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Oyo State has recorded two new cases of coronavirus as Nigeria on Thursday confirmed 35 new cases of the virus. This brings the total number of cases in the country to 442.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in a tweet said the new cases were reported in three states – Lagos, Kano and Oyo – and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The breakdown of the new cases showed that Lagos has 19 cases, followed by FCT with 9, Kano – 5, and Oyo, 2 cases.
Lagos remains the epicentre for the outbreak in Nigeria, while confirmed cases in Kano have been on the rise since the first confirmed case was announced on Sunday in the city.
The NCDC said as at 10:20 p.m. on Thursday, there were 442 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria. Of this, 152 have been discharged while 13 people have died.
As of the time of reporting, 19 states and the FCT have confirmed at least a case of the virus in Nigeria.
Lagos State has now reported 251 cases, followed by FCT – 67, Kano – 21, Osun – 20, Edo – 15, Oyo – 13, Ogun – 9, Katsina – 7, Bauchi, Kaduna and Akwa Ibom – 6, Kwara and Delta – 4, while Ondo has 3 cases. Enugu, Niger, Ekiti, and Rivers have two cases each, while Benue and Anambra have recorded one each.
Meanwhile, Nigerians have been advised to expect a rise in the number of infections as the government intensifies contact tracing and testing to identify those who may have been exposed to the virus.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has also warned that the government will sanction private hospitals in Nigeria who are treating COVID-19 patients without permission.
Confirming the development, the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force, in a statement said: “The COVID-19 confirmation test for two suspected cases came back POSITIVE, tonight. One confirmed COVID-19 patient was discharged today after receiving their second negative test result. This brings the number of discharged cases in Oyo State to seven. As reported earlier, one case was transferred to Lagos. So, there are currently five active cases in the state.”
The statement added: “We invite the following categories of people who have not already done so, to register with the Emergency Operations Centre on 08095394000 / 08095863000 / 08078288999 / 08078288800, for the ongoing drive through/walk through testing at Adamasingba Stadium;
“a) People who believe they could have come into contact with a COVID-19 case in Oyo State;
b) People who returned to Nigeria from abroad within the last one month and their contacts;
c) People with respiratory symptoms and
d) Healthcare workers who have been in contact with the high-risk groups, above.
“We thank Smile Communications Nigeria, which donated routers to our Emergency Operations Centre. We also thank everyone who has continued to donate to the state government in cash or kind to enable us prevent the spread of COVID-19 in Oyo State.
“Please, keep following the directives of the Oyo State COVID-19 Task Force. Wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer, regularly. Also, continue to maintain social distancing.”