Coronavirus: Nigeria records 155 new cases, one death

Nigeria recorded 155 new cases of COVID-19 and one death on Sunday, new data by the country’s infectious disease agency, NCDC, has shown.

With the latest update, Nigeria’s COVID-19 caseload has increased to 66,383, keeping it fifth among African countries hit hardest, behind Ethiopia, Egypt, Morocco, and South Africa.

The total death toll is now 1,167.

The 155 new cases are reported from 12 states – Lagos (60), Katsina (37), Kaduna (35), FCT (6), Ogun (4), Edo (3), Kwara (3), Rivers (2), Kano (2), Jigawa (1), Oyo (1), and Taraba (1).

With 60 new infections on Sunday, Lagos further stretched its lead on the number of infections to nearly 23,000, about a third of the country’s total.

For the fourth consecutive week, Nigeria’s new weekly COVID-19 infections have increased, PREMIUM TIMES’ review of official data shows.

The increasing figures show the possibility of Nigeria slipping into a second wave of the pandemic like some countries of the world.

The NCDC has continually warned the populace not to think the virus has been defeated, urging everyone to adhere to the safety protocols.

The increase in new cases came amid a 27 per cent increase in the number of tests carried out last week.

Currently, Nigeria has tested almost 750,000 of its 200 million population.

Despite the increased infections, however, Nigeria witnessed a significant reduction in deaths last week.

Nigeria recorded three deaths last week compared to nine persons that died from COVID-19 complications in the previous week.

The last time Nigeria recorded such a low casualty was five weeks ago (October 4-10) when only two deaths were reported.

Experts have attributed the waning death rate to good management of the cases in isolation centres across the country.

There was a slight reduction in the number of COVID-19 patients discharged last week.

A total of 855 persons recovered and were discharged last week, which represents a 25 per cent reduction when compared to the previous week’s record of 1,146.

Of the 66,000 total, about 62,076 persons have been discharged from hospitals, after treatment, while over 3, 000 active cases remain in the country.