By John Ikani
The third wave of the coronavirus pandemic is ruthlessly ravaging Nigeria, as the country on Wednesday recorded four new deaths and 747 cases, ranking the highest daily infection figure in more than six months.
The cases, confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Wednesday, are the highest since February 19 when 1,492 cases were confirmed as the second wave of the pandemic was tapering off.
According to the NCDC, Lagos State, the epicentre of COVID-19 in Nigeria, recorded 488, followed by Akwa Ibom 121 cases, Oyo 29, Rivers 25 and Ogun 15.
The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Kaduna recorded 13 each; Kwara 11; Ekiti and Osun reported 10 each; Edo had six, Abia had three, Anambra recorded two and Plateau had one.
In all, Nigeria has confirmed 176,011 cases. Out of that number 165,208 patients have recovered and 2,167 people have died.
What you should know
The Federal Government, the Lagos Government and health experts have raised concerns about the increasing cases in the country, especially now that the most contagious Delta variant of the pandemic has been detected in some states in the country.
With active cases in Nigeria jumping to 8,626 as of Wednesday, hospitals across the country will further be put under severe pressure as the ongoing nationwide strike by the National Association of Resident Doctors (NARD) lingers.
The doctors’ strike entered its fourth day Thursday with its biting consequences taking a toll on Nigerians.
The latest surge in both deaths and infections as well as the ongoing doctors’ strike are of particular concern to health experts and government officials, who plead with Nigerians to observe all necessary non-pharmaceutical protocols
The NCDC stated that till date, 165,208 recoveries have been recorded nationwide.
However, out of Nigeria’s 200 million people, the agency had tested only 2.5 million for the virus.
