Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, says the coronavirus pandemic will get to all the 36 states in Nigeria.
He spoke on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s programme, Sunrise Daily.
The disease has spread across 22 states with 407 persons infected, 128 recovered and discharged and 12 deaths.
“We have responded to Lassa smoothly and nobody shut down the country because it wasn’t necessary, the response was fairly efficient,” Ihekweazu said.
“Now, COVID-19 is on a much larger scale – at the moment in 22 states but it will grow to every state in Nigeria, there is no reason why it won’t – it is a respiratory virus.”
The NCDC on Wednesday night announced the highest number of positive cases in a single day – 34.
“Since the onset of the outbreak, we are testing a lot more (and) that is beginning to show. It is only so much we can do from NCDC; we are working with the state governments,” Ihekweazu said.
“They actually own the response at the state and local levels, and we need all of them now. We really have to face the reality that this is an outbreak, this is a virus.
“It will circulate in Nigeria, absolutely no doubt and our responsibility as a country is to prepare more, to be able to detect, isolate, treat, list contacts, and stop transmission.”
