Chidi Samuel| Nigeria’s rising COVID-19 burden reached a milestone on Sunday night as the country exceeded 20,000 mark following the confirmation of 436 new cases by the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC).
In a tweet late Sunday via its verified Twitter handle, the health agency said, Lagos, the epicentre of the outbreak recorded the highest number of infections, 169, Oyo-52, Plateau-31, Imo 29, Kaduna 28, Ogun 23, FCT 18, Enugu 18, Bauchi 17, Bayelsa 14 and Rivers 8.
Other states with new infections include, Osun 6, Kano 6, Edo 5, Benue 5, Adamawa 3, Bornu 2, with Abia and Ekiti recording 1 case each.
According to NCDC, Nigeria now has 20,244 confirmed cases of the novel coronavirus with 6, 879 discharges and 518 deaths.
The tweet read, 436 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;
Lagos-169
Oyo-52
Plateau-31
Imo-29
Kaduna-28
Ogun-23
FCT-18
Enugu-18
Bauchi-17
Bayelsa-14
Rivers-8
Osun-6
Kano-6
Edo-5
Benue-5
Adamawa-3
Borno-2
Abia-1
Ekiti-1
20,244 confirmed
6,879 discharged
518 deaths
-WHO reports largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases
Meanwhile, the World Health Organization on Sunday reported the largest single-day increase in coronavirus cases by its count, at more than 183,000 new cases in the latest 24 hours.
The UN health agency said Brazil led the way with 54,771 cases tallied and the U.S. next at 36,617. Over 15,400 came in in India.
Experts said rising case counts can reflect multiple factors including more widespread testing as well as broader infection.
Overall in the pandemic, WHO reported 8,708,008 cases — 183,020 in the last 24 hours — with 461,715 deaths worldwide, with a daily increase of 4,743.
More than two-thirds of those new deaths were reported in the Americas.
In Spain, officials ended a national state of emergency after three months of lockdown, allowing its 47 million residents to freely travel around the country for the first time since March 14. The country also dropped a 14-day quarantine for visitors from Britain and the 26 European countries that allow visa-free travel.
Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez urged people to take maximum precautions: “The virus can return and it can hit us again in a second wave, and we have to do whatever we can to avoid that at all cost.”
The U.S. has the world’s highest number of reported infections, over 2.2 million, and the highest death toll, at about 120,000, according to Johns Hopkins. Health officials say robust testing is vital for tracking outbreaks and keeping the virus in check.
The virus appears to be spreading across the West and South. Arizona reported over 3,100 new infections, just short of Friday’s record, and 26 deaths. Nevada also reported a new high of 445 cases.
The number of confirmed virus cases is still growing rapidly not only in the U.S. but in Brazil, South Africa and other countries, especially in Latin America.
Brazil’s Health Ministry said the total number of cases had risen by more than 50,000 in a day. President Jair Bolsonaro has been downplaying the risks even as his country has seen nearly 50,000 fatalities, the second-highest death toll in the world.
South Africa reported a one-day high of almost 5,000 new cases on Saturday and 46 deaths. Despite the increase, President Cyril Ramaphosa announced a further loosening of one of the world’s strictest lockdowns. Casinos, beauty salons and sit-down restaurant service will reopen.
In Europe, a single meatpacking plant in Germany has had over 1,000 cases, so the regional government issued a quarantine for all 6,500 workers, managers and family members.
In Asia, China and South Korea reported new coronavirus cases Sunday in outbreaks that threatened to set back their recoveries.
Chinese authorities recorded 25 new confirmed cases — 22 in Beijing. In the past week, Beijing tightened travel controls by requiring anyone who wants to leave the Chinese capital, a city of 20 million people, to show proof they tested negative for the virus.
In South Korea, nearly 200 infections have been traced to employees at a door-to-door sales company in Seoul, and at least 70 other infections are tied to a table tennis club there. But South Korean officials are reluctant to enforce stronger social distancing to avoid hurting the economy.
With AP report
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