The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, on Wednesday, 6th January 2021, announced that 1,664 new confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 5 deaths were recorded in Nigeria, taking the total tally to 94,369 confirmed cases and 1,324 recorded deaths since the outbreak.
This represents the highest number of daily cases recorded since the outbreak of the pandemic, a 22.9% increase compared to 1,354 cases recorded the previous day and 38.2% compared to 1,204 recorded on Monday.
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Second wave
Since December 2020, Nigeria has continued to record significant increases in the number of new cases of the pandemic, which has pushed Nigeria into the second wave of the pandemic.
- So far in January, the average monthly cases jumped by 76% from an average of 645 cases recorded in December 2020 to 1,132 average cases in January.
- It also represents 621.6% increase compared to the average of 157 cases recorded in November 2020.
- According to data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, a total 980,046 tests have been carried out.
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What you should know
A survey carried out by Nairametrics Research in September, revealed that Nigerians had abandoned the use of face masks, hand sanitizers, and social distancing practices as they went about their daily businesses.
- According to the report, most traders and artisans believed the virus was no longer a threat considering the reduction in the daily number of cases, while some believed there was no Covid-19 in Nigeria in the first place.
- Nairametrics also reported last week, that the Lagos State government had attributed the second wave of the pandemic to the re-opening of the economy, schools, religious, and social gatherings, among others.
- The State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, added that other reasons included general laxity, a false sense of security, and non-adherence to safety guidelines by citizens and various entertainment gatherings.
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What the number says
As of today, Nigeria records a fatality rate of 14.2 deaths per 1000 cases. This means that for every 1000 positive cases of covid-19 in Nigeria, 14 people died.
- The highest cases of the pandemic are prevalent amongst the group of 31-40 years (19,746) followed by people between the ages of 21 and 30 years.
- Lagos State has the highest number of confirmed cases in Nigeria (32,687), followed by the Federal Capital Territory (Abuja) with 12,428 cases.
- On the other hand, Kogi and Zamfara States have the least number of cases with 5 and 112 cases respectively.
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What this means
The persistent increase in the number of daily cases could affect the recovery of Nigeria’s economy from recession, given that a second lockdown cannot be totally ruled out at the stage.
