On Christmas day, 712 new coronavirus cases and four deaths attributed to the disease were recorded across 20 states in Nigeria, according to health authorities.
With the latest figure, the total infections in the country has increased to over 82,747.
The total fatality toll is now 1,246.
This is according to an update Friday night by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Nigeria is currently battling its worst phase of COVID-19 with the recent surge in new infections officially declared the second wave last Thursday by the federal government.
Health experts believe the lowering of guard on safety and the weak enforcement of protocols by officials, especially in the country’s major airports in Abuja and Lagos, could be responsible for the recent spread, noting that the situation could get worse if citizens keep violating safety protocols.
Active cases in the country have risen from about 3,000 some weeks ago to over 11,000 due to a rise in new infections.
Of the over 82,000 cases so far in Nigeria, 70,239 patients have been discharged from hospitals after treatment.
Specifics
The 712 new cases were reported from 20 states- Lagos (388), FCT (77), Kwara (39), Katsina (35), Bauchi (33), Plateau (22), Ogun (18), Akwa Ibom (16), Delta (13), Kaduna (12), Osun (12), Yobe (11), Sokoto (10), Kebbi (8), Enugu (6), Edo (5), Ondo (3), Niger (2), Kano (1), and Oyo (1).
Again, Lagos and Abuja led with 388 and 77 new cases respectively on Friday – more than half of the daily total.
With the country sliding into the second wave of the pandemic, federal authorities ordered the reopening of all isolation and treatment centres in the country.
A resemblance of the new variant of the coronavirus currently causing panic and concern in the United Kingdom and the European Union has been identified in Nigeria by scientists at the Africa Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Diseases (ACEGID).
Following the discovery of new variants of COVID-19 in the UK and South Africa, the Nigerian government announced new travel rules for passengers coming in from both countries..
The Nigerian government has also reintroduced new restrictions to check the spread of the virus including closure of bars and nightclubs and limiting the number of people allowed in a public gathering.
The Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) made a “passionate appeal” to all Nigerians to take the COVID-19 prevention advisories very seriously now more than ever, especially during Yuletide festivities.
So far, Nigeria has tested over 900,000 of its 200 million people.
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