Nigeria’s latest surge in coronavirus infections gathered pace on Wednesday with new confirmed cases rising to 535 for the first time in four months following the spread of the more contagious Delta variant.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) figures on Thursday morning showed fresh 535 cases were reported on Wednesday.
The latest figure of 535 is the highest daily number in the country since March 4, 2021, when 708 cases were registered.
After months of low recorded numbers, the country’s infection have been on the rise in the past two weeks shortly after the discovery of 10 cases of the Delta variant, first identified in India.
Scientists consider it to be between 60 per cent and 80 per cent more transmissible than the dominant strain.
NCDC noted that the additional 535 cases registered was an increase in the previous high figure of 404, which was reported on July 27 as the highest daily record in four months.
The public health agency said the Infection rates have largely been concentrated in Lagos state, which is the country’s epicenter.
It added that Lagos again recorded the highest number on Wednesday’s infection tally.
The nation’s epicenter of the virus recorded 219 out of the 535 daily figure representing a decline from its previous high figures of 356, followed by Akwa-Ibom State with 142 new cases and Oyo with 47.
Amongst others, Rivers State recorded 17 cases; Jigawa and Edo 13 each, Ekiti and Bayelsa 11 each, Ondo -10, Osun-nine, Plateau-eight, Ogun and Kaduna seven each, Kano and the FCT 5 five each, while Gombe and Nasarawa reported four and three respectively.
Five additional COVID-19 related deaths were recorded on Wednesday, raising the death toll in the country at 2,139.
NCDC said 49 people had recovered and were discharged from various isolation centres in the country on Wednesday.
It added that till date, 164,886 recoveries have been recorded nationwide, even as a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 2, continues to coordinate the national response activities.
The agency also said the Nigeria has tested more than 2.4 million samples for the virus out of its estimated 200 million population.
The country’s active cases stood at over 4,000, and the country’s total infections rose to 172,263 as at July 28. 2021.
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