Nigeria Records 663 Coronavirus Cases – Highest Daily Figure Yet

Nigeria Records 663 Coronavirus Cases – Highest Daily Figure Yet

Nigeria on Tuesday recorded a new highest daily figure of confirmed COVID-19 cases as 663 new infections were announced by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

With the latest update, the total tally of infected people in the country rose to 13, 464 from 12, 801 reported on Monday evening.

Previously, the highest daily number recorded was 553 on May 31.

Four deaths were recorded from the virus on Tuesday bringing the total number of confirmed deaths from the virus to 365.

The health agency in a tweet Tuesday night said the new cases were reported in 26 states. These are Lagos, Ogun, Bauchi, Ebonyi, Edo, Rivers, Federal Capital Territory, Jigawa, Delta, Anambra, Gombe, Kano, Imo, Abia, Borno, Oyo, Plateau, Kebbi, Kaduna, Ondo, Niger, Katsina, Osun, Ekiti, Kwara and Nasarawa States.

All the reporting states already had at least a case of the virus.

As of the time of reporting, 35 states and the FCT have recorded at least a case of the disease. Only one state, Cross River, is yet to report any case of the virus.

In the past weeks, the numbers of infections and deaths in the country have increased. The number of recovered and discharged patients from the virus is also increasing daily.

“Till date, 13, 464 cases have been confirmed, 4206 cases have been discharged and 365 deaths have been recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” it said.

The 663 new cases are reported from 26 states- Lagos – 170, Ogun – 108, Bauchi – 69, Ebonyi – 49, Edo – 33, Rivers – 30, FCT – 26, Jigawa – 26, Delta – 20, Anambra – 17, Gombe – 16, Kano – 16, Imo – 15, Abia – 14, Borno – 11, Oyo – 11, Plateau – 8, Kebbi – 6, Kaduna – 6, Ondo – 4, Niger – 2, Katsina – 2, Osun – 1, Ekiti – 1, Kwara – 1 and Nasarawa – 1.

BREAKDOWN

Since the onset of the outbreak in Nigeria in February, NCDC said 79, 948 samples have so far been tested.

As at the time of reporting, there are 8, 893 active cases of COVID-19 in the country, 4,206 have recovered and have been discharged.

A breakdown of the 13, 464 confirmed cases shows that Lagos State has so far reported 6,065 cases, followed by Kano – 1,020, FCT – 1,012, Ogun – 471, Edo – 462, Katsina – 399, Oyo – 398, Rivers – 394, Kaduna – 369, Borno – 367, Bauchi – 364, Jigawa – 309, Gombe – 246, Delta – 175, Ebonyi – 152, Kwara – 143, Sokoto – 129, Plateau – 128, Nasarawa – 113, Abia – 97, Imo – 83, Zamfara – 76, Yobe – 52, Osun 50, Niger – 46, Anambra – 46, Ondo – 46, Akwa Ibom – 45, Kebbi – 41, Adamawa – 42, Enugu – 30, Ekiti – 30, Bayelsa – 30, Taraba – 18, Benue – 13, and Kogi – 3.

In a bid to contain the spread of the disease, the government has been intensifying its effort to get more Nigerians tested for the virus.

NCDC in a tweet earlier on Tuesday said three additional laboratories had been activated in the following states, Oyo, Akwa Ibom and Jigawa.

“This brings the total number of labs with capacity to test for #COVID19 in Nigeria to 33,” it said.

The laboratories are Biorepository & Clinical Virology Lab UCH, Ibadan Molecular Diagnostics Lab, Infectious Disease Unit, General Hospital, Ituk Mkpang, Akwa Ibom, and Jigawa State Molecular Lab, Dutse

The health agency said it is working on adding laboratories in Kwara, Gombe, Ekiti, Ondo and Abia.

Mr Ihekweazu in an interview with Arise TV said the country is not yet where it is meant they government want it to be in the response to COVID-19.

“We recognise that we started from a very low base, with inadequate health infrastructure to respond to an outbreak of such magnitude,” he said.

“What we have regardless is a vibrant workforce, working round the clock to control #COVID19Nigeria.

“We have reagents for about 200,000 tests across our lab network, however our testing capacity is grossly under-utilised.

“We’re challenging states to collect samples from the right people,” he said.