Coronavirus: Nigeria records highest single day cases with 35 on April 1

Nigeria has recorded its highest number of coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in one day with 35 new cases announced on Wednesday, April 1, 2020.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) first announced 12 new cases discovered in Osun, Edo, and Ekiti around midday on Wednesday.

In another announcement at 8 pm, the agency said 23 new cases have also been discovered in Lagos, Akwa Ibom, Kaduna, Bauchi State, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Before Wednesday, Nigeria's highest number of new cases announced in one day was the 20 cases recorded on March 30, followed by the 16 new cases recorded both on March 27 and March 28.

Africa's most populous nation recorded its first coronavirus case, an Italian businessman who has since recovered, on February 27. Since then, Nigeria has recorded a total tally of 174 cases, as at the end of April 1.

These cases have been documented in 12 states and the FCT, Abuja.

Lagos State has borne the brunt of the crisis with the most number of cases at 91, over half of the country's tally at 52.3%.

Nigeria's commercial capital is followed by the FCT which has recorded 35 cases, 20% of country's total.

Authorities have noted that the high traffic of cases in these two locations is because they are the hot spots for international travellers who make up most of Nigeria's cases.

In its March 31 situation report, the NCDC noted that 60% of coronavirus cases in Nigeria were imported by people, both Nigerians and foreigners, who returned to the country from high-risk countries, most notably the United States of America, and the United Kingdom.

Another 13% were contacts of confirmed cases while the epidemiological information of the remaining 27% was yet to be determined.

The NCDC is desperate to step up its testing capacity after having tested only around 2,000 people in over one month [NCDC] Pulse Nigeria

Osun State has witnessed a sharp rise in its number of cases, recording nine on April 1 to arrive on a total of 14, putting it in third place on the log.

Other states that have recorded cases are Oyo (8), Akwa Ibom (5), Ogun (4), Edo (4), Kaduna (4), Bauchi (3), Enugu (2), Ekiti (2), Rivers (1), and Benue (1).

Nine people have recovered from the coronavirus disease and have been discharged to resume their normal lives. However, the country has recorded two deaths.

The first death was announced on March 23. The victim was 67-year-old Suleiman Achimugu, a former managing director of the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC). The second death was recorded one week later on March 30, an unidentified patient.

The patients, who both died in Abuja, had underlying illnesses that jeopardised their conditions, according to authorities.

To contain the spread of the virus, the Federal Government has locked down Lagos, Abuja, and Ogun for a provisional 14 days.

Other state governments have adopted a similar strategy, disrupting social and economic activities as is being done across the world to slow down the spread of the virus.

International flights have been banned and land borders have been secured, with hopes high that the situation will not escalate and overwhelm the nation's very fragile healthcare system.