Opinion: COVID-19: Unravelling inaccuracies in NCDC data – By MAXWELL ADELEYE

On April 11, at exactly 9:30p.m., the National Centre for Disease and Control, NCDC, announced a total of 318 cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria through its website and verified social media accounts. Analyses: 70 discharged, 10 deaths and 238 active cases.

However, a further look at the data released by NCDC shows that the number of discharged patients are under-reported which, without much ado, renders the number released for active cases inaccurate.

For instance, in Osun 10 patients were discharged around 2p.m. on April 11 from the state isolation centre situated at Ejigbo, a densely-populated town in the western senatorial district of the state, making it a total of 11 recovered patients thus far. But NCDC recorded one discharged for the state. In Oyo, the state governor, Seyi Makinde, announced on Saturday, April 11, that seven patients, including himself, had already recovered and discharged  in the state.

But NCDC recorded four discharged for the state. Bauchi: The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aliyu Maigoro, announced on Thursday, April, nine that the state only have four cases thus far, with two recoveries including the state governor, Senator Bala Mohammed.

But NCDC, though initially recorded eight cases for the state, but has reduced the figure to six, following complaints from the state government. However, the NCDC on April 11, recorded zero discharged for Bauchi State, with six cases instead of four. ALSO READ: COVID-19: Lagos to commence door-to-door testing Records and observation In Ekiti, two cases were recorded and all the two patients had recovered and discharged.

But NCDC recorded one discharge for the state. As at 10:30p.m. on April 11, records from state isolation centres across Nigeria show that the county has recorded 86 discharged patients contrary to 70 reported by NCDC. According to  my findings, Lagos discharged 50; FCT, 11; Oyo, seven; Osun, 11; Ogun, two; Ekiti, two; Rivers, one; Bauchi, two —total 86. I observed that the NCDC data analysts only pay attention to reports from Lagos and Abuja being the epicentres of the pandemic in Nigeria.

I equally discovered that all data released from Abuja and Lagos are accurate, while most reports recorded for other states are inaccurate. While I salute NCDC for a job well-done thus far, I urge the agency to look into the discrepancies in the information being released to the general public in the interest of the world, who relies solely on their data for strategic planning.

Maxwell Adeyemi Adeleye, a qualitative researcher and development, strategic and political communications consultant wrote in from Lagos. Vanguard