6 Coronavirus Updates You Should Read Today

624 new cases of coronavirus have been recorded in Nigeria as confirmed by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

A breakdown of the new cases across states in the country is as follows:Lagos-212 Oyo-69 Niger-49 Kano-37 Osun-37 FCT-35 Plateau-34 Gombe-33 Edo-28 Enugu-28 Ebonyi-17 Delta-10 Katsina-9 Ogun-8 Rivers-7 Ondo-5 Kaduna-4 and Nasarawa-2.

There are now 41,804 confirmed cases of coronavirus in the country, and 868 deaths have been recorded. 18,764 patients have also been discharged after recovering from the disease.

A breakdown of cases by state can be found via https://t.co/zQrpNeOfet#TakeResponsibility pic.twitter.com/2Eg8lAPTOF

— NCDC (@NCDCgov) July 28, 2020

Kano unveils COVID-19 Emergency Centre

The Kano State Government has unveiled a COVID-19 emergency operation centre, The Punch reports.

The centre which was upgraded for COVID-19 was initially used for poliomyelitis and other diseases in the state.

The governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, at the inauguration of the centre said he was optimistic that the state would soon win the war against COVID-19.

Ganduje, who was represented by his deputy, Nasiru Gawuna, said,

“Kano State has achieved great milestones towards reversing the trend of the pandemic in the state. We are aware of the sacrifice of our teaming health workers at all levels across the state in this fight, and also the understanding and compliance of our people to the numerous measures being taken by the government in order to curb the spread of the disease. We are also grateful to Federal Government, individuals and organisations that are supporting us in one way or the other in our response efforts. It is our hope and prayer that our collective efforts and commitment will be sustained to end this pandemic.’’

The state deputy director, Public Health and Disease Control, Bashir Mohammed, said the centre would help in having a coordinated approach in the fight against COVID-19.

He said,

“The Emergency Operations Centre is to serve as a platform for planning, coordination and management of our health system in the state. It will provide informed decision to the policymakers to enable them to do the needful, at the right time, for the right purpose,”

Osun State announces Guidelines for School Reopening

The Osun State Government has announced guidelines for the partial reopening of schools to students in exit classes, The Punch reports.

The government said the decision was in line with the unanimous decision reached at a virtual consultative meeting between the Federal Ministry of Education, commissioners for education of the 36 states, the Nigerian Union of Teachers, the Proprietors of Private Schools and Chief Executives of examination bodies.

A statement by the State’s Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Funke Egbemode, said at the virtual State Executive Council meeting on Monday, it was agreed that teachers should resume on Tuesday, August 4, while students would resume on Thursday, August 6.

Egbemode, while outlining the details of the partial reopening, said,

“a total of 188 schools consisting 13,177 students, will reopen under this arrangement. Parents are expected to provide face masks/nose covers for their children or wards, while principals and proprietors of schools are expected to ensure a tidy environment with desks arranged at least two meters apart. This social distancing shall be ensured by class wardens.”

Part of the decision was to afford students a two-week preparatory period for the West African Examination Council (WAEC), which commences August 17, 2020.

Mexico surpasses 400,000 COVID-19 cases

According to CNN, Mexico surpassed 400,000 coronavirus cases Tuesday after its health ministry recorded 7,208 new cases.

The country has now reported a total of 402,697 confirmed cases of COVID-19. The ministry also added 854 new fatalities from coronavirus Tuesday, bringing Mexico’s death toll to 44,876.

China records more than 100 new COVID-19 cases for the first time since April

China recorded 101 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, the highest single-day increase since early April, according to numbers released by the National Health Commission on Wednesday.

According to CNN, 98 of the new cases were locally transmitted, including 89 in the far western region of Xinjiang where a fresh outbreak emerged this month. One local infection was also found in Beijing, and the remaining local cases were found in Liaoning.

On Tuesday, China also recorded a further 27 asymptomatic infections, which are not included in the tally of confirmed cases.

This is the first time China has reported more than 100 new infections in a single day since April 12, when the country reported 108 new cases — most of which were imported.

Colombia extends lockdown

Colombia will extend social distancing measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus through August 30, President Ivan Duque said Tuesday. It comes on the day the country reported its highest daily increase in new COVID-19 cases since the pandemic began, CNN reports.

“The lockdown is extended through August 30, but in those cities with low COVID-19 rates we are going to continue to partially reopen various economic sectors,” Duque said in his daily coronavirus briefing in Bogota, the country’s capital.

The lockdown has been implemented nationwide in Colombia since March 25 to various degrees. Local administrators can apply specific lockdown measures in each city, as Colombia has pushed for a localized approach that sees only the most affected areas under strict quarantine, while large parts of the nation can operate freely.

Colombia’s borders are currently shut until September 1. Colombia saw a highest daily spike of 10,284 new cases Tuesday, bringing its total confirmed cases to 267,385, according to the health ministry. At least 9,074 have died from the coronavirus in the country.