If there’s one thing on everyone’s mind right now it’s the coronavirus.

With the whole world at a standstill, people are speculating about how this pandemic came to be, with over a million people already infected and thousands of lives being claimed by the day.

Early reports indicated that COVID-19 first appeared at a food market in Wuhan, China, and was sourced back to bats.

But a number of conspiracy theories are pointing fingers at American scientist Charles Lieber as the person responsible for the creation and spread of the virus.

The theory says that the 60-year-old created the virus and sold it to China, with a video even starting to circulate online claiming he has been arrested in relation to the illness.      

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Those rumours, however, were a hoax.

Lieber has been arrested, though the reason for that has nothing to do with the coronavirus.

The allegations don’t stop there, though.

Some even suggest he’s a Chinese spy looking to destabilise the United States.

So, who is Charles Lieber and why has he been arrested?

Lieber was a director of the chemical biology department at Harvard University and he specialised in nano science between 1991 and 2011.

In 2013 he became a ‘Strategic Scientist’ at Wuhan University of Technology and reportedly participated in a program focusing on the recruitment of foreign researchers, though he confessed in 2018 that he was never part of that program.

Lieber has been accused of lying about his ties to the Chinese government.

The New York Times reported that he received up to 50,000 US dollars a month and 150,000 dollars a year from the Chinese university and the Beijing government to build a laboratory in Wuhan.

At the same time, his research team at Harvard had 15 million dollars invested in them from the American National Institute of Health (NIH) and the Department of Defence.

His arrest for the alleged theft of intellectual property is part of a US operation around Chinese scientists working at or visiting US universities, but nothing to do with the creation of a virus.

As of today, it’s not confirmed whether the virus’ origins are natural or man-made, although research indicates the former.

Former gubernatorial candidate in Lagos State, Babatunde Gbadamosi, has been detained by operatives of the Lagos State Police Command for allegedly contravening lockdown order declared by the State Government to curtail coronavirus spread.

Gbadamosi was detained after being spotted in a viral video attending a birthday party organised by Nollywood actress, Funke Akindele-Bello for her husband, Abdul-Rasheed Bello, held in Amen Estate, Ibeju-Lekki axis of the state.

A police source at the command headquarters revealed that Gbadamosi has been detained and may not be released by the law enforcement agency for engaging in an act that was at variance with the law.

With stay-at-home orders in effect across a growing number of countries amid the coronavirus pandemic, these celebrities are postponing their nuptials until they can safely celebrate with friends and family.

There’s no doubt that the current circumstances have brought on a series of unprecedented challenges for couples of all kinds. And although they’ll be walking down the aisle later than they’d hoped, all the matters is that they will eventually say “I do.”

Big Brother Naija’s Kafi and Gedoni

One of our favorite Big Brother Naija couples, Gedoni Ekpata and Khafi Kareem got engaged on Christmas Day, 2019 in a special surprise proposal while vacationing in Cape Verde and they were meant to have had their wedding on the 4th of April, but sadly, the wedding got canceled because of the current COVID-19 situation globally.

Princess Beatrice and Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi

Princess Beatrice’s wedding is not going as planned, and all indications point to it being postponed this time because of the coronavirus pandemic (the first time was tied to her father Prince Andrew’s scandal and his ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein). Queen Elizabeth II‘s granddaughter was set to marry Italian Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi at The Chapel Royal in St James’s Palace on May 29. In light of the pandemic, the Queen has canceled all upcoming garden parties.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA – JANUARY 10: Actor Orlando Bloom (L) and singer Katy Perry attend The Weinstein Company and Netflix Golden Globe Party, presented with DeLeon Tequila, Laura Mercier, Lindt Chocolate, Marie Claire and Hearts On Fire at The Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 10, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company)

Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom

The day after Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom shared their pregnancy news, it was also revealed that the couple decided to postpone their upcoming nuptials. The engaged pair planned on tying the knot in Japan in March, but they had to quickly alter their plans due to the global pandemic. While Katy Perry will have to wait a little bit longer to wear white down the aisle, we wish the couple a smooth pregnancy journey.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 14: (L-R) Kelvin Hayden and Taraji P. Henson attend Sean Combs 50th Birthday Bash presented by Ciroc Vodka on December 14, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Sean Combs)

Taraji P. Hensen and Kelvin Heyden

After previously pushing her upcoming wedding to former NFL star Kelvin Hayden from April to June due to her hectic work schedule, Hollywood star, Taraji decided to delay her nuptials once again due to the novel coronavirus (COVID). According to Extra, Taraji revealed that they will be pushing back their June nuptials due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Emma Stone and Dave McCary

Emma Stone was supposed to be married by now. According to Page Six, the actress was reportedly set to tie the knot with Dave McCary in mid-March in Los Angeles. However, the couple postponed their wedding because of the pandemic. Emma Stone and McCary announced their engagement on Instagram back in December 2019.

Chukwudi Akasike, Port Harcourt

A 33-year-old journalist with the Silverbird Television, Mr Nkansa Johnson, has called on the management of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital to release the corpses of his set of twins to him for burial.

Johnson, whose babies died after they were born on February 5, 2020, while being kept in the incubator, told our correspondent on Sunday that the management of the hospital wanted him to settle over N200,000 after he had already exhausted all he had to keep them alive.

He stated that while one of the set of twins died a week after birth, the other was lost about a month after .

Johnson, a native of the Andoni Local Government Area of Rivers State, expressed surprise that his babies were kept in the mortuary because the management of the hospital wanted him to pay more, even when none of them was alive.

He explained that he had spent over N200,000 so far to ensure that the set of twins survived and had no money left to settle medical bills, even as he described the experience as painful.

Johnson stated, “I am not happy because I took my pregnant wife to the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital on January 27, 2020. She was admitted because she was ill. When the doctors checked her, they told me that they would be able to handle the situation.

“They did all they could and later told me that she was okay, but she could not be discharged and that she would be in the hospital with them pending when they would confirm that she was fully okay.

“Along the line, labour started and the doctors swung into action. From there, she was delivered of a set of twin girls. It was not up to nine months when she put to bed. So, they said the babies had to be incubated. They put the babies in the incubator.

“After a week, one of the babies died in their hands. They did not give me any good explanation when I asked them why the baby died. They told me that since the babies were delivered prematurely, their survival was based on luck.

“The UPTH doctors promised that they would try their best for the second baby, so that I could have that one. They took the corpse of the first to the mortuary. I then asked them why they would take a seven-day-old premature baby to the mortuary.

“They said that I would pay the bill of the baby that died for the seven days she spent in the incubator. They now began to struggle to save the life of the other baby. So far, with all the tests and other expenses, I have spent over N200,000. Now, I lost the second baby in their hands.

“They still took the body to the mortuary again for me to come and clear the bills. My appeal to the hospital is that it should release the corpses of my babies to me. I have spent all I have and yet the babies did not survive. These babies are too tender to be in the mortuary.”

He added that apart from purchasing five pints of blood, he had to pay to use the hospital’s toilet and ran out of cash as a result of too many bills to pay.

Johnson said, “At the hospital, I paid a lot; I paid for even where to urinate whenever I was in the hospital. I also slept outside, where I was seriously bitten by mosquitoes. I also paid for where I went to excrete and where I took my bath.

“Before you buy a pint of blood at the UPTH, you have to pay N6,000; that one, they say you are just paying it to them. You have to run a test for N4,900 and then buy a pint of blood for N12,000. With all this, you are spending over N20,000 for a pint of blood instead of N12,000. It is really painful.”

When contacted, the Public Relations Officer, UPTH, Mrs Elabha Meni, urged Johnson to visit the Social Welfare Unit of the hospital to officially appeal for the bodies of the babies to be released.

She stated, “We have a Social Welfare Unit. In terms of waiver, everything is supposed to be channelled through the unit. We have to pick up the case history and everything.

“So, it is not something that we do on the telephone. Let him come and we will go to the Social Welfare Unit together. Then, we will get the children’s folder to see what he has paid. So, we can make an appeal on his behalf.

The Price of Being a Celebrity; These Are What Funke Akindele Has Lost Over a Needless Birthday Party.

I once told my friends that, if you want to live a quiet and private life, don’t ever aspire to become a celebrity. You can’t be a celebrity and still want to live a private life. It is not just possible because, celebrity status and publicity are like a Siamese twins, you no fit separate them. 

 As a result of a needless house party to celebrate her husband’s birthday, Funke Akindele has lost (and will still lose more) these.

 She lost her ambassadorial role with Dettol. Dettol yesterday announced that, “as a responsible organization and brand Dettol does not condone any breach of the guidelines on COVID-19. As an organization we are concerned at the turn of events. We will continue to support NCDC and the Nigerian govt to fight COVID-19”. This suggest that, the organization has terminated the contract they had with Funke Akindele with immediate effect.

Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disowned her. Prior to the viral video of the house party, Funke Akindele had been the face of Dettol Nigeria/NCDC campaigning for social distancing and other preventive measures against the pandemic. This ‘denial’ from NCDC means that, the actress lost every opportunity of becoming the agency’s ambassador all for a needless house party.

She will face penalty of either 1 month jail term or a fine of N100k. since she has already pleaded guilty, herself and her husband risk a one month jail term or pay a fine of N100k each. But if the judge didn’t give them option of the fine, it means both couple will have to spend a month at the correctional centre just for a needless party.

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Reputational Damage: As a public figure, Funke has done a great damage to her career as it will be hard for people to believe her or take her advice serious again because, she will be seen as someone who advises against something and go ahead to do that thing. This may also hinder her getting an ambassadorial role with other organization or brand as she is opposite of what she preaches.

All these loss for a party she could have celebrated low-key and still remain at peace with everyone while also keeping her status as face of Dettol Nigeria.

She could have also keep the video to herself instead of releasing same to the public. Although the actress cum producer has apologize and tried to explain the reason for the house party, the deed has been done and the damaged control won't be that easy.

Anyway, for every actions, there is always a reactions. To be famous and retain the status of celebrity, there are prices to pay.

Funke Akindele is learning the HARD WAY

Nigerian student in US dies of coronavirus few weeks before graduation

A 25-year-old Nigerian student in the US of the Western Michigan University in Detroit has died on Saturday after contracting the 

Virus with 2 weeks till his Graduation 

Two nurses and a doctor have been confirmed to have tested positive for Coronavirus at a hospital in Abuja, Nigeria's capital.

The health workers, who are staff of a government hospital in Abuja, were part of medical personnel that attended to an infected person brought into the hospital.

A senior medical worker at the hospital told SaharaReporters that, "The patient was rushed to the hospital and as our job demands, we have to save life first and that was what we did.

"The person was attended to and stabilised by the medical team.

"A test was soon conducted and the result came out positive.

"The hospital thereafter asked all those who attended to the patient to undergo tests to determine their status and at the end of the day, the three tested positive for the virus.

"They are currently in isolation at the Gwagwalada Specialist Hospital."

Speaking further, the senior health worker lamented the lack of quality Personal Protective Equipment for them, adding that government must invest in the protection of health workers at the frontline of the battle against the virus.

He said, "The unfortunate thing is that the government is not providing us with what to work with. It is sad that our PPE are not up to the world standard and can be penetrated by viruses.

"Some of us (health workers) have to use our personal funds to purchase gloves as we do not trust the ones government supplied.

"Nigerians should please remember us in their prayers and government should provide us with what we really need to work."

Nigeria currently has 81 confirmed cases of Coronavirus and one recorded death.

According to the diplomatic community, infections could rise to more than 10,000 in the coming weeks as there are at least 5,000 persons, who had come in contact with infected persons in Nigeria already.

Chioma Adeleke,  Fiancee of David Adeleke Popluarly Known As Davido Tests Positive For Covid 19.

Davido took To his Instagram Handle @davidoofficial to share the news saying That him and the 39 others who Returned from London Tested Negative To the Virus Including his Son. He is Currently under Self-isolation and quarantine for 14 days

The governor of Bauchi state, Bala Mohammed, has said he is doing great in isolation after testing positive for the deadly coronavirus.

Mohammed who disclosed this information on his official Facebook page on Friday, March 27, thanked everyone for their love and concern he has received.

While giving an update on his condition, the governor noted that he is not showing any symptoms of the virus. He urged the people not to relent in prayers as this phase will be over shortly.‬

Amidst the growing coronavirus pandemic, about 20 countries are yet to report a case of the virus.

Despite not having a single case, preventive measures have been put in place by these to ensure the virus does not spread to them.

There are seven continents: Asia, Africa, Europe, Australia, North America, South America, and Antarctica. Antarctica is least inhabited with a population of between 1,000 and 5,000 depending on season. There is no reported case of the virus there so far.

Africa

According to worldometer, which gives real time statistics on the outbreak, in Africa, as Friday afternoon, eight countries have not recorded a single case while 46 have confirmed cases. There are more than 2700 confirmed cases in Africa, 75 deaths, and 208 recoveries.

The eight countries are Botswana, Burundi, Lesotho, Malawi, Sao Tome and Principe, Sierra Leone, and South Sudan. Notwithstanding their zero cases, they have put in place safety precautions to ensure their preparedness in fighting the virus.

Botswana started its preparation for a lockdown. Botswanan president, Mokgwetsi Lasisi, reportedly said, “Please prepare yourselves for the imminent lockdown. Our experts, led by Dr Masupu with Prof Alexandra advises us to restrict the movement of people so we are better able to trace and treat any case that occurs”.

Burundi has suspended all international flights; Lesotho has placed restrictions on movements from the midnight of March 29 to April 21. Non-essential travels are prohibited.

Malawi has in place a national contingency plan to prepare and prevent the virus. So far, the government of Malawi has released $3.2 million for the immediate expenditures. The plan is to secure almost $20 million.

The expenditure involves, “awareness campaigns, training of local authorities, media and health staff, redeploying of health personnel in all border posts, suspension of hosting international meetings, suspension of schools, and institutional quarantine and suspension of visas to citizens of countries that have been hit by Covid-19.”

In Portuguese-speaking Sao Tome and Principe, a state of emergency was declared on March 17.

Sierra Leone has declared a 12-month state of public health emergency which took effect on March 24. Overseas travel has been banned for government officials. A ban was placed on public gatherings of more than 100 persons.

South Sudan, due to fears of the pandemic, has gone into lockdown.

Asia

In Asia, North Korea, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, and Yemen are yet to report cases although preventive measures have been put in place.

Yemen, where conflicts continue to brew, has been warned by the UN chief to put in place adequate contingency measures.

“This is an evolving situation, one that requires cautions and level headedness regarding the health and well-being of staff, partners and Yemeni communities,” the resident representative said.

A ceasefire is needed to combat Covid-19, the secretary-general added.

Europe

All countries and territories in Europe have confirmed cases. In Europe, there is a more than 247,667 and 13,895 deaths, Italy is the epicenter of the virus in Europe with 80,589 confirmed cases, followed by Spain 57,786.

America

All countries that makeup America have at least a case of the virus.

Oceania

There are 10 countries and 7 territories that are yet to confirm cases.

Australia has the highest number in the continent with a total of 3166 confirmed cases. The countries are Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samao, Kribati, Micronesia, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Palau, Tovalu, and Naura, while the territories are Guam, Northern Marianna Islands, American Samao, Cook Islands, Wallis and Futuna, Niue, and Tokelau.