Nigeria records highest COVID-19 cases in two weeks

Nigeria has recorded 964 more COVID-19 cases, the highest number of infections in two weeks.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed this in an update on its Facebook page late Saturday.

According to data from the agency, Nigeria reported 1064 infections on August 21, making Saturday’s cases the highest in fourteen days.

The new COVID-19 infections were confirmed in 20 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Lagos, the nation’s COVID-19 hotbed, had the highest number of infected persons for the day under review – 456  – followed by Ondo with 180 more cases.

Edo State had  66 new cases,  Rivers – 62, Niger – 26, Akwa Ibom – 25, Ekiti – 22,Kwara – 22 and Oyo – 22.

Other states with more cases are Kaduna – 17, Delta – 14, Benue – 12,  Gombe – 9, Plateau – 9, FCT – 8, Jigawa – 5, Ogun – 4, Bayelsa – 2, Nasarawa – 2 and Bauchi – 1.

As of Sunday morning, 195,052 cases have been confirmed in the country with 182,463 discharged.

But 2,544 have died from COVID-19 complications since the disease was confirmed in Nigeria last year February.

In spite of the hike in infections, many Nigerians have abandoned non-pharmaceutical measures like social distancing, regular hand washing and wearing of face masks.

In public places, many flout the protocols while commercial buses are loading in full capacity despite the country’s confirmation of the deadly Delta variant.

As the vaccination drive intensifies, the government says it would ensure the jabs are available to eligible Nigerians. But it is also worried about vaccine skeptics as the second phase of the vaccination begins. (Channels TV)