For the 11th consecutive time, Nigeria has recorded less than 600 cases – with 479 infections recorded on Tuesday, March 2.
Based on fresh data released by Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) yesterday, there was a 33 percent rise in the single-day count. On Monday, NCDC reported 360 infections, which is one of the lowest single-day counts, in recent weeks.
In the new data, 479 fresh infections were reported in 21 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).
479 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;
Lagos-153
Enugu-75
Rivers-50
FCT-40
Kaduna-18
Ebonyi-17
Plateau-17
Edo-17
Borno-16
Oyo-12
Kano-11
Abia-10
Cross River-10
Taraba-9
Nasarawa-7
Bauchi-4
Bayelsa-3
Delta-3
Ekiti-2
Niger-2
Ogun-2
Akwa Ibom-1 pic.twitter.com/Vykyqt12Ei— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 2, 2021
The new figures were announced same day Nigeria took delivery of nearly four million doses of Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as part of an overall 16 million doses planned to be delivered to the country in batches over the next few months.
Read Also: Breaking: First Batch Of Oxford/AstraZeneca Vaccine Arrives Nigeria (Photos)
The vaccines are being provided by COVAX, a global initiative to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.
Upon arrival, samples were handed to NAFDAC, Nigerian food and drug regulatory agency, for further examination. Vaccination will commence in the coming days, according to authorities.
With the relatively low number of new daily cases recorded in the past week, Nigeria’s response against the disease may have started paying off, according to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) country representative, Walter Mulomo.
Also, Nigeria on Tuesday recorded eight deaths, the same figure reported in the previous 24-hour cycle. With the latest figure, the total fatality toll in the country is now 1,923.
On Sunday, two deaths were recorded, the lowest daily fatality in over six months.
A breakdown of cases by state can be found via https://t.co/zQrpNeOfet#TakeResponsibility pic.twitter.com/rfg7jzpXvF
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 2, 2021
Meanwhile, health experts believe the official data under-reports both infections and deaths because of the country’s limited testing capacity.
Over 55,000 COVID-19 infections, nearly a third of Nigeria’s total cases, and over 400 deaths have been recorded in Lagos state.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous nation, has so far conducted 1,544,008 tests, which is less than one per cent of the country’s 200 million population.
