COVID-19: Nigeria’s new cases rise again as country records second highest figure
Nigeria reported 758 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, its second-highest daily number since it recorded its first case of the virus in February.
The number is over 300 per cent higher than the 201 cases recorded the previous day and came four days after the country recorded its highest daily figure of 796. The previous record before the 796 was the 745 reported on June 19.
In nearly two weeks, daily cases in the country averaged 500 for the first time since the pandemic reached Nigeria in late February.
The total number of infections in the country is now 74,132.
Lagos and Abuja are the hardest hit cities and again had the highest numbers on Tuesday.
Three deaths were also recorded on Tuesday, bringing the country’s total fatalities to 1,200.
Meanwhile, of the over 74,000 infections recorded in Nigeria, 66,494 patients have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.
Hospitalisation has also been on the rise as active cases in the country rose sharply from about 3,000 to over 5,000 due to rise in new infections.
This is according to an update Tuesday night by Nigeria’s Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The 758 new cases were reported from 19 states – FCT (305), Lagos (152), Kaduna (103), Bauchi (44), Gombe (35), Plateau (31), Rivers (17), Sokoto (15), Kwara (13), Kano (9), Ebonyi (8), Ogun (5), Osun (5), Oyo (4), Edo (4), Anambra (4), Bayelsa (2), Ekiti (1), and Taraba (1).
Again, Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria’s capital and the country’s commercial hub, led with 305 and 152 new cases respectively – more than half of the total.
Bracing for a second wave, the Nigerian government has ordered the reopening of all isolation and treatment centres in the country.
Nigeria has so far tested over 840,000 of its 200 million population for the virus.
The Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 has also advised Nigerians to suspend their Christmas and New Year travels to reduce the risk of contracting the virus
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