COVID-19: Cases surge in Nigeria as 60 Ukraine returnees test positive

The hitherto relief enjoyed by Nigeria due to consistent and significant reduction in the number fresh infections and fatalities recorded daily from the coronavirus pandemic has been abruptly halted.

Just 24 hours after announcing only two new cases, the lowest daily figure ever recorded since the outbreak in 2020, Nigeria, on Tuesday, recorded 118 new infections.

The rise in infections, data revealed, is not unconnected to the arrival of evacuees from Ukraine due to the ongoing unrest between the nation and her neighbour, Russia.

The latest statistics released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) shows that the Nigerian returnees from Ukraine contributed to the surge, as they accounted for a total of 60 out of the backlog of 60 cases reported from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) for March 7, 2022.

PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported the arrival of 772 evacuees in Nigeria  on March 4, 2022, through Max Air and Air Peace, following Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Nigeria’s update

Apart from FCT, the disease control centre noted that Lagos State, the epicentre of the disease in Nigeria, reported a backlog of 49 cases for March 5 to 7, 2022, while Rivers State in the South-south recorded a single case on Tuesday.

With no fatality recorded, the latest update shows that the death toll still stands at 3,142, while the infection toll has increased to 254,777.

NCDC noted that a total of 249,209 persons have now been discharged nationwide, including community discharges, while there are still 2,311 active cases as of March 7, 2022.

NCDC added that five states: Delta, kano, Nasarawa, Plateau, and Sokoto reported that they recorded no cases on Tuesday.