Ihekweazu: No state in Nigeria is COVID-19 free; number hits 20,919, Enugu records 68 fresh cases

Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says no state in Nigeria is free of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ihekweazu said this at the Presidential Task Force (PTF) media briefing on Monday in Abuja.
He noted that some states might not have recorded any COVID-19 case at the moment, but they would eventually do.
While giving an update on his visit to four states including  Akwa Ibom, Edo, Plateau and Lagos, he commended the governors for aggressively investing in the COVID-19  response, using state resources.
He lauded Edo government for the innovative approach adopted such as the inclusion of Edo in the diaspora, in various universities around the world, to understand how they were responding.
“We are really impressed by the work going on in Edo.
“In Edo, we met a very dedicated team at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital and the Stella Obasanjo Hospital and really saw a set of clinicians working very hard innovatively, to deal with the Challenges,” he said.
The director-general commended Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom State for investing aggressively in the response and Public Health in general.
He stated that Akwa Ibom had set up a new EOC, treatment centre and Laboratory.
Ihekweazu said the purpose of the visit was to understand their response, encourage them to develop new strategies and share experiences with other states.
The director-general, however, expressed disappointment that Nigerians were grossly not adhering to the preventive measures against the disease.
He noted that the case fatality ratio in Nigeria was higher than that of South Africa and Ghana, despite being relatively low in global context.
The NCDC said that the failure to take responsibility in limiting the spread of the virus was threatening the gains in the fight against the pandemic.
The health agency noted that the increase in the COVID-19 cases in the country was due to the ongoing community transmission of the virus and increased testing capacity across states.
“Our advice to Nigerians is to stay safe by physical distancing, frequent handwashing and use of face masks,” he said.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has announced 675  fresh cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 20,919.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced this on Monday, through its official Twitter handle.
NCDC said that the 675 new confirmed cases were from 21 states, with seven deaths as at June 22.
The health agency said that no new state reported a case in the last 24 hours.
The NCDC said that Lagos reported the highest number of cases with 288 new cases, while Oyo came second with 76 new infections.
Other states reported as follows: Rivers, 56, Delta, 31, Ebonyi, 30, Gombe, 28, Ondo, 20, Kaduna, 20, Kwara, 20, Ogun, 17, FCT, 16, Edo, 13, Abia, 10, Nasarawa, 9, Imo, 9, Bayelsa, 8, Borno, 8, Katsina, 8, Sokoto, 3, Bauchi, 3, Plateau, 2.
The NCDC said that till date, 20,919 cases had been confirmed – 13,285 active, 7,109 cases treated and discharged, 115,760 samples collected and 525 deaths recorded in 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
NCDC said that Nigerians were recording a rise in COVID-19 cases due to ongoing community transmission of the virus and increased testing capacity across states.
“Our advice to Nigerians is to stay safe via physical distancing, frequent washing of hands and use of face masks.
“A sudden loss of taste and smell with fever, headache or runny nose may be COVID-19.
“Please do not ignore these symptoms. Call your state hotline immediately to arrange for a test.
“State hotlines are available on covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/contact/,” it stated.
Also, the Enugu State Government has announced 68 fresh cases of the novel coronavirus disease thus, bringing the total number of cases in the state to 144.
Commissioner for Health, Prof. Ikechukwu Obi, made the announcement in a statement in Enugu on Monday.
Obi said that the Ministry of Health confirmed the 68 new cases in the update by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“The Enugu State Ministry of Health confirms 68 new cases of COVID-19 in the state.
“The total number of positive cases of COVID-19 in Enugu State is now 144 cases, comprising of 110 active cases 29 discharged and five deaths.
“The number of health-worker infested in the state stands at 49,’’ he said.
According to him, some misconceptions over spread of the pandemic in the state is not out place.
“It has become necessary to correct the impression and inform the public that Enugu has had its share of COVID-19 infections, just as it is happening all over the world.
“No individual category has been spared by the pandemic.
“Consequently, men, women, children, old and young, people of every profession and socio-economic class have been affected.
“The state ministry of health COVID-19 response team continues to follow the protocol and public health advisories of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19 as well as that of the Federal Ministry of Health, in responding to the pandemic.’’