The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has raised alarm on the vulnerability of Nigerians older than 50 years dying from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) infections, just as Nigeria recorded 561 new cases of the disease and 17 deaths on Tuesday.
Stating that three out of every five Nigerians who died from COVID-19 were more than 50 years old, the NCDC said that total number of confirmed cases in the country is now 25,694.
The NCDC said that out of the total number of 25,694 confirmed cases, 15,358 were active cases; 9,746 cases were treated and discharged while 590 deaths have been recorded.
Already, 134,257 samples tests of the virus have been collected across the 35 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
NCDC said that Lagos State reported the highest number of infections with 200 new cases while Edo State came second with 119 new infections.
The breakdown from other States shows that Kaduna had 52, FCT-52, Niger-32, Ogun-19, Ondo-16, Imo-14, Plateau-11, Abia-8, Oyo-8, Bayelsa-7, Katsina-6, Kano-5, Bauchi-3, Osun-3, Kebbi-3, Borno-2 and Jigawa-1.
Warning Nigerians to take precautions to protect their older relatives by wearing a face mask in public, practising hand and respiratory hygiene and maintaining a physical distance of two metres from others, NCDC stated: “Ensure that if you do share a toilet and bathroom with others, they are cleaned after each use. Where possible, consider drawing up a roster for bathing, and you use the bathroom first at the start of each day.
“Encourage frequent handwashing with soap and water by all other household members and disinfect frequently touched surfaces e. g door handles, light switches, TV remotes etc throughout the day. Keep shared spaces well ventilated and minimise the time spent in shared enclosed spaces such as kitchens, bathrooms and sitting areas.
“Where possible, sleep in a different bed and endeavour to maintain physical distancing even within the household. Do not share towels and beddings or use commonly shared household items including cutlery, drinking cups etc,” the body stated.
The health agency also explained that it does not own any of the quarantine or treatment centres in use in the country as this was the responsibility of the State governments or relevant teaching hospitals.
The NCDC said it only provides guidance on set-up of standard isolation centres, national case management guidelines and training for health workers across the country.