After more than four months of recording no infection according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Cross River has now joined the list of states affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
Out of the the 575 samples that were confirmed positive on Monday by the NCDC, five were from Cross River.
The confirmation for Cross River comes three days after Ikpeme Ikpeme, chief medical director of the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), disclosed that five patients — including two health workers — tested positive for COVID-19 in the hospital.
With the latest development, all 36 states and the federal capital territory (FCT) now have confirmed cases of COVID-19.
The number of recoveries also recorded another drop with 161 persons discharged on Monday, while nine patients were confirmed to have died of COVID-19 complications.
Out of Nigeria’s confirmed total of 29,286 cases, 11,828 people have recovered, while 654 deaths have been recorded.
Meanwhile, the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 has called on traditional rulers and religious leaders to use their positions for public enlightenment.
Speaking at the PTF briefing on Monday in Abuja, Sani Aliyu, the national coordinator, appealed to leaders at various levels to ensure that the guidelines issued by the PTF are adhered to within their respective domains.
“We’re appealing to all traditional rulers, community and religious leaders who remain integral points of influence in their rural communities as well as the urban communities to join the fight by driving the sensitisation programmes right down to the grassroots as relates to COVID-19 prevention,” he said.
