Lagos COVID-19 cases exceed 2,500

The total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lagos exceeded 2,500 on Sunday, as the state confirmed 177 new cases.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) confirmed this when it published the COVID-19 case update for May 17 on its Twitter handle on Sunday night.

Although the state recorded a significant percentage of Nigeria’s daily toll over time, with a major spike recorded just after the easing of the lockdown on May 4, the figures seemed to have dropped steadily since May 7 when 183 cases were recorded, to as low as 51 cases on May 13.

On May 14, the figure rose slightly to 58 cases, but by the next day, it increased by more than 300 percent to 179 confirmed cases.

It was a different story on May 16 as 95 people were confirmed positive in the state.

However, with just hours to the end of the two-week lockdown relaxation in the state, the state has recorded almost double of its toll for May 16 with 177 samples testing positive for COVID-19.

With the latest figure, Lagos has confirmed a total of 2,550 COVID-19 cases, which is 43 percent of Nigeria’s total of 5,959 cases.

The state has also recorded the highest number of fatalities with 36 deaths, according to the NCDC situation report for May 16, 2020, followed by Kano with 35 deaths and Borno with 22 deaths.

However, the state still has the highest percentage of recoveries, compared to 33 other states and the federal capital territory (FCT). With 623 persons discharged, Lagos alone accounts for 39 percent of Nigeria’s recovery toll.

With the increase in the figures, which has been attributed to community transmission, the state government has said it would not hesitate to review the guidelines issued on easing the restriction of movement.

Speaking at a media briefing on Sunday, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, governor of Lagos, said the level of compliance in public transport vehicles and on the use of face masks has not been very impressive.

He urged residents of the state to endeavour to adhere to the guidelines issued to help prevent spread of the virus, adding that if there is open flouting of the rules, the terms for easing the lockdown would be reviewed.