By Onyebuchi Ezigbo
Amidst concerns over the outbreak of second wave of covid-19 in the country, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has warned of an iminent upsurge in COVID-19 cases in January.
Speaking at the media briefing by the Presidential Taskforce on Covid-19 Tuesday in Abuja, the Director General of NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu said that the impact of the violations by many Nigerians during festive season will be felt in January.
“Appeals to Nigerians over the last few weeks have not been heeded. They have gone ahead with business as usual, event centres are full, social centres are full, there is surprise that infections are rising. January will be a tough one, no doubt about it and we have to brace ourselves for the consequences of the activities we have decided to carry out in December”, he said.
Ihekweazu said that reports of heightened activities across the country during this festive period was very disheartening,
He said Covid-19 treatment centres were filling up and that the authorities were merely trying to keep up.
He said: “We had the worst week last week since the outbreak of the pandemic. We had more cases last week than any other period since the beginning of the covid-19 pandemic.
“We are trying to ⅝buy up facilities to manage the oxygen and every night we are inaundated with phone calls requesting for care,” he said.
Ihekweazu said that NCDC had been liaising with state governors to ensure strict implementation of measures agreed on to contain covid-19 spread.
He said another challenge being faced in the handling of the covid-19 pandemic was misinformation which apparently is causing more harm than the pandemic.
According to him, many of the states have been going about their business as if there will be no consequences.
