Nigeria: Virus cases pass 30,000 as flights take off

By Felix Tih

ANKARA (AA) – Over 450 new coronavirus cases have taken Nigeria’s nationwide tally past 30,000, authorities announced on Thursday.

According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), 460 more COVID-19 cases and 16 fatalities were recorded in the country over the past 24 hours.

“Till date, 30,249 cases have been confirmed, 12,373 cases have been discharged, and 684 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory,” read an NCDC update.

On Wednesday, Nigeria restarted domestic flights in two major cities after a months-long suspension.

Flight operations resumed at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in the capital Abuja and Murtala Muhammed Domestic Terminal in the commercial hub of Lagos, the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria said.

Nigeria has the third highest number of cases in Africa, after Egypt and South Africa.

The total number of infections across the continent is now over 522,000, with more than 12,200 deaths and almost 254,500 recoveries, according to the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention.

Across the world, COVID-19 has claimed nearly 550,000 lives in 188 countries and regions since emerging in China last December.

Over 12 million cases have been reported worldwide, with the US, Brazil, India, and Russia currently the worst-hit countries, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.

The data shows more than half of all patients worldwide – over 6.6 million – have recovered so far.