NCDC chief Chike Ihekweazu: COVID-19 kills 4 in Abuja

Four persons died of COVID-19 in the last 24 hours in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reported 617 new infections.

The four deaths increased the death toll to 1,194.

Lagos, Kaduna and Abuja remain the hot spots for the virus as Nigeria grapples with a second wave of infections.

The three centres, which have registered over 70 percent of COVID-19 infections since 1 December, came out tops again on Saturday.

According to data released by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, out of the 617 new cases registered in 14 states and Abuja, the three accounted for 86 per cent.

Lagos, where Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has tested positive, led with 225 cases.

Abuja supplied 181 cases, while Kaduna logged 125 cases.

Till date, Nigeria has confirmed 72,757 infections out of 838,333 samples tested since February, when the first index case arrived from Italy.

Also so far, 65,850 have been discharged.

“Our discharges today include 74 community recoveries in Lagos State and 44 community recoveries in Kaduna State managed in line with guidelines”, the NCDC said on Saturday.

After Friday’s record setting infections, at least Saturday’s offered some relief.

Here is a breakdown of daily cases for Saturday:

Lagos-225
FCT-181
Kaduna-125
Adamawa-25
Nasarawa-20
Kano-12
Rivers-8
Edo-4
Ekiti-4
Bayelsa-3
Ogun-3
Plateau-3
Akwa Ibom-2
Delta-1
Sokoto-1

72,757 confirmed
65,850 discharged
1,194 deaths