Reported Covid-19 infections are back on the upward swing raising fears that the country might be on the cusp of the fourth wave of the pandemic.
An analysis of the epidemiological data obtained from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control by The Punch showed that from November 28 to December 4, a total of 585 cases were reported.
However, from December 5 to December 11, the cases took a new surge as 2,496 cases were reported, indicating an increase of 1,911 (326.67 per cent).
This is traceable to the general relaxation of the strict Covid-19 protocol by the public following the abatement of the third wave of the virus.
For instance, in Lagos, as elsewhere in Nigeria, churches, mosques, supermarkets and other public places no longer enforce the ‘no mask, no entry’ rule.
Many Nigerians believe the pandemic has receded and as such, have reverted to their pre-pandemic behaviour.
NCDC’s statistics showed that 22,863 coronavirus tests were conducted between November 29 and December 11, compared to 103,358 tests conducted between November 22 and November 28, signifying a 77.8 per cent drop in testing rate.
The NCDC data also indicated that 13 states including Kogi, Kebbi, Yobe, Cross River, Sokoto, Niger, Adamawa, Taraba, Borno, Ebonyi, Anambra, Nasarawa and Akwa Ibom had stopped COVID-19 tests all together.
