By GRACE AUDU –
The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) has reported that 917 new Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections were recorded in the country on Sunday, just as the National Center for Disease Control of Libya reported 670 new cases on the same day.
This brings the national count to 90,080 in Nigeria and 101,414 in Libya.
These figures emerged even as Botswana announced on Sunday, extension of nighttime curfew up to Jan. 31 following the emergence of a new and more transmissible strain of the COVID-19.
Botswana’s Minister of Health and Wellness, Edwin Dikoloti made the announcement via national television, saying the curfew, enacted by the president on Dec. 23, would continue to be enforced between 20:00 and 04:00 (1800-0200 GMT) daily.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) also said that so far, 955,429 persons have been tested in the country since the first confirmed COVID-19 case was announced in Feb. 27, 2020.
According to the public health agency, NCDC, nine new deaths were recorded in the past 24 hours in the country.
It said 16 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recorded the new infections, adding that in the past 24 hours, 255 recoveries were recorded in the country.
A breakdown of data provided by the health agency shows the FCT recorded the highest number of infections for the day with 222 cases, followed by Lagos, Kaduna, and Plateau states which reported 214, 119, and 92 cases respectively.
The other states affected are Nasarawa, with 50 new infections, Oyo-41, Adamawa-33, Ondo-32, Abia-28, Ogun-19, Rivers-17, Kano-16, Yobe-14, Edo-eight, Anambra-six, Ekiti- five, and Jigawa-one.
It said a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, continued to coordinate the national response activities.
Till date, 75,044 COVID-19 cases have been discharged, and 1,311 deaths recorded in 36 states and FCT, according to the NCDC.
In week 52, the number of new confirmed cases increased to 5,908 from 5,261 recorded in week 51, according to a NAN report, which said that the cases were reported in 36 states and FCT.
Also, number of discharged cases in week 52 increased to 2,731 from 2,213 recorded in week 51. The cases were reported in 30 states and FCT.
Cumulatively, 1,254 deaths with a case fatality rate (CFR) of 1.5 per cent have been recorded since the disease first broke out in Week 9 of 2020.
Also, the number of reported deaths in the past one week in 13 states and FCT stands at 33.
In week 52, also the number of in-bound international travellers at Nigerian airports was 19,238 as against 20,209 recorded in Week 51.
The number of international travellers with positive results in week 52 was 84 as against 270 recorded in week 51.
According to Libya’s NCDC, with 1,129 more recoveries and 23 more deaths reported, a total of 74,381 recoveries have so far been reported nationwide with 1,510 fatalities, the center said.
Since the first case was reported in March 2020, Libyan authorities have taken a series of precautionary measures against the pandemic, including closing the country’s borders, shutting down schools and mosques, banning public gatherings, and imposing a curfew.
The country also received medical aid from China in June 2020, which included nucleic acid diagnostic kits, protective suits, N95 face masks, surgical masks, goggles, and medical gloves.
Virus-related risks have increased in Botswana according to evidence submitted by the director of health services, the minister said, stressing that curfew was an effective way of curbing rising coronavirus infections.
Dikoloti that rising COVID-19 cases during the Christmas and New Year holidays showed that people have not been strictly abiding by the set regulations to prevent spreading of the virus. (With agency reports)
(Xinhua/NAN)