The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 23 new cases of COVID-19 (Coronavirus) in five states, increasing he nation’s cases to 174.
NCDC, through its verified Twitter handle, on Wednesday, April 1, 2020 said that out of the 23 new cases, Lagos has nine, Abuja seven, Akwa Ibom has five, while Kaduna and Bauchi states each have one case.
“As at 08:00 pm on April 1, there are 174 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria. Nine have been discharged with two deaths,” the statement read in part.
NCDC said that, currently, Lagos has 91 cases; Abuja – 35; Osun – 14; Oyo – eight; Akwa Ibom – five; Ogun, Edo and Kaduna four cases each; Bauchi – three; Enugu and Ekiti two cases each; and Rivers and Benue still maintained one each.
Earlier, the NCDC said that it had activated the virology lab of Alex Ekwueme Federal Teaching Hospital, Abaliki in Ebonyi State for COVID-19 testing.
“This brings number of COVID-19 testing labs in the country to seven.”
NCDC also disclosed that it was planning to have more COVID-19 testing laboratory centres in Borno, Kano, Sokoto, Rivers, Plateau and Kaduna states.
The other six molecular laboratories with the capacity to test for COVID-19 are National Reference Laboratory, Abuja and Virology Laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba.
Others are the Lassa Fever Treatment Centre at Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State; and the African Centre for Genomics of Infectious Diseases at the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
Also included are the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (MIMR), Yaba, Lagos; and Virology Laboratory of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State.
By Oluwafunke Ishola
