Nigeria records 3 per cent COVID-19 fatality rate

Nigeria, with an estimated population of 205.5 million recorded a total of 7,839 confirmed cases and a total of 226 COVID-19 deaths. This is equivalent to one death per million population according to data from the Johns Hopkins University of Medicine, JHU, released on May 23rd, 2020.

From the data, Nigeria has lower death burden per million population when compared to the 7 deaths per million population recorded by South Africa (59.2 million) with 21, 343 cases and total of 407 deaths and Egypt (102.1 million) with 16,513  cases and total of 808 deaths.

In terms of the death burden per million population, Africa’s most populous country, ties with less populous countries like Ghana (31 million) 6,617 cases and total of 198 deaths; Algeria (population 43.7 million) with 8,113 confirmed COVID-19 cases and total of 31 deaths;  Ivory Coast (26.3 million) with 2,366 cases and total of 30 deaths and Togo (8.2 million) with 373 cases and total of 12 deaths.

Despite Nigeria’s ranking among other African countries, the country is gradually recording  high number of positives and deaths from the pandemic. In March Nigeria recorded 2 percent case fatality rate, which rose to 3 percent in April, and three weeks into   May, it remains stable at 3 percent.

Statistics from the Nigeria Centre for Disease, NCDC, daily situation report show that Nigeria’s first death from COVID-19 was recorded on the 23rd of March and two more deaths were recorded in March , bringing the total number of deaths to 3.

In April, Nigeria recorded a total of 56 deaths, as the NCDC, also revealed that from the 1st to 23rd of May, 2020, a total of 162 deaths were been recorded from the pandemic. This development is coming to light as  Nigeria joins the list of countries easing lockdown measures, and the World Health Organisation, WHO, warning of the possibility of a significant increase in cases, with a call on African governments to remain vigilant and be ready to adjust measures in line with epidemiological data and proper risk assessment.

From the data, Africa recorded a total of 107,747 confirmed cases and 3,257 deaths, and of the total 1.5 million COVID-19 tests so far conducted in the continent, Nigeria conducted a total of 43,328 tests, which is 2 percent of the total, compared to South Africa that has carried out 564,370 tests (37.6 percent); Ghana, 193,705 (12.9 percent); Cameroun, 161, 882 (10.7 percent); Egypt, 135,000 (9 percent); Morocco, 133,561 (8 percent); Kenya, 76,692 (5 percent), and Ethiopia, 57,650 (3 percent).

The data also shows that Cameroun (26.4 million) with 159 deaths, has 6 deaths per million population from 4,400 cases, is followed by Morocco (36.8 million) with 7,406 cases and total of 198 deaths, Gabon (2.2 million) with 1,934 cases and total of 12 deaths and  Sierra Leone (7.9 million) with 621 cases and total of 39 deaths, each of which has recorded 5 deaths per million population.

With a total of 648 cases and total of 60 deaths equivalent to 4 deaths per million population, Chad (16.3 million) is followed by Guinea Bissau (1.9 million) with 1,114 cases and total of 6 deaths which ties at 3 deaths per million population with Niger (24.1 million), 943 cases and total of 61 deaths and Sudan (43.7 million) with 3,628 cases and total of 146 deaths.

Guinea (13.0 million) with 3,176 cases and total of 20 deaths has recorded 2 deaths per million populations, a position it shares with Senegal (16.7 million) with 2,976 cases, and total of 34 deaths.