#COVID19: Nigeria’s Active Caseload Surpasses 16,000 With 1,064 New Infections

Nigeria reported 1,064 new COVID-19 cases and 13 deaths on Saturday, Aug. 21, according to government data.

As of Sunday morning, there were 16,055 Nigerians currently hospitalised for the treatment of COVID-19, representing 9 per cent of the 186,635 total infections in the country, according to the data by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC).

In the latest data, Lagos, the country’s epicentre of the pandemic, reported the most infections with 776 cases.

Rivers State reported 143 infections, followed by Ekiti State with 49 cases. Kwara had 33 cases, Ogun (21), Benue (18), Oyo (13), FCT (5), Osun (4) and Yobe (2).

At least 168,320 have recuperated from the disease, leaving the fatality toll at 2,260— one of lowest death rates in the world.

The country’s recovery rate has, however, dropped by one per cent from 91.2 per cent in the previous week. 

Nigeria has tested more than 2.5 million samples for the virus out of its roughly 200 million population.

Until now, the country had been reporting a spike in cases above 400, with the  COVID-19 average test positivity rate standing at six per cent, according to the NCDC.

The agency said slowing down infections requires Nigerians to observe 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.

In its first phase of vaccination drive, Nigeria administered 3.94 million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccines so far, 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.

On Monday, Aug. 15, the country began its second phase of vaccination, having received four million doses of the Moderna vaccine from the United States.

Boss Mustapha, Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), described the vaccines as the country’s “only hope out of COVID-19.”

The country had also received a delivery of 177,600 doses of the single-shot Johnson and Johnson vaccine expected to be deployed to hard-to-reach places.

“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.”