On Tuesday April 21st, 2020, Nigeria recorded a total of 117 new cases of COVID-19. This is the highest number of confirmed infections recorded in the country within a 24-hour period.
According to information made available by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 59 out of the 117 cases were recorded in Lagos, followed by 29 in the FCT, 24 in Kano, and 6 in Borno. There were also 4 new cases in Katsina, 3 in Ogun, and 1 in Rivers and Bauchi states, respectively.
So far, the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria has risen to 782. Only 197 patients have recovered, even as the fatalities currently stand at 25. Recall that the former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari was among those who have lost their lives to the virus.
As at 11:25 pm 21st April, breakdown of cases by states:
Lagos-430
FCT-118
Kano-73
Osun-20
Ogun-20
Oyo-16
Katsina-16
Edo-15
Kwara-9
Kaduna-9
Akwa Ibom-9
Borno-9
Bauchi-8
Gombe-5
Delta-4
Ekiti-4
Ondo-3
Rivers-3
Jigawa-2
Enugu-2
Niger-2
Abia-2
Benue-1
Anambra-1
Sokoto-1— NCDC (@NCDCgov) April 21, 2020
In the meantime, Nigeria is ramping up efforts at wide-spread testing and contact-tracing. Thanks to the generous donations by the country’s private sector through the Coalition Against COVID-19 (CACOVID), more testing kits and medical equipment are now being expected in the country soon to facilitate the fight against the virus.
The government had also issued lockdown orders for some parts of the country, encouraging Nigerians to stay indoors in a bid to contain the spread of the virus. Unfortunately, the economic hardship faced by millions of people is making it difficult for the lockdown to be effective. The crime rate has also risen in recent weeks, especially in some parts of Lagos where hungry hoodlums have been reported to raid homes at night in search of food and other valuables.
Food stamps and other relief efforts by the Federal Government and Lagos State Government have been faulted for being too little. Meanwhile, some charitable individuals (and companies) have been making huge donations to assist people during this difficult time.
