Ihekweazu
The Director - General , Nigeria Centre for Disease Control , Dr Chike Ihekweazu , has said that the COVID - 19 transmission would rise with the reopening of schools and airports .
He, therefore , warned against complacency and the belief that infection rates were declining .
Speaking on Monday during a media briefing by the Presidential Task Force on COVID - 19 in Abuja, the DG said only Lagos , Federal Capital Territory , Ogun and Kano states had been consistently carrying out a high volume of testing .
Specifically , Ihekweazu said testing rates had declined drastically in Taraba, Adamawa, Kogi , Nasarawa , Niger , Kebbi , Zamfara, Jigawa and Yobe states .
The DG observed that Nigerians were not responding to the plea to come out for testing , adding that the testing needed to be sustained in order to combat the pandemic .
He added , “ I am very confident about what is going on in Lagos , FCT , Ogun and probably Kano and a few other states . Having said that , it doesn ’ t mean they should let down their guards completely.
“ In fact , with schools and airports opening, we have to increase the level of our testing because inevitably , there would be more transmission . So, how are you able to mitigate the impact of that moving forward , given that we have learnt so much about this virus in the last few months. ”
Also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and Chairman , Presidential Task Force on COVID - 19 , Boss Mustapha , called for more vigilance to forestall possible resurgence of the COVID - 19 as schools resumed in some states across the country.
He warned that the appreciable progress recorded might be eroded , especially due to the opening of the airspaces to international travels , relaxation of a number of restrictions and opening up of more sectors of the economy .
The National Coordinator of the PTF , Dr Sani Aliyu , said Nigeria was performing below target in terms of tests for COVID - 19 , warning Nigerians against making the country to record a second wave of the pandemic .
According to him , people are avoiding the tests for various reasons , including payment , fear and stigma.
He, however , stated that the government had established and accredited laboratories where tests are done for free .
Aliyu said , “ The PTF remains seriously concerned about the current low testing rate we have in the country. Nigerians are not getting tested for COVID - 19 but we must test to track , in order to slow the spread of the virus even further and to stop any more preventable COVID - related death . ”
Aliyu urged Nigerians to go for COVID - 19 tests , which he said are free at 69 laboratories and centres across the country. According to him , a weekly assessment by the PTF had shown that more Nigerians have shown lack of interest in testing for the virus .
Meanwhile , the National Coordinator of the PTF also disclosed that funds had been released to states to manage the pandemic , urging them to prioritise testing .
Aliyu said , “ We have released money recently to 32 state governments ; each state government was given N 1 bn . This is for the purpose of driving their COVID response and we are asking them to please prioritise testing in addition to surveillance activities linked to COVID - 19 . We urge state governments to please publicise their sample collection locations so that people can access the tests . ”
The Minister of Health , Dr . Osagie Ehanire , said 10 per cent of all positive cases treated so far were below the age of 19 years .
He warned that despite the downward trend in numbers of COVID – 19 positive cases as well as fatalities , “ we unfortunately cannot afford to rejoice or speak of success, for many reasons . ”
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