On Friday the number of confirmed case of Covid-19 in Nigeria rose by 328 as reported by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) with 10 new deaths recorded. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 11,844 with 3,696 recoveries and 333 deaths.
The details of the new confirmed cases are; Lagos-121, FCT-70, Bauchi-25, Rivers-18, Oyo-16, Kaduna-15, Gombe-14, Edo-13, Ogun-13, Jigawa-8, Enugu-6, Kano-5, Osun-2, and Ondo-2.
47.81% of the total cases are confirmed in Lagos state, 8.3% in Kano state and 7.23% in FCT.
Till date total of 73,064 samples have been tested for Covid-19 in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak according to NCDC.
Top ten states with the largest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases are;
WHO Resumes Hydroxychloroquine Trial
The Director General of The World Health Organization (WHO) Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, has said that the clinical trial of Hydroxychloroquine will be resumed. “The Executive Group will communicate with the principal investigators in the trial about resuming the hydroxychloroquine arm of the trial” he said during a media briefing on 3 June.
Recall that Investogist reported that, the World Health Organization on 25 May suspended the clinical trial of Hydroxychloroquine over safety concerns, following a study published on The Lancet that linked the drug to high rate of dangerous side effects and high mortality rate on Covid-19 patients .
However, Investogist also reported that a group of some 120 researchers signed a letter pointing out inconsistencies, on the Lancet publication, calling on the authors and The Lancet to reveal more details about their analysis.
On June 4 The Lancet announced that 3 authors of the article about Hydroxychloroquine have retracted the article, citing the inability to validate the veracity of the research data.
The Lancet in a tweet on 4 June wrote “Today, three of the authors have retracted “Hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine with or without a macrolide for treatment of COVID-19: a multinational registry analysis”.
This retraction have been trailed with criticism on both the Lancet and WHO. Many have questioned, how could WHO base its judgment to suspend Hydroxychloroquine trial on one research which turned out be unreliable.
“The Data Safety and Monitoring Committee will continue to closely monitor the safety of all therapeutics being tested in the Solidarity Trial. So far, more than 3500 patients have been recruited in 35 countries” Tedros said.
"The Executive Group received this recommendation and endorsed continuation of all arms of the Solidarity Trial, including hydroxychloroquine"-@DrTedros #COVID19https://t.co/oarCCl4y4q
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) June 3, 2020
In Lagos State, The Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi on Friday said that the state is going ahead with the clinical trial of Hydroxychloroquine for the treatment of Covid-19 patients in the state.
Investogist on Monday 25 May, reported that Lagos state is enlisting 600 patients for the clinical trial of Hydroxychloroquine. Abayomi also said that due to the increase in the number of cases in the state, that home based treatment will be introduced. Thus, allowing only severe cases to be treated at the isolation centres.
“In the coming weeks strategies will be developed to initiate community and home-based treatment and care. This will also involve the local government and people to perfect this form of care” he said.
In Kaduna State, Chairman of the Traditional Leaders Committee on Health, Dr Abdulkadir Bello-Salanke, at a meeting organised by the council on Thursday, said COVID-19 was rising in the state. He added that the number of COVID-19 patients at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria is growing. “The virus is real and claiming lives.” He said.
Covid-19 in Kaduna state has spread to nine local government areas according to the Deputy Director of Kaduna State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Hamza Ikara.
Read further; The New Normal: Post Pandemic Implications on the Nigerian Economy
He identified the affected local government areas as Igabi, Chikun, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Zaria, Sabon Gari, Soba, Giwa and Makarfi. Kaduna state is the 6th state with the largest confirmed Covid-19 cases in Nigeria. The state has recorded 335 cases with 128 recoveries and 10 deaths.
In Ebonyi state, government offices have been shut as officials test positive for Covid-19. In a statement signed by the Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, Uchenna Orji, hinted that some members of the State Executive Council had contracted the virus. He said they were in stable condition and are currently receiving treatment.
The commissioner said in order to ensure contact tracing, the state government directed that all government offices be shut for one week effective Thursday.
“All civil servants shall work from their respective homes within this period but shall leave their phones open to respond to official imperatives” he said adding that all government complexes will be decontaminated.
Ebonyi has confirmed 80 cases of Covid-19 with 8 recoveries. The state has not recorded any death from the virus.
In Egypt, The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached an agreement with Egypt on $5.2 billion Stand-By-Agreement, which aims to maintain macroeconomic stability in the country amid Covid-19 pandemic, provide resources for stronger social safety net and support reforms to spur growth and job creation.
Read also; Nigeria’s Real GDP grew by 1.87% in Q1 2020
Egypt has the highest number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in North Africa, and the second largest in Africa behind South Africa. However, it has the largest number of deaths related to virus in the continent. The country has recorded 31,115 cases with 8,158 recoveries and 1,116 deaths.
In Liberia, The IMF also approved $50 million to help Liberia meet critical food security needs and address the socio-economic impact of Covid-19. Liberia has recorded 334 cases with 176 recoveries and 30 deaths.
The total confirmed cases in Africa stands at 163,599, out of which 70,894 persons have recovered with 4,611 deaths recorded according to Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention. These figures put the recovery rate in Africa at 43.33% and death rate at 2.81%.
The global cases stands at 6,724,516 with 2,996,832 recoveries and 394,018 deaths according to John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre. These figures put the global recovery rate at 44.57% and the death rate at 5.86%.
Written by;
Ifunanya Ikueze
