A total of 343 people tested positive for the disease Thursday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the country to 68,303
Nigeria has recorded more than 68,000 coronavirus infections after recording the highest daily tally since late August, on Thursday.
A total of 343 people tested positive for the disease Thursday, taking the number of confirmed cases in the country to 68,303.
That daily figure is the highest Nigeria has recorded since August 23 when 601 cases were reported. The country’s highest daily COVID-19 cases so far was 745, recorded on June 19.
Two persons also died from the disease on Thursday, taking total fatalities in Nigeria from COVID-19 to 1,179.
Meanwhile, of the over 68,000 persons infected by the disease in Nigeria, 64,291 have been discharged from hospitals after treatment, while over 3, 000 active cases remain in the country.
The 343 new cases are reported from 14 states: FCT (123) Lagos (106) Kaduna (72) Nasarawa (14) Rivers (5), Bauchi (4), Imo (4), Ogun (4), Ekiti (3) Edo (2), Oyo (2), Plateau (2) Akwa Ibom (1) and Kano (1).
This is according to an update Thursday night by Nigeria’s Center for Disease Control (NCDC).
Nigeria’s capital, Abuja, led in Thursday’s tally with 123 new infections. The FCT is the second most impacted city with a total of nearly 7, 000 cases and 83 deaths.
Lagos, Nigeria’s most impacted city by the coronavirus, came second on Thursday with 106 new infections.
The commercial city has recorded over 23,000 infections and about 220 deaths.
Nigeria has so far tested over 760,000 of its 200 million population for the virus.
Amid fears of a possible second wave of COVID-19 in the country, the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 advised Nigerians to suspend their Christmas and New Year travels to limit the risk of contracting the virus.
There is hope in the treatment of the virus though as at least two vaccines have proven to be over 90 per cent effective against it, according to the manufacturers.
PREMIUM TIMES reported how the UK, on Wednesday, became the first country to approve the use of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine which has proven to be 95 per cent effective.
In Nigeria, the Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, said efforts were being made to ensure Nigerians have access to the COVID-19 vaccines when available.
“We have to start preparing Nigerian population for vaccine delivery when it becomes available,” he said.
“Access is a very key issue when it comes to vaccines; that a vaccine is developed does not necessarily translate to being available to those that need it the most.”
The Nigerian government has also inaugurated an 18-member national COVID-19 task team to ensure “vaccine security” when it finally gets to the country.