COVID-19: Again, no deaths as Nigeria records lowest cases in March

Nigeria has not recorded a fresh COVID-19 death since Saturday, data from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control showed.

In an update, the disease control agency said just 86 new cases were reported on Sunday, the lowest in months.

This comes as Nigeria continues to roll-out its vaccination program across States.

The NCDC said the Sunday’s cases were recorded in six states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The FCT topped the list with 33 new cases and was followed by Lagos (28), Ondo (11), Kano (7), Akwa Ibom (3), Rivers (1) and Kaduna (1).

The latest figures bring the total number of infections in the country to 161,737.

Although, 2,030 persons have succumbed to the virus, 147,899 cases have been successfully treated and discharged.

Nigeria’s vaccine rollout has depended on the Astrazeneca jab, which was briefly suspended by European countries over concerns it triggered an increase in blood clotting.

However, Nigerian authorities and the WHO have dispelled such concerns, reiterating the vaccine’s safety.

On Monday, the makers of the AstraZeneca vaccine said the product is 80 per cent effective at preventing the disease in the elderly and does not increase the risk of blood clots following its US phase III efficiency trials.

It was 79 per cent effective at preventing symptomatic Covid-19 in the overall population and 100 per cent effective at preventing severe disease and hospitalization, it added.

The US phase III trial of the vaccine developed by AstraZeneca and Oxford University involved 32,449 participants, with two-thirds receiving the jab, the pharmaceutical firm said in a statement.