As Nigeria’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) figures jump to 31,323 with 575 new cases on Friday, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has again appealed to Nigerians to “strictly” observe all protocols in order to limit the spread of the virus.
The NCDC also said via its official Twitter handle that as at Friday, July 10, 20 deaths caused by the coronavirus were recorded.
This is just as the World Health Organisation (WHO) said there is a glimmer of hope that the Coronavirus pandemic can be brought under control, citing examples of countries who reined in the virus through aggressive actions.
The NCDC said that out of the 31,323 confirmed cases, 12,795 patients have been treated and discharged while 709 deaths recorded in 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Of the 575 new cases reported from 18 States and FCT, Lagos remained the epicentre, reporting 224 new cases, followed by Oyo State with 85 and 68 in FCT.
Others include Rivers (49), Kaduna (39), Edo (31), Enugu (30), Delta (11), Niger (10), Katsina (9), Ebonyi (5), Gombe (3), Jigawa (3), Plateau (2), Nassarawa (2), Borno (2), Kano (1) and Abia (1).
Director General of WHO, Tedros Ghebreyesus, said that Italy, Spain, South Korea and India’s biggest slums had reined in virus through aggressive action.
According to Ghebreyesus who spoke via a virtual press conference on Friday in Geneva, though the virus “in the last six weeks cases have more than doubled,” there were many examples from around the world that have shown that even if the outbreak was very intense, it could still be controlled.
Said he: “Some of these examples are Italy, Spain and South Korea and even, in Dharavi a densely packed area in the megacity of Mumbai in India. A strong focus on community engagement and the basics of testing, tracing, isolating and treating all those that are sick is key to breaking the chains of transmission and suppressing the virus.”
Figures shows that as of Friday, the virus have killed at least 556,140 people worldwide since the outbreak emerged in China in 2019. Cumulatively, at least 12,361,580 cases have been registered in 196 countries and territories while no fewer than 6,593,400 are considered to have recovered.
For the NCDC, it noted that there are simple actions Nigerians could take to protect themselves and their loved ones and prevent the spread of COVID-19.
It also reminded Nigerians that when a mask is applied correctly, it covers both the nose and mouth and does not fog up their glasses.
“If their mask fogs up their glasses, it is too loose for them,’’ the centre stated.
The other things Nigerians need to do is to also sanitise their hands before they put on a mask.
“Do not touch your mask or face when it is on, santise your hands before and after you take off your mask.
“Eye protection also provides a barrier to infectious materials entering the eye and is often used in conjunction with other personal protective equipment (PPE) such as gloves, gowns, masks or respirators.’’
The health agency added that COVID-19 was real and, as such, Nigerians should stay safe, wash their hands frequently and thoroughly with soap and water.
It added that they should maintain physical distancing at all times.
