Nigeria, on Tuesday, recorded 576 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total infections to 37, 801 in the country.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) made this known on its official twitter handle on Tuesday night.
The centre also said that four deaths were recorded in the country.
It said that the 576 new cases were reported from 22 states.
The NCDC said out of the 37,801 confirmed cases, 15,677 cases have been treated and discharged.
It added that a total of 805 deaths were recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
The agency said that new cases were reported in Lagos (88), Kwara (87), FCT (82), Plateau (62), Ondo (39), Enugu (28), Oyo (26), Taraba (24), Kaduna (20), Ebonyi (20), Edo (17), Cross River (16), Kano (14), Rivers (11), Ogun (10), Delta (9), Nasarawa (8), Osun (8), Katsina (3), Imo (2), Kebbi (1), and Borno (1).
576 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria;
Lagos-88
Kwara-87
FCT-82
Plateau-62
Ondo-39
Enugu-28
Oyo-26
Taraba-24
Kaduna-20
Ebonyi-20
Edo-17
Cross River-16
Kano-14
Rivers-11
Ogun-10
Delta-9
Nasarawa-8
Osun-8
Katsina-3
Imo-2
Kebbi-1
Borno-137,801 confirmed
15,677 discharged
805 deaths pic.twitter.com/LbyjQ81wtJ— NCDC (@NCDCgov) July 21, 2020
’58 laboratories in 30 states’
According to it, a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level three, continues to coordinate the national response activities.
Meanwhile the NCDC said that there were currently 58 laboratories in 30 states with the capacity to test for COVID-19 in the country.
The agency announced inclusion of five new laboratories in its Molecular Laboratory Network: Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin, ATBU Teaching Hospital, Bauchi, Rivers Indorama Company Molecular Lab, State Specialist Hospital, Amachara, Abia, University of Abuja, Gwagwalada GeneXpert.
It said that the Federal Ministry of Health, through the agency, had prioritised testing as one of the key strategies to the COVID-19 response in Nigeria.
In order to contain the outbreak, the agency said the government of Nigeria is planning to rapidly scale diagnostic testing to cover all 36 States plus the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The NCDC said it would work with donors, partners and the private sector to rapidly scale testing capacity to every state.
“As of April 14, 2020, Nigeria has 12 functional testing facilities in eight states, with a capacity to conduct a minimum of 1,500 tests per day in Lagos and 1,000 tests per day in FCT and other states.
“As the epidemic intensifies, the NCDC has been using a multi-phase approach to scale up testing to all 36 states of the federation,” it said.
As of July 21, the new cases Percentage Change stood at 0.025 per cent, Recovery Percentage Change, 0.509 per cent, Death Percentage Change, -0.667 per cent, Recovery Rate, 41.472 per cent and Death Rate, 2.13 per cent.
Pandemic `will probably get worse’ – Trump
Meanwhile, U.S. President, Donald Trump, on Tuesday evening, admitted that the COVID-19 pandemic “will probably get worse before it gets better.”
Speaking at a White House news briefing, Trump noted the rising cases in southern and western states of the country, especially Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia and Texas.
“It will probably, unfortunately, get worse before it gets better, something I don’t like saying about things, but that’s the way it is,” he said.
The acknowledgement deviated from the president’s recent positive predictions about the pandemic.
Until the rise in new cases, Trump had downplayed the COVID-19 crisis in the U.S., and was even pressuring states for reopening of the economy.
He had threatened to withdraw funding from higher institutions that refused to resume in-person classes in the impending new academic year.
At Tuesday’s news briefing, the president also urged Americans, especially young people, to wear masks where physical distancing was impossible.
“Get a mask.
“Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact.
“They will have an effect and we need everything we can get,” he said.
Trump said the ultimate goal of his administration was to end the pandemic, and not merely to manage it.
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