Chidi Samuel|Nigeria on Thursday confirmed 212 new cases of the novel coronavirus, even as Vice President Osinbajo says that getting COVID-19 vacinne remains a priority for the government.
In an update via its verified Twitter hande late on Thursday night, the Nigeria Centre For Disease Control said that the new infections brings to 64, 728 the number of confirmed cases in the country with 60,790 recoveries and 1,162 deaths.
According to the health agency, the new infections were recorded in 17 states ad the FCT with Lagos leading with 71 new cases, followed by Imo-26, Platuea-26 and FCT -19.
Other states with new infections include, Ondo-17, Kaduna-14, Rivers-9, Oyo-9, Katsina-6, Osun-4, Bauchi-2,
Ekiti-2, Nasarawa-2, Ogun-2, Kano-1, Kwara-1, and Taraba-1.
Nigeria’s priority is to get COVID-19 vaccine, says Osinbajo
Meanwhile, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday said one of Nigeria’s main priorities now was getting the COVID-19 vaccine. He said this was a matter of utmost concern to the present regime.
A statement by his spokesman, Laolu Akande, said Osinbajo made the disclosure at the opening of the virtual edition of the Paris Peace Forum which featured presentations by some Heads of State and government alongside international organisations, on a collective response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to the statement titled “Getting COVID-19 vaccine a matter of utmost concern, Akande quoted the Vice President as saying that “The priorities of Nigeria in the post COVID-19 era include improved healthcare and the economy.
“First, we need to keep the virus under control. While our guards are still firmly in place, getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a matter of utmost concern.
“On this, we are encouraged by the efforts of WHO and other international agencies working to ensure that vaccine delivery will be equitable across all countries, regardless of the priority of orders and ability to pay.”
Underscoring the importance of prioritising interventions and investments in the healthcare system, the Vice President said “we are encouraging private investment to upscale our health sector, with emphasis on improved facilities and affordable universal healthcare.”
While appreciating leaders across the world for their prompt response and cooperation in controlling the spread of the COVID-19, Osinbajo said “the sheer scale of disruptions to our lives and livelihoods caused by COVID-19 certainly caught us all by surprise.”
Restating the call for debt relief for developing countries, the Vice President said “the pandemic underscores the need for adequate financial buffers to cope with the ‘black swan’ events. For many developing countries, the debt burden makes this all but impossible.
“We call for debt relief for these countries, and the extension of the Debt Service Suspension Initiative (DSSI) at least until the end of 2021 as well as commercial debt relief where needed.”
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