#COVID19: Nigeria Recording Steep Rise In Positive Cases
The spike in Covid-19 cases and deaths is partly attributed to the fast-spreading Delta variant amidst the high population of Nigerians who remain unvaccinated, health experts say.
Nigeria is experiencing a steep rise in COVID-19 cases as 597 new cases were recorded on Tuesday, Sept. 7, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The Centre said the fresh infections were spread across 14 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. In the latest data, Lagos reported the most infections with 204 cases, followed by Rivers with 89 cases.
Edo reported 56 infections, followed by FCT with 50 cases. Oyo State had 47 cases, Enugu (46), Ekiti (24) and Cross River (17).
Other states with fresh cases are Delta (15), Gombe (15), Osun (12), Plateau (6), Benue (5) and Kano (2). The country also recorded 17 deaths, raising total fatalities to 2,573.
A day earlier, the country had reported only four deaths. Before the importation of the more contagious Delta variant, the country had been reporting low fatalities daily, mostly below 10.
There are 8,755 people hospitalised across the country with COVID-19. Health experts say the spike in cases and deaths is partly attributed to the fast-spreading Delta variant amidst the high population of Nigerians who remain unvaccinated.
While the current spike is still lower than what was obtainable during the peaks the country endured in 2020, there are concerns about a possible uptick in hospitalisations during this third wave.
The country ranks tenth on the list of African countries with the highest cases and hospitalisations. Although, up to 185, 159 people have recovered from the disease with a recovery rate standing at 94.4 per cent.
The NCDC has urged Nigerians to observe COVID-19 preventive measures and get the vaccine to stop the mutation and check deaths arising from the disease.
So far, Nigeria has administered 5.7 million COVID-19 vaccines (Oxford-AstraZeneca or Moderna) with 1.7 million being fully vaccinated.
In hopes of increasing its vaccination drive, the Nigerian government introduced a corporate vaccination module that allows workers to get vaccinated in their office premises.
Faisal Shuaib, Director of the National Primary Healthcare Development Agency (NPHDA), on Tuesday, said public and private organisations that want their workers vaccinated can do so by filling a request form, with the whole exercise being free of charge.
Meanwhile, the government had previously warned it would clamp down on eligible citizens who refuse to vaccinate, saying vaccine refusers endanger other people in a manner that may cause the health system to collapse again amidst the third wave of the pandemic.
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