- NCDC gives guidelines on handling of dead COVID-19 patients
Nigeria on Wednesday said that it recorded 348 new cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 11,166.
This is as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said that two States in Nigeria, Lagos and Kano, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) accounted for 64.2 per cent of the total number of the Coronavirus in the country,
NCDC said on its website that as at Wednesday, Lagos recorded 5,440, Kano 970 and FCT 763, which accounts for 64.2 per cent of the total number of 11,166 infections in the country.
The health 33 States also said that the rest of the 33 States accounts for the remaining 35.8 per cent of the total infections in the country.
The NCDC statistics shows that out of the 11,166 confirmed cases in the country, 7,522 are active cases while 3,329 have been treated and discharged.
According to the health agency, out of the 348 new cases, 163 new cases were recorded in Lagos, 76 in the FCT and 23 in Ebonyi.
Other affected States were Rivers with 21 cases, Delta, Nasarawa and Niger with eight each, Enugu with six, five each in Bauchi, Edo, Ekiti, Ondo and Gombe, four in Benue, two in Ogun, and one each in Osun, Plateau, Kogi and Anambra.
The NCDC noted that 75 per cent of COVID-19 cases in the country have unknown sources of infection.
But it said that this was normal for a respiratory virus and suggested ongoing community transmission in the country.
NCDC also said that for families with loved ones abroad or in another State, who have passed on due to complications from COVID-19, transporting the remains is a tough process as it has developed an interim guide to ensure efficient transportation in compliance with regulations.
The interim guidance, which it said, is based on what is currently known about COVID-19, which is that the virus is spreading through contact with contaminated respiratory droplets released when an infected person coughs or sneezes, or from contact with contaminated hands, surfaces or objects.
It said that Funeral directors and mortuary personnel were less likely to contract COVID-19 from deceased persons infected with the virus if they adopt appropriate infection control procedures and wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
The health agency said precautionary strategies should be used to minimise public health risks and to prevent further spread of the disease.
According to NCDC, “contact and droplet infection control precautions should be used when handling deceased bodies confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19. Wear appropriate PPE at all times without contaminating environmental surfaces.”
It added that for transport and storage, the body must be placed and secured in a bag or wrapping in a manner that prevents leakage; double bagging may be required to achieve this.
“The body bag should be labelled COVID-19 – Handle with care. Avoid unnecessary manipulation of the body that may expel air or fluid from the lungs. Embalming of a body confirmed or suspected to have COVID-19 is not recommended,” it said.
It noted that family viewing of the deceased may occur; however, family members should avoid any contact with the body.
The agency stressed the need to maintain the recommended social distance from families and friends of the deceased.
