service returned after the government introduced a new and improved salary for the doctors’ services.
The hospital board’s boss said the government had been trying to attract doctors to the state service with improved salaries and facilities that could encourage them to stay, especially in the rural areas where many of them do not want to go.
He also disclosed that the government has introduced an intern nurses programme for the training of nurses who would replace many nurses who had left the service for abroad.
“The mass exodus of health professionals is severely affecting our capacity to provide adequate care,” the official said.
“Gov. AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has approved an upgrade in the salaries of our doctors to match federal pay in a bid to retain the few we have left.
“The revised salary structure has led to the return of three doctors who had previously resigned, bringing the total number on the state’s payroll to 89.
“However, the figure still falls short of the estimated 180 to 200 physicians needed to serve the state’s population effectively.
“Nigeria’s doctor-to-patient ratio is currently estimated at one doctor to over 5,000 patients, far below the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended one doctor to 600 patients.”
Health
Wike approves recruitment of 34 resident doctors for FCT hospitals

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Mr Nyesom Wike, has approved the recruitment of 34 resident doctors for a seven-year residency training to enhance health-care delivery in FCT.
Mr Lere Olayinka, Senior Special Assistant to the minister on Public Communications and Social Media, made this known in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday.
Olayinka explained that the 34 doctors would be the first batch of 60 medical doctors approved for residency training in eight specialities in FCT Administration hospitals.
He said that five out of the 34 doctors would work in the psychiatric department, four in internal medicine and one in general surgery.
Others, he said would comprise one in anesthesiology, eight in family medicine, six in ophthalmology and nine in obstetrics and gynaecology.
“This is the first time this is being done outside employees of the Health Management Board, thereby, giving doctors more opportunity and bringing more competent hands into healthcare delivery in the FCT,” he said.
The spokesman added that the remaining 26 doctors would be recruited in due course by the FCTA Civil Service Commission.
He said that the 26 doctors would comprise one for psychiatry department, four for internal medicine, eight for general surgery, five in anesthesiology, and eight paediatrics.
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