Nigeria Records It’s Highest Daily Covid-19 Infections

Nigeria recorded a new high with a tally of 72,140 confirmed coronavirus cases on Friday as the country enters reaches a milestone since the first case of coronavirus (COVID-19).

This new phase which brings a surge in coronavirus cases has the Presidential Task Force (PTF)  warning about the potential of getting even worse if the necessary guidelines are not followed religiously.

With the possibility of a second wave, the Federal Government on Thursday ordered the reopening of all isolation and treatment centres in the country.

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, at a Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing, said the move was to prepare the country for a possible second wave of the pandemic buttressing that everyone had a role to play in the effort to prevent the omnipresent risk of spread of the infection in the country.

The 796 new cases were reported from 16 states: FCT (258), Lagos (248), Kaduna (117), Katsina (52), Ogun (27), Kwara (23), Gombe (22), Adamawa (17), Plateau (15), Kano (6), Rivers (2), Ondo (2), Ekiti (2), Nasarawa (2), Sokoto (2) and Taraba (1).

Following the trend, Abuja and Lagos, the two cities with the highest number of infections, led in Friday’s count with 258 and 248 new cases respectively – more than half of the total.

Data from the NCDC website shows that the country has progressed from a little over 61,000 cases in October to over 72,000 cases by December these numbers show a steady infection which is the opposite of what the NCDC and the PTF is trying to achieve.

The severity of the pandemic has reached new heights as the country heads into the yuletide season, which is known to have family and friends come back to the country and host an array of events that could prove fatal if the guidelines for the disease are not adhered to.

The PTF has also advised Nigerians to suspend their Christmas and New Year travels to reduce the risk of contracting the virus.

However, there is optimism in the treatment of the virus as at least two vaccines have shown over 90 percent effectiveness during trials, according to the manufacturers.

Nigeria has so far tested over 830,000 of its 200 million population for the virus.