Date: 2020-12-20

A few days after announcing that a second wave of COVID-19 pandemic has hit the state, the Kwara State Government says the virus has now spread to 14 of its 16 local government areas, with 32 casualties recorded so far.

This was revealed in a COVID-19 Kwara update released in Ilorin, on Saturday by the state government.

According to the update, Ilorin South local government has the highest number of confirmed cases, which was put at 576, while Ilorin West has 470 cases.

It also stated that Ilorin East local government area has "116; Offa LGA, 32; Edu LGA 31; Ifelodun LGA 25; Asa LGA. 19 and Oyun LGA 7.

"Irepodun LGA has 6; Oke Ero LGA 6; Baruten LGA 5; Moro LGA 5; Kaiama LGA 2; and Ekiti LGA 2, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the State to 1296.

"The number of active cases has also risen to 170 and total tests done so far are put at 11,781.

"A total of 1,094 patients have been discharged, while 360 tests are being awaited, with 10,125 tests returned as negative," the statement read.

On December 13, the Kwara State Medical Advisory Sub-Committee on COVID-19 announced that a second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic had hit the state.

According to a statement issued by the committee's chairman, Dr. Femi Oladiji, there are now two epidemiological curves of the disease in Kwara, adding that the second curve started early in November with a sharp rise in the number of positive cases.

He revealed that between November 11 and December 11, the total number of confirmed cases rose to 180, noting that it was an approximately three-fold increase with 17 cases on admission at the isolation centre.

"The first curve peaked between July and August and then plummeted between September and October, at which stage people thought COVID- 19 was winding down.

"It is important to state clearly that we now have the second wave of COVID-19 outbreak in Kwara just like a few other states of the country,’’ he said.

Oladiji noted that the reasons for the second wave include an increase in awareness for voluntary testing, which had increased the number of new cases; the nonchalant attitude of many Kwara residents and non-adherence to preventive measures against the disease.

He also pointed out that others were the influx of people from outside Kwara and expansion of sampling and testing capacities by the state which was assisted by the Regional Disease Surveillance System Enhancement and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.

"Some states started closing their isolation centres when the first phase ebbed. However, in Kwara, the isolation centre at COVID-19 Infectious Disease Centre, Sobi, Alagbado, remains operational.

"Statistically, cross-sectional studies conducted by a team of researchers of the Committee on COVID-19 in Kwara, reported that between July 11 and to August 11, the total number of confirmed cases was 500, whereas, between September 11 and October 11, the total number of confirmed cases dropped to 63," he stated.