COVID-19: Lagos sample tests exceed 1.16m

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, says the state has conducted 1.162 million valid COVID-19 sample tests since inception of the pandemic.

Abayomi made the disclosure on Monday while giving the state’s COVID-19 update for March 20 to March 30.

The commissioner said that 17,487 tests were conducted within the reported dates, noting that the case positivity rate of infection was 1.9 per cent as at March 30.

According to him, the state recorded 109 new COVID-19 infections within the reported days, increasing the number of confirmed cases in the state to 99,387.

He said that 5,386 COVID-19 patients who were successfully treated and recovered had been discharged from the state’s public and private care centres.

Abayomi also said that 93,133 patients who were successfully treated through the state’s home based care had recovered in the communities.

According to him, there are 165 active COVID-19 cases in communities, while one case is in isolation at the state’s care centre.

The commissioner said that the state had recorded 702 COVID-19 related deaths during the pandemic.

Also, the World Health Organisation Africa Region said that over 11.5 million COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Africa, with more than 10.7 million recoveries and 251,895 deaths cumulatively.

The health agency said that COVID-19 still posed a threat to people’s health, advising eligible individuals to get vaccinated to enhance their immunity against the virus.