Coronavirus: NCDC reports 712 new infections

The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) has announced 712 new infections of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

The latest figure of the pandemic was announced on the NCDC’s verified website late Friday.

Nigeria recorded the lowest number of confirmed coronavirus infections in at least three days with 712 new infections.

It said that the new infections brought the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country to 82,747 which included 70,239 discharged cases and 1,246 deaths.

NCDC stated that four additional deaths were recorded from COVID-19 complications with 588 new recoveries.

“Our discharges today include 248 community recoveries in Lagos State and 136 community recoveries in Kaduna State managed in line with guidelines,’’ it stated.

The centre said that the new infections were confirmed in 19 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

It said that more than half of the new infections – 388 were found in Lagos, a major financial centre in West Africa and the economic hub of the country, and the epicentre of the disease with nearly 28,192.

Records from other states indicate: FCT-77, Kwara-39, Katsina-35, Bauchi-33, Plateau-22, Ogun-18, Akwa Ibom-16, Delta-13, Kaduna-12 and Osun-12.

Others are Yobe-11, Sokoto-10, Kebbi-8, Enugu-6, Edo-5, Ondo-3, Niger-2, Kano-1 and Oyo-1.

The NCDC said that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level-3 continued to coordinate the national response activities.

The agency said it is engaging with high level virtual strategic coordination engagement with Commissioners of Health and State Epidemiologists.

“There is the ongoing deployment of response strategies in collaboration with state response teams to improve response to a surge in COVID-19 cases.

“We are currently tracking reports from trained healthcare workers in hotspot LGAs across 10 states.

“There is also ongoing data management and analysis on the channel’s software and conduct of refresher courses training for IPC trainers and Develop plan routine testing for COVID-19.

“We are doing follow up and assessment of hand hygiene facilities under the Orange Network programme as well as finalising laboratory quality assurance plan,’’ it stated.

NAN recalls that since the beginning of the outbreak in February, more than 912,114 samples have been tested by the agency.