COVID-19: Expect more cases in January – PTF

The Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 has raised an alarm on the increasing spread of COVID-19 infections and the reckless disregard of COVID-19 prevention guidelines of the PTF by Nigerians. 

Speaking at Tuesday’s briefing, Director General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Dr Chikwe Iheakwazu said, “We just faced the worst week since we started responding to this outbreak. We had more cases in Nigeria last week than in any other previous week since the beginning of the outbreak.

“Pictures and videos from across the country paint a very disheartening situation because it appears that our messaging, our appeals to Nigerians over the last few months have not been heeded and we have gone ahead with business as usual. Events centres are full, social activities are full and it is no surprising that cases are rising.

“January will be a tough month, no doubt about it. So, we have to brace ourselves for the consequences of the activities that we have decided to carry out in December. Our colleagues, the Chief Medical Directors, CMDs are here today because of the pressures that we face across the country. Our treatment centres are filling up, we are struggling to keep up, we are struggling to find the facilities and oxygen to manage.

“Every night we are faced with phone calls of patients desperate for care. So, unfortunately, January will be a tough month for all of us. It will be tough but we still have an opportunity to do what we need to do, liaising with state governors to be more purposeful in implementing the measures that we have collectively agreed on. We have seen some of them doing that but many of the states in the country haven’t and pretend as if there will be no consequences. This is the reality we face and so we have got to brace ourselves for January.” Iheakwazu added that in terms of the new variant of the virus, there was no change in presentation of symptoms except that it is more transmissible which would mean more cases, including critical ones and possible increase in case fatalities.”

Also the Minister of State, Health, Dr Olorunnimbe Mamora lamented the growing wave of misinformation in the country warning Nigerians not to self-medicate.

He said, “We have seen occasions where some patients might even want to force the hands of the attending clinicians regarding a particular drug that they have read online or heard that it works. But so far, what we know is that aside Dexamethasone which has been established to help to some extent in hospitalised patients and of course the administration of oxygen where and when required, no other treatment has been found to be effective in Covid-19.”

Chairman of the PTF and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Mr Boss Mustapha also lamented this increasing rate of infections. 

 “Our TPR analysis shows that 16 out of every 100 tests carried out are positive. We are also seeing increasing transmission among younger people and this is not considered good and safe. We must therefore, exercise utmost restraint by taking responsibility. 

“Data shows that despite the resources already made available to sub-national entities, testing is very low across states in varying degrees. This is not helping our National Response. Indeed, some states have not reported any infections in several weeks.

“Reports received also point to the fact that laboratories recently established in the states are not working optimally. You will recall that we moved from two laboratories to about 90 (Public & Private) located in all states of the federation.

“Their inability to function optimally has resulted in unacceptable levels of delay in receiving results and pressure on the National Reference Labs. We wish to urge all states to reopen all laboratories and ensure that testing is expanded and turnaround time for results is substantially reduced. In the same vein, states should please keep their Isolation/Treatment Centres open because of the rising cases of infection nationwide.”

Nigeria currently has 85,560 recorded cases of COVID-19, with 71,937 discharged cases and 1,267 deaths.