We are currently tracing 12,000 COVID-19 contacts – NCDC DG

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, has disclosed that the agency is  currently tracing about 12,000 persons who have had contact with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu who made this known while responding to questions from journalists at the Presidential Task Force briefing on COVID-19 added that this figure is however fluid as the contacts increase daily.

“The number of contacts is very fluid because with every new case, there is a new contact. But we are following up about cumulatively 12,000 contacts across the country from the beginning of the outbreak,” the NCDC boss said.

Ihekweazu speaking further on lack of adequate bed spaces for COVID-19 patients across the country stressed that this still remains a challenge.

According to him, the 3,500 bed spaces available across the country is no enough and no states in Nigeria has fulfilled the bed space capacity needed to respond to the outbreak.

He called on private individuals who have facilitates that can be used as isolation centres to help in their various states.

“There is no state in Nigeria, even Lagos that has fully fulfilled the bed capacity that they need to respond to this outbreak.

“No single state in Nigeria has achieved that,” he said.

Nigeria currently has 1,932 confirmed cases of COVID-19 across 34 states of the country including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Only 319 persons have been discharged while 58 deaths have, so far, been recorded. (Channels TV)