Second wave: Anxiety as Nigeria records 930 COVID-19 cases in one day
Nigeria recorded 930 new confirmed coronavirus infections on Wednesday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has said.
The Federal Government had warned that the country was on the verge of a second wave of the pandemic and had ordered the reopening of all isolation and treatment centres, which had been closed due to reduced patient load.
Giving an update last night, the NCDC stated, “On the 16th of December 2020, 930 new confirmed cases were recorded in Nigeria
“Till date, 75,062 cases have been confirmed, 66,775 cases have been discharged and 1,200 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
“The 930 new cases are reported from 22 states- Lagos (279), FCT (179), Plateau (62), Kaduna (54), Kano (52), Katsina (52), Imo (42), Jigawa (42), Rivers (38), Kwara (30), Nasarawa (19), Yobe (15), Ogun (13), Borno (10), Oyo (9), Niger (9), Ebonyi (6), Bauchi (6), Edo (5), Taraba (4), Sokoto (2) and Cross River (2).”
The PUNCH had earlier reported that the Federal Government accused religious leaders of sabotaging the national response in containing the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic in the country by holding large gatherings.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, had said, “We have observed, rather sadly, that Nigerians, particularly some faith-based organisations have continued to hold events of large gatherings capable of spreading the virus.
“The PTF urges all sub-national entities that signed the protocols with these organisations and have primary responsibility for enforcing the protocols and NPIs to step up their roles of enforcement.”
Mustapha had also said even as vaccines are rolled out, people will need to keep adhering to public health measures so that everyone is protected.
“The pandemic still has a long a way to run and decisions made by leaders and citizens in the coming days will determine the course of the next days and months; and in addition, and in line with the guidance on the use of masks, we need to discourage the practice of removing masks to speak,” the SGF had said while urging Nigerians to take more preventive measures during the yuletide season. Punch
