COVID-19: Nigeria records highest daily toll

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Exactly four months since the first COVID-19 case was confirmed on February 27, 2020, Nigeria has recorded its highest daily toll of new infections with 779 cases.

The new cases were confirmed for 21 states and the federal capital territory (FCT) by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) at 11:42pm on Saturday.

A total of 390 patients were discharged on Saturday, increasing the number of recoveries from 8,235 to 8,625, while fatalities rose from 554 to 558.

Over the past four months, the cases have increased significantly, especially between May and June — the figures moved from one confirmed case on February 27 to 81 cases on March 27, and from 1,337 cases on April 31 to 8,733 cases on May 27.

One month after recording less than 9,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections in May, as of June 27, well over 20,000 cases have now been confirmed in 35 states and the FCT.

Out of Nigeria’s current total of 24,077 people who have been confirmed positive, 14,894 cases are still active.

779 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;

Lagos-285
Rivers-68
FCT-60
Edo-60
Enugu-56
Delta-47
Ebonyi-42
Oyo-41
Kaduna-19
Ogun-18
Ondo-16
Imo-12
Sokoto-11
Borno-9
Nasarawa-8
Abia-5
Gombe-5
Kebbi-5
Kano-4
Yobe-3
Ekiti-3
Osun-2

24,077 confirmed
8,625 discharged
558 deaths pic.twitter.com/JsOtNeFSDx

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) June 27, 2020

Meanwhile, the NCDC has cautioned on the use of face shields in place of face masks as protection against contracting the coronavirus.

In an advisory published on Saturday, the agency maintained that there isn’t enough evidence to show that using face shields without masks will offer significant protection against COVID-19.

“For effective protection, face shields are used in combination with an appropriate face mask in healthcare settings,” it read.

“There is currently limited to no evidence on the effectiveness of face shields to prevent COVID-19 when used alone by the general public in non-healthcare settings.

“There is currently no guidance provided by the WHO or other relevant public health authority that recommends the use of face shields in non-healthcare settings to prevent COVID-19.

“Given the limited evidence on the effectiveness of face shields in protecting people from COVID-19 infection in community settings, and the absence of recommendations on their use, by the WHO and other public health authorities, face shields alone should not be used in preventing the spread of the COVID-19 infection. When used, it should be done in combination with an appropriate face mask.”