The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic has continued to ravage Nigeria as the country yesterday recorded four new deaths and 747 new confirmed cases, ranking the highest daily infection figure in more than six months.
According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), the new infection figure has raised Nigeria’s total infection number to 176,011 while the fatality toll now stands at 2,167.
The latest surge in infections and the fatality rate are of concern to health experts and government officials who appeal to Nigerians not to allow fatigue to set in.
With active cases in Nigeria jumping to 8,626 as of Wednesday, hospitals across the country will further be put under severe pressure as the ongoing nationwide strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors NARD, lingers.
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The doctors’ strike entered its fourth day Thursday with its biting consequences taking a toll on Nigerians.
The latest surge in both deaths and infections as well as the ongoing doctors’ strike are of particular concern to health experts and government officials, who plead with Nigerians to observe all necessary non-pharmaceutical protocols.
Infection breakdown
According to the NCDC, Wednesday’s statistics was a total of what was reported across 13 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory, FCT.
A breakdown of the NCDC data revealed that about a third of the daily infections in Nigeria on Wednesday was recorded in Lagos.
The city, as the disease’ epicentre, reported 488 cases while Akwa Ibom followed with 121 cases and Oyo State ranked third with 29 cases.
Rivers, another South-southern Nigerian state, recorded 25 cases on Wednesday to rank fourth while Ogun State in the South-west reported 15 new cases.
The FCT and Kaduna reported 13 Infections each, while Kwara recorded 11, even as Ekiti and Osun States registered 10 cases each.
Edo State reported six while Abia confirmed three cases. Anambra recorded two while Plateau State came last on the log with one infection.
Meanwhile, according to the NCDC data, of the over 176,000 total cases, 165,208 people have recovered and been discharged from hospitals across the country.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK