The Federal Government on Thursday said it was concerned about the spike in COVID-19 cases in the country, which increased from 4,641 on May 11 to 14,554 on Thursday night.

The Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr. Boss Mustapha, at the PTF press conference in Abuja, said that the 663 cases recorded on Tuesday, the highest in a single day, were disturbing.

The PTF chairman also disclosed that he would on Thursday night begin a series of video conferences with some governors appointed by the National Economic Council. He said he would also meet security agencies towards ensuring compliance with guidelines aimed at checking further spread of the disease.

Mustapha said this as the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, disclosed that 39 per cent of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the country were symptomatic, while 61 per cent were asymptomatic.

Based on the minister’s disclosure, 5,410 (39 per cent) of the 13,873 recorded as of Wednesday night were symptomatic, while 8,462 (61 per cent) were asymptomatic.

Symptomatic patients show symptoms of the virus such as fever, coughing and sneezing, while those who are asymptomatic do not develop any symptoms.

As of Wednesday, Nigeria had recorded 13,873 coronavirus infections, with 382 deaths, while 4,351 patients had been treated and discharged.

Majority of Nigerians at the risk of contracting COVID-19 – FG

But at the PTF press conference, Mustapha warned that a majority of Nigerians were at the risk of contracting coronavirus.

He stated,

Nigeria witnessed a spike in number of confirmed cases when the number of recorded cases jumped to 663 on Tuesday, 9th June, 2020. This number gives us cause for concern as a task force and as a nation.

In the PTF briefing on Monday, 8th June, 2020, I emphasized that a great majority of Nigerians are still susceptible to COVID-19 and cautioned that if we allow it to transmit easily among us, it may be even more deadly. That admonition remains very valid and we still underscore vigilance and self-preservation.

PTF meets govs, security agencies on guidelines enforcement

Mustapha appealed to state governments to ensure compliance with the PTF protocols, which would stop the transmission of COVID-19.

He stated,

The PTF continues to monitor the level of activities and compliance with the guidelines nationwide. Consultations will continue and tonight, I will be holding another round of video conference with the team of governors appointed by the National Economic Council to interface with the PTF.

The PTF will re-emphasize its appeal to governments at the sub-national level as well as our security agencies to enforce the guidelines and protocols firmly. The PTF would also be meeting with the heads of these agencies to further fine-tune strategies to ensure compliance.

He disclosed that the task force would soon conclude preparations towards checking the spread of the virus in the 20 high burden local government areas in the country.

Spike in cases: We won’t reintroduce lockdown, says FG

Also, Mustapha ruled out the re-introduction of total lockdown in the country as a result of the spike in confirmed cases of COVID-19 experienced lately.

He said the task force would study the situation and would be guided by data, science, experiences in other jurisdictions and by the peculiarities of the nation’s environment.

He said rather than going backward, the PTF would be more concerned about ensuring compliance with the protocols that had been put in place.

He said,

To go back to a total lockdown must be taken within the contest of what we desire to achieve after a lockdown of five weeks and we have seen how much we have fared.

So, the issue of review, we might not have that in contemplation because you can’t move forward and begin to move backwards again.

In terms of strategic implementation of our policies, we might not be looking towards that direction. We might be looking at how to strengthen what we have put in place and ensure compliance and other non-pharmaceutical interventions that we have put in place.

39 per cent of COVID-19 symptomatic, 61 asymptomatic

The health minister, on his part, said globally 45 per cent of infected people might not have any symptoms.

He stated, ​

In Nigeria, the proportion of confirmed cases that are symptomatic compared to asymptomatic is 39 per cent and 61 per cent respectively.

He, therefore, reiterated the PTF advice that the cheapest and easiest way to protect oneself from the virus was by wearing masks.

The minister said,

The Federal Ministry of Health constantly urges citizens to adhere strictly to wearing a mask when outside their homes and observe other non-pharmaceutical measures, especially now that confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria continue to rise, which gradually raises the risk.

He said Nigeria recorded 409 new confirmed cases of COVID19 on Wedneaday. The minister said,

Although numbers are only creeping up compared to other countries and case fatality rate hovers around 3 per cent we are concerned and at high alert. We have no room for complacency or over-confidence, and need to be ready for any sudden shift in fortune.

New strain of COVID-19 in Nigeria possible

Ehanire said the government could not rule out the possibility of a new strain of COVID-19 in the country.

He said,

As for the strain of COVID-19, yes, when Nigerians were coming back in batches from different countries – the US, Saudi Arabia, Europe and China – the question did arise and some of them tested positive for COVID-19.

The question did arise about whether the strain of COVID-19 they have is the same one that was known. The National Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development did a genome sequencing of the virus of the index case that came long ago; this is the first in Africa.

It was confirmed to be the same strain as what was circulating in Italy and China. So, we raised the question whether there has been mutation since then in people coming from other areas.

I don’t have any information on that yet, but it is suspected that it is possible. It is not yet updated but I’m sure that research centres in Yaba, Lagos and the one in Ede, are trying to do a sequencing that will show us whether all these viruses are the same or whether they have a different sequencing.

Ehanire also said the research centres working on the Madgascar herb had yet to get back to him on their findings.

The minister stated,

With regard to Madagascar’s herb, we do not have any information yet. We have given them to our research centres and they are working on them.

None of them has reported back yet. The time it will take for all these researches is not what we know, but I think after a period, I will reach out to them to find out if they can give me an interim report.

Many states are taking responsibility. Many of the labs in some states such as Jigawa and Ekiti, are done by the state government to accelerate the efforts themselves. We will continue working hand-in-hand with all our State Governors to improve the response across the country.

Domestic flights not yet cleared to begin June 21 – PTF

At the press conference, the PTF Coordinator, Dr. Sani Aliyu, said aviation industry had not been cleared to begin domestic flights on June 21 as being reported.

He said,

What we said to the aviation authorities is that he (the minister) would let us know from June 21 onwards, if they are ready to start opening the airspace. We didn’t say June 21, skies open.

We gave him a window of three weeks to prepare. And I believe they are still preparing. You don’t ask them for regular updates in terms of how things are going. We expect them to come back to us, as you know that the aviation industry is highly regulated.

There are certain things they have to do before flying, such as retraining of pilots recalibrating the aircraft and ensuring safety across the board.

We don’t have an update for that (reopening of the skies for flights). We expect them to come back to us by June 21, and if they come back to us and say they are ready on June 21 onwards, we will open the sky for domestic flights. And that is when we will address the issue of interstate restrictions.

Bed-space shortage: 80 per cent of COVID-19 patients being treated outside isolation facilities

Answering a question on bed-spaces availability for COVID-19 patients, Aliyu said 80 per cent of positive cases were being treated outside isolation centres.

He said,

I know that 80 per cent of those that are positive in the country are currently being managed outside isolation facilities.

Some states have a lot of capacity in terms of bed. I know Kano and Lagos, they have run out of beds. A few other states are red.

He added that there were states with

very few cases and a lot of isolation capacity.

On harassment of journalists, Aliyu reiterated that essential workers including journalists should be allowed to move freely.

Nigeria testing 2,000 daily, states not supplying enough samples – NCDC

The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, lamented that states were not submitting enough samples for test.

He said Nigeria was testing about 2,000 COVID-19 cases daily, but had the capacity to test 10,00 daily.

The DG stated,

We are pushing hard and we are around 2,000 tests per day and sometimes a little bit less. Over the last two days, we have activated new labs in Oyo, Akwa Ibom and Jigawa states.

In Ondo State, the Lassa fever lab is being converted right now; there is a lot of work going on. However, the collection of samples really happens in the states. Right now, our labs are working between 10 to 20 per cent of capacity; we have the capacity to test a lot more – about 10,000 samples a day and probably more if we are pushed hard.

He challenged the states to send in more samples, noting that testings were necessary to determine how well the nation was doing.

The DG stated,

The laboratories are there but the samples are not coming in as sufficiently as we want. We want every state to push harder. The only way we can know that we are on top of this is really by testing, and we are ready to do that.

In a related development, the PTF members appeared before the House Ad Hoc Committee on COVlD-19 in Abuja on Thursday.

The health minister told the House that asymptomatic patients were absconding from isolation centres.

He said,

Persons who have tested positive and received their results sometimes don’t report (at the centres) at all; they disappear into the community and then we don’t know what goes on. That is part of the reasons why the infection is cascading and getting out of hand. People don’t present themselves for even advice at all. Some seek alternative treatments which will not work, while others just disappear into the public and do what we hope they shouldn’t be doing.

It is risky to reopen schools now, says FG

At the House Aliyu said the task force was sure that if the religious groups followed the PTF guidelines, the risk of transmission would be minimised.

He, however, explained why schools could not be reopened.

On the school issue, there is a very good evidence and you can look globally as well; schools usually are the last to be opened when it comes to pandemic situations. Why? One, it is very difficult to control children. Two, they are more likely to be asymptomatic and, therefore, they are more likely to transmit. A lot of them stay with their grandparents; the very group that we are trying to protect.

Ogun shuts down Sagamu company with 104 cases

Meanwhile, the Ogun State Government on Thursday said it had shut down a company whose 104 workers tested positive for COVID-19 at Sagamu interchange.

The Special Adviser to the Governor on Public Communications, Remmy Hazzan, disclosed this to one of our correspondents in Abeokuta.

When asked whether the government had shut down the affected company or not, he said

it is normal to first seize every activity within there, so that at least, we will curb any form of distress, there are protocols that will enhance smooth operation.

Worship centres reopening: Lagos deploys security agencies to enforce compliance

As worship centres reopen in Lagos State next week, the state government on Thursday said it would use security agencies to enforce safety compliance in churches and mosques.

The Chief Press Secretary to the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Gboyega Akosile, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said the state would allow worship centres to reopen as directed by the Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, but the guidelines set by the state government must be followed.

He stated,

The Lagos State Safety Commission has been saddled with the responsibility of enforcing the guidelines. They will work with the necessary security agencies to ensure that worship centres do not flout the state government guidelines.

Justin Nwosu

Justin Nwosu is the founder and publisher of Flavision. His core interest is in writing unbiased news about Nigeria in particular and Africa in general. He’s a strong adherent of investigative journalism, with a bent on exposing corruption, abuse of power and societal ills.