- New highly transmittable COVID-19 variant not yet detected in Nigeria
Nigeria’s Coronavirus (COVID-19) numbers has set new records with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) registering 1,867 new infections of the virus on Friday, the highest single day rise since the index case was confirmed on February 27, 2020.
Thus, the number of COVID-19 confirmed cases in Nigeria is now 107,345.
Last week, the country surpassed its existing highest weekly record of COVID-19 infections by recording over 9,800 cases in seven days.
Between January 3 and 9, 2021, the country recorded 9,833 cases, a sharp increase from the 5,681 cases recorded in the previous week of December 27, 2020 to January 2, 2021.
The NCDC said via its official Twitter handle that eight people died from the virus on Friday, bringing the death toll to 1,413.
It stated that 705 patients who were successfully treated were discharged on Friday, bringing the number of recovered patients in Nigeria to 84,535.
NCDC noted that our discharges today include 277 community recoveries in Lagos State, 150 in Kaduna and 78 in Plateau, managed in line with guidelines.”
The health agency stated that the new cases were reported from 23 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), with Lagos State maintaining its preeminent position as epicentre of the virus with 713 infections, Plateau, 273; FCT, 199; Kaduna, 117 and Oyo, 79.
Others include Enugu-58, Ondo-53, Kano-49, Sokoto-43, Ogun-37, Osun-37, Nasarawa-36, Rivers-28, Benue-24, Delta-24, Niger-24, Gombe-18, Edo-15, Taraba-12, Bayelsa-10, Ekiti-9, Borno-6, Zamfara-2 and Jigawa-1.
Meanwhile, the NCDC said that the new highly transmittable variant of the COVID-19 had not been detected in the country.
It explained that the centre was able to determine the absence of the new COVID-19 variant in the country through genomic sequencing it conducted in partnership with African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases and the Reedemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
“Viruses mutate, emergence of new variant strains of COVID-19 isn’t news.
“Genomic sequencing in Nigeria shows no evidence yet of variants associated with increased transmission, but we’re looking,” it said.
The NCDC, however, said it would not relent in its disease surveillance efforts.