After close to one week of not recording any case for Kogi, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed the fifth COVID-19 infection in the state.
The state confirmed its first two cases on May 27, 2020, after which one more sample tested positive on June 3, and another on June 28.
With different positions on the exact status of the state, the situation escalated on Wednesday when gunmen attacked the Federal Medical Centre in Lokoja, Kogi state capital, as health workers prepared to hold a media briefing on their concerns regarding the COVID-19 situation.
Although the state government has maintained that Kogi is not affected by the coronavirus pandemic, health workers hold a contrary view.
Kogi’s fifth infection is captured in Nigeria’s record of new cases, which dropped below 500 on Friday — 454 new cases were confirmed in 18 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).
This is the first time in 10 days that the number of samples that have tested positive for COVID-19 will drop below 490.
Within the past week, the country has recorded between 560 and over 700 cases, with the highest count ever of 790 new cases confirmed on July 1, 2020.
Meanwhile, the number of discharged persons increased from 10,801 to 11,069, while the fatality figure rose from 616 to 628.
A total of 27,564 COVID-19 cases have now been confirmed in 35 states and the FCT.
According to the NCDC situation report, there is still a higher rate of infections among males, with well over 17,000 confirmed positive, while less than 10,000 females have COVID-19.
However, over 140,000 samples have now been tested across the country.
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