Second wave: Edo raises the alarm over 400 percent increase in COVID-19 cases

The Edo government says the state has recorded over 400 percent increase in COVID-19 cases since the country entered the second wave of the pandemic.

Andrew Obi, the state’s COVID-19 incident manager, disclosed this during a meeting of the Edo task force on Monday.

At the meeting which was chaired by Godwin Obaseki, the Edo governor, Obi noted that the state is now recording infections showing evidence of a more violent strain of the virus.

According to him, the state recorded a difference of 907 confirmed cases in the first nine weeks of the second wave, when compared to the same timeframe in the first wave of the pandemic.

He added that all indices relating to infections are higher in the second wave than the first.

“Our statistics show that Edo state is facing a more violent strain of the disease in the second wave than the first, as all indices including death, case positivity and numbers of infections are higher in the second wave than the first wave,” he said.

“Comparing the first nine weeks of the first wave and that of the second wave, we have a difference of 907 more cases, which is over 400 percent increase in confirmed cases.”

The incident manager further noted that Edo central and Edo north senatorial districts have the highest case positivity rates in the state, particularly Esan central and Owan east local government areas.

Obi urged residents to be cautious and observe the stipulated safety protocol in order to prevent further spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Edo has confirmed a total of 3,794 cases, out of which 3,046 recoveries and 139 deaths have been recorded.