Tension as COVID-19 spikes in Nigeria with 161 fresh cases

Nigeria has recorded a fresh spike of COVID-19 cases as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed that the country has recorded 161 new cases.

Lagos which remains the epicenter of the virus in Nigeria, recorded 153 new cases, while Gombe recorded two, Oyo and Rivers one each and the FCT four cases respectively.

This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 168,713. 164,476 have recovered, while 2,124 have unfortunately died.

This comes days after the NCDC said it had detected the Delta COVID-19 variant in the country.

“The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has detected a confirmed case with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, also known as lineage B.1.617.2,” the health agency said in a statement last Thursday.

“The variant was detected in a traveler to Nigeria, following the routine travel test required of all international travelers and genomic sequencing at the NCDC National Reference Laboratory, Abuja.”

The NCDC, however, assured Nigerians that the federal government has put measures in place to combat the disease, asking them to adhere to the recommended safety protocols.

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Delta variant has an increased transmissibility, and has raised concerns across the globe.

It has also been detected in over 90 countries and is expected to spread to more nations.

“The variant has also been linked to a surge in cases in countries where it is the dominant strain in circulation,” the NCDC explained. “There are ongoing studies to understand the impact of the variant on existing vaccines and therapeutics.”