..WHO Donates To Nigeria
The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC),has recorded 566 additional COVID-19 infections due to a surge in the spread of the Delta variant in the country.
Besides,the agency disclosed that 11 COVID-19 related deaths were recorded as of Aug. 5.
The 566 new infections were recorded across 11 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT),it said,adding that Lagos , reported 283 cases, while Akwa Ibom followed with 88 cases and Oyo State ranked third with 62 cases.
Rivers recorded 62 cases to rank fourth while the FCT reported 18 new infections.
According to the agency,Ogun State and Ekiti reported 17 and 13 Infections each, while Kwara recorded 11, even as Plateau and Zamfara reported six and three, with Kaduna and Kastina registering two cases each, respectively.
It added that five states: Edo, Nasarawa, Ondo, Osun and Sokoto reported zero cases.
The Public health agency noted that the figure raised the country’s total infections to 176,577, while the fatality toll now stands at 2,178.
The new infections indicate an increase from the 747 cases announced a day earlier.
The figure is the highest daily infection recorded in the country for more than five months.
The country’s COVID-19 infections have been rising over the past weeks since the discovery of the Delta strain, bringing fears of renewed pressure on the health system.
The NCDC stated that 125 people had recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres in the country on Thursday.
It said that till date, 165,333 recoveries had been recorded nationwide in 36 states and the FCT.
The agency added that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continued to coordinate the national response activities.
The health institute said the country had also tested more than 2.5 million samples for the virus out the country’s estimated 200 million population.
The NCDC said the country’s COVID-19 average positive test rate was six per cent.
It stated that the country’s active cases stood 9, 033, as of Aug. 5.
The agency said the country’s infections in week 30, increased to 3,218 from 1,579 reported in week 29.
These were reported in 28 states and the FCT.
It stated that in week 30, the number of discharged cases increased to 218 from 90 in week 29. These were also reported in 16 states and the FCT.
The NCDC said there were 17 deaths reported in the last one week. Noting that cumulatively, since the outbreak began in week 9, 2020, 174,315 cases and 2,149 deaths were reported with a case fatality rate of 1.2 per cent.
It said in week 30, the number of in-bound international travellers tested stood at 3,702 of which 155 were positive, compared to 74, out of 2,836 samples tested from week 29.
Meanwhile,the World Health Organization (WHO) has donated 26 ventilators and 3,560 fingertip oxygen pulses to the Nigerian government for the care of patients in isolation and treatment centers, as well as home-based patients in Nigeria.
The Country Representative of WHO, Dr Walter Kazadi, who made the donation to the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria has done well in containing each of the last two waves in a timely manner and maintaining a national case fatality rate of 1.3 percent, which was half the regional average.
He added:”It is against this backdrop we wish to demonstrate our continued support of the ministry’s efforts in further strengthening the country’s capacity in case management.This is in addition to our ongoing support across all pillars of the country’s COVID-19 response at federal and state levels.
“To this end, we wish to donate 26 ventilators and 3,560 fingertip oxygen pulse oximeters for the management of patients in isolation and treatment facilities, as well as home-based patients.”
According to him,since the first case of COVID-19 in Nigeria on Feb. 27, 2020, Nigeria had passed through the stages of having sporadic cases, clusters of cases and community transmission.
He noted that with the COVID-19 outbreak reaching a stage with increasing numbers in the country, and around the globe, it was imperative to have a strong response in all pillars.
“As of the beginning of August 2021, about 15 months into the outbreak, Nigeria reached 175,264 confirmed cases, the majority (over 94 per cent) had been successfully treated and discharged. Unfortunately, 2,163 died,’’ he said.
He expressed that the donation would complement government’s notable initiatives,help to address identified gaps in readiness for the third wave that was being driven by the COVID-19 Delta variant.
Speaking,Nigeria’s Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire,promised that his ministry would ensure adequate distribution of the items donated as some areas may need it more than others.
He noted that efforts to eliminate the COVID-19 pandemic required the collaboration of all countries
