The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 49 new cases of the Novel Coronavirus (COVID19), bringing the total to 542.
NCDC, through its verified Twitter account on Saturday, said that by 10.40 p.m., 23 new cases were recorded in Lagos, 12 in FCT, 10 in Kano, two in Ogun, while Oyo and Ekiti recorded one each.
The agency said that 166 cases had treated and discharged with 19 deaths in the country.
It noted that majority of the active cases were in a stable condition.
As at 10.40 pm April 18, number of states with confirmed cases of COVID-19 are Lagos- 306, FCT- 81, Kano- 37, Osun- 20, Oyo- 16, Edo- 15, Ogun- 12, Kwara- nine and Katsina- nine.
Others are Bauchi- six, Kaduna- six, Akwa Ibom-six, Delta-four, Ekiti- four, Ondo- three, while Enugu, Rivers and Niger has two each, Benue and Anambra, has one each.
Meanwhile, the NCDC has unfolded Parenting Tips for COVID-19 for households and community centres on covid-19.ncdc.gov.ng/resource/guide.
The agency said it has also supported Enugu State for an assessment of the point of entry at Abakaliki for COVID19 screening.
The centre said that data from around 7,153 tests of the COVID-19 in the country shows that of the confirmed cases, 71 per cent were male and 29 per cent were female.
The most affected aged groups, the centre added are 31 to 40, making up 21 per cent of the total number of confirmed cases.
“No new state reported COVID-19 and the total number of affected states in Nigeria remains 19 States and the FCT,” the NCDC said.
Meanwhile, Abia State Government, on Saturday, said that the suspected coronavirus case which it declared wanted on April 17 has been found and placed in an isolation centre in the state.
Chief John Okiyi-Kalu, the Commissioner for Information, made the disclosure in a statement in Umuahia on Saturday.
Okiyi-Kalu said that health officials at the isolation facility had collected samples from the suspected coronavirus case and dispatched the samples to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for testing.
He said that the Abia State COVID-19 Medical Rapid Response (RR) Team received information from NCDC national control room on a suspected COVID-19 patient named Vincent Prosper,
“He called from Abia State to report that he had symptoms of COVID-19 and recently had contacts with a confirmed patient in Akwa Ibom as well as recently returned from Lagos.
“Our team called and asked the individual to isolate himself pending the team’s arrival to take samples for testing. On arrival at the given location, he disappeared.
“We continued to look for him and at some point got him again on the phone and he gave us a wrong address at Azikiwe Road, Aba and a team was immediately dispatched to the location but did not find him there.
“Last night, the security agency identified his location. This morning our Rapid Response team stormed the location with security agents and took him into custody at our isolation facility at Amachara,” Okiyi-Kalu said.
He said the suspected coronavirus case was cooperating and had given all necessary information, including the disclosure that he recently returned from Lagos, but did not visit Akwa Ibom,
“Since his return, he has been residing in a community on the border between Abia and Akwa Ibom.
“Also, that his real name is not Vincent Prosper and he actually made the call to NCDC control room,” the commissioner said.
Okiyi-Kalu urged the people of Abia to be calm, adding that COVID-19 was not a death sentence.
He called on the people to desist from stigmatising anyone because of the disease.
He appealed to residents to make themselves available to the relevant authorities whenever they observed that they were showing symptoms of the disease.
Okiyi-Kalu said that the government would “confidentially do the needful”, adding that it would continue to handle coronavirus issues with utmost professionalism.
