As Nigeria continues to scale up Coronavirus (COVID-19) tests with 122,155 samples collected to date, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Nigerians must focus on non-pharmaceutical interventions such as using face masks, physical distancing and frequent hand washing to curtail the spread of the virus.
NDC also cautioned on the use of different shades of facemasks, stating that the right ones must be adorned and properly so, for it to help halt of the virus.
This is just as Nigeria recorded 594 new cases of COVID-19 on Thursday, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 22,614,
The NCDC said through its official Twitter handle that out of the 122,155 samples collected in Nigeria, 22,614 confirmed cases had been recorded. Out of the confirmed cases, 14, 243 cases are active, 7,822 cases have been treated and discharged while 549 deaths were recorded, with all the statistics from 35 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NCDC said that the 594 new cases were from 22 States of the federation, with Lagos State reporting the highest number of cases with 154. Delta State came second with 106 new cases.
Others were Ondo-44, FCT-34, Edo-34, Oyo-33, Kaduna-33, Enugu-28, Katsina-25, Imo-22, Adamawa-15, Ogun-12, Osun-11, Abia-8, Rivers-6, Nasarawa-5, Bauchi-5, Niger-5, Kebbi-4, Ekiti-3,Plateau-1 and Taraba-1
The health agency said that any Nigerian who is having loss of taste and smell, which is a symptom of COVID19, should note that “it is important to get tested rather than self-medicate on the assumption that it is malaria.”
NCDC also said that while cloth masks were convenient substitutes to medical masks, individuals who were at a high risk of complications should not wear them.
The health agency further said that face shields were not sufficient to prevent transmission of COVID-19 and should therefore be used in addition to face masks.
It observed that there had been an increased used of face shield by Nigerians, adding they were not to be used in place of facemasks.
The agency also clarified that the loss of smell or taste had been recognised globally as symptoms of COVID-19.
It noted that though there were few other diseases that would cause these symptoms, it was most likely that it was linked with an increasing incidence of COVID-19.
The NCDC urged citizens to adhere to public health measures and recognise the need to pay close attention to the elderly and those with underlying medical conditions as they were most vulnerable.
On private sector partnership to ramp up testing, the agency said a lot of private sector laboratories had indicated interest and were playing a role already.
It added that Lagos had the highest number of private laboratories.
The NCDC, however, acknowledged that the process of accreditation was complicated and cumbersome for private sector operators, adding it was working with states to ramp up sample collection identified as a major challenge.
The agency also urged Nigerians to hold the NCDC and state governments responsible.
“We have provided testing infrastructure; by the end of tomorrow, we will roll out GeneXperts to seven states. Access to testing is no longer our challenge, but collecting samples,” it said.
The NCDC pointed out that testing was not the final solution, but an entry point to clinical care and public health management