IN DETAIL: Are we flattening the COVID-19 curve in Nigeria? Maybe

Something to brighten your mood: Nigeria recorded the least death rate from COVID-19 in August since the pandemic started, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) data reviewed by TheCable.

With its first case of the coronavirus on February 27, Nigeria currently has a death rate of 1.8 percent as 1,023 patients have died out of the 54,247 infected so far.

The global death rate is 3.3 percent from a total number of nearly 26 million as of August 31.

Nigeria recorded 10,857 cases in August, during which there were 134 fatalities, translating to a death rate of 1.23 percent.

This is followed by March when Nigeria had a death rate of 1.49 percent as it recorded two fatalities and 134 cases at the time.

April has been Nigeria’s worst month so far in terms of death rate — at 3.1 percent — followed by May at 2.78 percent.

With the daily deaths, Nigeria seems to be improving as well, going by the NCDC data from August reviewed by TheCable.

While the average daily deaths in August was five, the average hovered around nine in recent months when.

Also, the highest daily death recorded in August was on the fifth day, which was 17 fatalities, while July and June had their peaks at 20 and 31 respectively, showing a steady decline.

Buruji Kashamu (pictured), a former senator, who died in August, was one of the most prominent Nigerians to die of COVID-19 complications in August.

WHAT’S THE MOST DEADLY MONTH? JUNE IS IT!

In all, 303 patients were reported died in June when Nigeria recorded 1,797 infections, followed by July which had 229 deaths.

March saw the least number of deaths as two patients passed, including Suleiman Achimugu, Nigeria’s first casualty who was the managing director of the Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC).

With 289 deaths in July, this means there was a 53 percent decline in the number of casualties recorded in August.

There are no research studies to explain the data, meaning there is no scientific basis to sugges that the coronavirus is getting less potent or that people are becoming more immune to it.

As it obtains globally, all data are based on reported cases since many infected Nigerians — asymptomatic or not — might not have been tested.

Many deaths might also not have been captured.

Available data from the NCDC show that more people contracted the virus in July than in August — possibly because it saw more people getting tested.

This is especially so as Nigeria has seen instances where increased testing led to more confirmed cases, such as what is going on in Plateau state which has emerged as the epicentre of the pandemic in Nigeria.