Over 30 WASSCE candidates have tested positive for COVID-19 in Nigeria

Two weeks after final year secondary school students started their final exams, at least 33 have tested positive for COVID-19 in four states.

Nigerian schools were shut down in March in a bid to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease which travelled across the world and crippled social and economic activities.

Since then, the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) was postponed twice due to concerns over the safety of students especially with the still active status of the highly infectious disease.

Schools were finally allowed to partially reopen early in August for final year students to sit for their examinations across the country.

Gombe was the first to announce that a student of Government Science Secondary School, Gombe had tested positive for COVID-19.

The student tested positive on Sunday, August 16, a day before the WASSCE was scheduled to commence.

The government made arrangements for the unnamed student to have the opportunity to write his exam as he wasn't showing any symptoms that adversely affected his physical well-being.

Since then, the state government has similarly reported that nine students of Government Girls Secondary School, Doma, and another student of Government Girls Secondary School, Kumo, have also tested positive.

The Kwara State government also reported last week that a student was infected through close contact with a close relative who was positive, and was discovered through contact tracing.

The asymptomatic teenager continued to write the exam at an isolation centre under close supervision of an official of the West African Examination Council (WAEC).

Akwa Ibom State governor, Udom Emmanuel, announced this week that a student in the state tested positive for the novel disease, and assured that arrangements were in place to ensure the student continues with the exam.

The Permanent Secretary, Bayelsa State Ministry of Health, Inodu Apoku, also announced this week that 20 students have tested positive for COVID-19 in the state.

The WAEC head of National Office in Nigeria, Patrick Areghan, assured students on Wednesday, August 26 that they won't miss out on the exam if they test positive for the disease.

"I want to assure you and Nigerians that anywhere we have COVID-19 candidate, we make sure that he or she writes the examination.

"It is not a death sentence, there is no stigma," he said.

Since Nigeria detected its index COVID-19 case in February, over 53,000 cases and 1,000 deaths have been recorded.