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Coronavirus Vaccine Could Be Ready In A Month — Donald Trump

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US President Donald Trump said Tuesday that a coronavirus vaccine may be available within a month, an acceleration of even his own optimistic predictions but added that the pandemic could go away by itself.

“We’re very close to having a vaccine,” he told a town hall question-and-answer session with voters in Pennsylvania aired on ABC News.

“We’re within weeks of getting it you know — could be three weeks, four weeks,” he said.

Only hours earlier, speaking to Fox News, Trump had said a vaccine could come in “four weeks, it could be eight weeks.”

Democrats have expressed concern that Trump is putting political pressure on government health regulators and scientists to approve a rushed vaccine in time to help turn around his uphill bid for reelection against challenger Joe Biden on November 3.

Experts including top US government infectious diseases doctor Anthony Fauci say vaccine approval is more likely toward the end of the year.

At the ABC town hall, Trump was asked why he’d downplayed the gravity of the Covid-19 pandemic, which has now killed close to 200,000 people in the US.

Trump replied by saying: “I didn’t downplay it. I actually, in many ways, I up-played it in terms of action.”

But Trump himself told journalist Bob Woodward during taped interviews for the new book “Rage” — published Tuesday — that he had deliberately decided to “play it down” to avoid alarming Americans.

Returning to one of his most controversial views on the virus, that has ravaged the economy and which government scientists say will remain a danger for some time, Trump insisted “it is going to disappear.”

“It would go away without the vaccine but it’s going to go away a lot faster with it,” he said.

Challenged about how the virus would go away by itself, he said “you’ll develop like a herd mentality,” apparently meaning the concept of herd immunity when enough people have developed resistance to the disease to effectively stop transmission.

“It’s going to be herd developed and that’s going to happen. That will all happen but with a vaccine, I think it will go away very quickly. But I really believe we’re rounding the corner,” he said.

The president, who is rarely seen wearing a mask in public and long refused to push Americans to adopt the habit, said “a lot of people don’t want to wear masks and people don’t think masks are good.”

Asked what people he meant, Trump answered: “Waiters.”

“They come over and they serve you and they have a mask,” he said. “I saw it the other day when they were serving me and they’re playing with the mask. I’m not blaming them. I’m just saying what happens: They’re playing with the mask. So the mask is over, and they’re touching it, and then they’re touching the plate, and that can’t be good.”

Polls show that a majority of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of the health crisis.

The latest NBC News|SurveyMonkey Weekly Tracking poll Tuesday found that 52 percent of adults do not trust Trump’s statements about an upcoming coronavirus vaccine, compared to 26 percent who do.

 

(AFP)

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Federal Government Earmarks N827bn For Education Infrastructure In 2025 Budget

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Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has announced that the Federal Government has disbursed a total of N34bn in loans to students studying at tertiary institutions across the country through the “Nigeria Education Loan Fund.”

The President made this statement on Wednesday while presenting the N49.7tn 2025 budget estimates to a joint session of the National Assembly. He also highlighted that the government has allocated N826bn for infrastructure development in the education sector for the 2025 fiscal year.

He stated, “Our administration has so far disbursed N34bn to over 300,000 students via the Nigeria Education Loan Fund.”

“In the 2025 budget, we have made provision for N826.90bn for infrastructure development in the educational sector. This provision also includes those for the Universal Basic Education and the nine new higher educational institutions.”

He continued, “We are convinced that Universal Health Coverage initiatives will strengthen primary healthcare systems across Nigeria. In this way, we have allocated N402bn for infrastructure investments in the health sector in the 2025 budget and another N282.65bn for the Basic Health Care Fund.”

“Our hospitals will be revitalised with medication and better resources, ensuring quality care for all Nigerians.”

“This is consistent with the Federal Government’s planned procurement of essential drugs for distribution to public healthcare facilities nationwide, improving healthcare access and reducing medical import dependency.”

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President Tinubu Targets N1,500 Per Dollar Rate In 2025 Budget Goals

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Nigeria’s President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on Wednesday, stated that the Federal Government aims to stabilise the exchange rate at N1,500 to the dollar to ensure the smooth implementation of the 2025 budget.

This marks a reduction of about N200 from the current rate of N1,700 to a dollar.

President Tinubu made this known while presenting the 2025 Appropriation Bill to a joint session of the 11th National Assembly in Abuja.

“The budget projects that inflation will decline from the current rate of 34.6% to 15% next year, while the exchange rate will improve from approximately N1,700 per dollar to N1,500. The base crude oil production assumption is set at 2.06 million barrels per day”, he said.

“The projections are based on the following observations: reducing the importation of petroleum products, increasing exports of refined petroleum”. He added.

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JUST IN: 32 Reportedly Die In Ibadan Children Programme Stampede

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At least 32 people have tragically lost their lives during a stampede at a children’s carnival in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital, in the early hours of Wednesday.

A statement from the Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Prince Dotun Oyelade, revealed that the stampede occurred at a private children’s funfair at Islamic High School, Basorun, resulting in the deaths of 32 people, mostly children, with some others sustaining injuries.

He mentioned that the state government promptly deployed a rapid response team to the site following the incident.

The commissioner confirmed that the victims have been transported to various hospitals across Ibadan for medical treatment.

While thanking the Commissioner for Health, Dr. Oluwaserimi Ajetunmobi, for quickly activating all available response teams to assist at the scene, Oyelade emphasized that the state government will do everything possible to support the victims of the stampede during this difficult time.

He noted that the sate government was not involved in the planning of the carnival, adding that the Ministry of Health was also not carried along in the organisation of the private end of the year children funfair.

Oyelade emphasised the importance of proper coordination when organising events of such magnitude, especially those involving children and elders.

“We are currently awaiting a detailed report from the Commissioner of Police to clarify the total number of victims involved in this unfortunate incident,” he said.

The commissioner urged parents who are concerned about the whereabouts of their children to check the following medical facilities in Ibadan where affected children were taken for proper medical attention, with a valid means of identification:

  • Patnas Hospital, Basorun
  • Western Hospital, Basorun
  • Ringroad State Hospital
  • Molly Specialist Hospital
  • University College Hospital (UCH)

“Oyo State Government extends its deepest sympathies to the families affected by this tragedy while also urging the public to remain calm and cooperative as relevant pieces of information are gathered and necessary supports arranged for the victims,” he added.

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