#COVID19: Lagos Contributes 46% of 610 New Cases In Nigeria

Nigeria recorded 610 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and two more deaths on Tuesday, Aug. 10, according to an update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Lagos, the country’s commercial hub and the epicentre of the virus, had 281 cases, contributing 46 per cent of the new infections. Following closely is Rivers State with 152 infections and Akwa-Ibom with 85 while Ogun and Oyo recorded 21 cases each.

Ekiti State recorded 14 cases while the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) had 13 cases and Delta State recorded seven cases. Edo reported six cases while Ondo recorded four infections. Bayelsa, Plateau and Kano states recorded two infections each.

This brought the total confirmed cases in the country to 179,118 with the fatality toll standing at 2,194. At least 166,141 people have recuperated from the disease. Nigeria has tested more than 2.5 million samples for the virus out of its roughly 200 million population.

According to the NCDC, the country’s COVID-19 average test positivity rate is six per cent.

Curbing the virus

With more than 10, 000 active cases currently under hospitalisation across the country, the NCDC said driving down infections requires Nigerians to protect themselves and others from getting sick by observing the COVID-19 preventive protocols.

The agency added that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), which had been activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities.

So far, Nigeria has administered 3.94 million doses of  Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines, with 2.5 million persons receiving at least one dose. Less than one per cent of its 200 million population has been fully vaccinated – 1.4 million.

The country received a donation of 4.08 million doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine from the United States on Aug 1.  The government has rescheduled  the vaccine rollout for Aug 16.

“Vaccines are just one part of our COVID response and we must continue to rely on public health measures to keep our populations and our country safe,” the NCDC said.

“While we have all been affected by this pandemic, we have not been impacted equally. To fight COVID-19 effectively, we must address these inequalities and support the most vulnerable as they struggle to protect themselves.”

Combating the resurgence, state governments are reintroducing COVID-19 restrictions. In Ekiti State, Southwest Nigeria, the government has limited large gatherings to only 50 people.

“All gatherings must be held in strict and full compliance with the regulations regarding worship centres, which include social distancing of six feet between worshippers, handwashing and wearing of face masks,” Kayode Fayemi, Governor of Ekiti State said on Tuesday.

Babajide Sanwo-olu, Governor of Lagos State, also emphasised on the importance of observing COVID-19 protocols. “Eighteen months into the pandemic, we have learnt a lot, we have seen progress and setbacks, we have been able to finetune our strategies and response, and we are now in a good place to ensure that this third wave is the final one,” Sanwo-olu said.

“I believe that we can close this pandemic chapter very soon. But we must put in the work, the compliance, the regard for rules and restrictions.”