The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria surpassed 200,000 when the country’s disease control agency reported 519 new cases late Tuesday amid the government’s effort to level out the third wave of infections.
The total number of infections in the most populous African country stands at 200,057 as of Tuesday, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) reported.
The 519 new cases were reported from 15 states, including Abuja, the capital, and Lagos, the economic hub.
Eighteen new deaths were recorded, bringing the total number of COVID-19 fatalities in Nigeria to 2,637, the NCDC said.
A total of 188,719 COVID-19 cases were successfully treated and discharged after recovery, according to the data by the NCDC.
Nigeria has carried out over 2.9 million COVID-19 tests since the onset of the pandemic in the country about 19 months ago.
The NCDC said a multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Center activated at level 2 is coordinating response activities across the country, which is battling a third wave of COVID-19.
Health Minister Osagie Ehanire said at a press briefing on Monday the Delta variant of COVID-19 has been identified as the most dominant strain in Nigeria.
Since late June, data by the NCDC indicated a surge in COVID-19 cases and fatalities, a development that has brought renewed pressure on the health system.
The dreaded third wave of COVID-19 may appear to be leveling out in the country because there had been no catastrophic increases in infections and fatalities, Ehanire said.
Over 1.69 million eligible persons have been fully vaccinated since Nigeria commenced COVID-19 vaccination six months ago, Faisal Shuaib, head of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), said at a recent press conference.
In mid-August, Nigeria started the second phase of its COVID-19 vaccination program.
According to Shuaib, the NPHCDA, which is the agency coordinating vaccination in the country, has so far made progress by vaccinating a total of 1,692,315 citizens with the two recommended doses of COVID-19 vaccines, while 4,052,756 eligible Nigerians have received their first dose of COVID-19 vaccines.
Nigeria is currently expanding vaccine sources, with an ambitious goal of vaccinating at least 40 percent of its population by the end of this year, and 70 percent by the end of 2022.
Last month, Nigerian authorities approved the emergency use of China’s Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine amid efforts to battle the third wave of infections in the country.
Nigeria is expecting to receive a total of 52 million doses of vaccines by the second quarter of 2022, said Boss Mustapha, scribe of the Nigerian government and chairman of the Presidential Steering Committee on COVID-19. Enditem
