Seventeen coronavirus related deaths were recorded across the country on Saturday including a runaway patient in Kebbi State.
Another suspected case is on the run from an isolation centre in Taraba State while there was an increase of 220 in the total number of infections including a four year old boy in Bauchi State.
The total number of cases in the country now stan
Three hundred and eighty five cases were discharged, according to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in an update last night.
The breakdown of the fresh cases are: 62-Lagos; 52-FCT; 31-Kaduna;13-Sokoto; 10-Kebbi; 9-Yobe; 6-Borno; 5-Edo; 5-Bauchi; 4-Gombe; 4-Enugu; 4-Oyo; 3-Zamfara; 2-Nasarawa; 2-Osun; 2-Ebonyi; 2-Kwara; 2-Kano; and 2-Plateau.
The Lagos State Ministry of Health said four more COVID-19 patients died of complications from the disease in the state.
The ministry said on its Twitter handle that the deaths occurred on Friday to bring the number of deaths in the state to 25.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu said separately that 22 more persons – eight females and 14 males, all Nigerians were discharged from Isolation facilities at Yaba, Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) and Lekki.
The patients, 19 from LUTH, two from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba and one from the Isolation facility at Lekki were discharged having fully recovered and tested negative to COVID-19 in two consecutive readings.
This brings to 247 the number of #COVID19 confirmed cases that have been successfully managed and discharged in Lagos.
One dies in Osun, three health workers, others recover
The Osun State government reported the death of a COVID-19 patient and the discharge of four others three of whom are health workers.
Governor Gboyega Oyetola’s Chief Press Secretary, Ismail Omipidan said: “We lost a COVID-19 patient in her late 60s at our isolation centre in Osogbo. We pray to God to grant her eternal rest and give her family the fortitude to bear the loss.
“Also, we have discharged three health workers and a United Kingdom returnee who has been in our isolation centre for 38days after testing negative twice.”
Borno records 11 deaths, infection of 16 health workers
The Borno State government said 11 patients have lost their lives to the disease in the state.
Sixteen others, all of them health workers, tested positive for coronavirus in the state, according to Deputy Governor Usman Umar Kadafur.
Kadafur who doubles as the chairman of the response team for the prevention and control of the spread of coronavirus in the state told reporters that the committee has been working round the clock to check the spread of the disease.
Kaduna records first COVID-19 death, 14 new cases
Kaduna State recorded its first COVID-19 death and 14 fresh cases yesterday, according to Health Commissioner Amina Mohammed-Baloni.
The deceased was identified as a retired civil servant who had concealed his recent travel to Kano.
He was also said to have underlying medical conditions which had taken him to a public hospital and a private hospital.
The commissioner said: “He was eventually admitted at the isolation centre with respiratory distress. He died before his positive test result was released.
“He is the first COVID-19 fatality in Kaduna State. His family has been informed of his demise and he has since been buried according to the burial protocol of the NCDC.”
She officials of the State’s ministry of health had decontaminated the two hospitals visited by the deceased.
She said the 14 new cases were almajiris who were repatriated from Kano.
The commissioner assured the public that there was no cause for alarm as all the repatriated almajiris had been isolated.
Fleeing COVID-19 case dies in Kebbi
The second case of coronavirus in Kebbi State has died after absconding from the hospital.
He is the second case in the state.
Health Commissioner Jaafaru Mohammed, who also is the chairman State Task Force on Covid-19, identified the deceased as a 60 year old man who was both diabetic and hypertensive.
Mohammed said: “ He was brought to the centre from the Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital ( UDUTH), Sokoto by his relative
“After reviewing the case by a Consultant, COVID-19 was suspected and our Rapid Response Team swung into action.”
Mohammed said his samples were taken on April 25 but the patient absconded before he was taken to the isolation centre.
The commissioner lamented the patient died at home on April 26.
He explained: “The corpse was taken to UDUTH mortuary as against the earlier information given by his family members that it was taken to Benue State for burial.
“On the 29th of April, 2020, the result turned out to be positive and the contact tracing commenced.”
The Commissioner said the team had traced one close contact and seventeen others.
“Their samples have been taken to the reference laboratory in UDUTH, Sokoto while the Sokoto State Epidemiologist and the Management of UDUTH has been informed,” he added.
Another Covid-19 patient on the run in Taraba
A woman patient has also fled the NYSC Orientation Camp Jalingo, where she and other 129 others were being quarantined, Commissioner of Health, Innocent Vakai, said yesterday.
Vakkai, who chairs the Covid-19 Technical Committee in Taraba, asked the public to alert the committee or security agencies whenever and wherever she is seeing.
He said: “The woman hails from Borno. She is among the 130 quarantined travellers who were intercepted by security operatives at a Taraba border.
Vakkai said the state has purchased two ventilators, in addition to one ventilator donated by the North East Development Commission, making it three in the state.
He said that government will purchase mobile testing kits which he said was in line with the resolution of the Northern Governor’s Forum.
The commissioner also said that the state government was set to repatriate almajiris to their states of birth.
“Those who test negative would be given the way to leave with their guardians,” he said.
“Those who would test positive shall be quarantined and treated before sending them off to their ancestral states.”
The commissioner disclosed that eight cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed by the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC). But the victims are been treated at an isolation center at the NYSC Orientation Camp.
Four-year-old boy tests positive in Bauchi
The Executive Chairman, Bauchi State Primary Healthcare Development Agency, Dr Rilwanu Mohammed, said yesterday that a four-year-old boy tested positive for the novel coronavirus in the state.
Mohammed told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Bauchi that seven of the 38 almajiris repatriated from Kano also tested positive for the virus.
“The four-year-old child that tested positive for the virus is a contact of another person who returned from Lagos,” he said.
“Also, out of the 38 repatriated Quranic Education pupils (Almajiris), seven were confirmed positive of COVID-19.
Of the 48 confirmed cases in the state, five medical personnel tested positive for the deadly disease.
He said the state would embark on a massive contact tracing, and urged residents to report anyone coming into the state from any of the high-risk states.
Mohammed said this was necessary in order to conduct a test or isolate such a person as soon as possible.
He added that most of the cases recorded in the state were returnees from either Kano, Lagos, Port Harcourt, and Enugu states.
“Apart from the index case, who is the governor of Bauchi State, all our cases are returnees who might have travelled to either Lagos, Port-Harcourt, Kano, or Enugu states,” he said.
Bauchi State recorded 10 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 48.
Six have been discharged so far with zero death recorded in the state.
Oyo intercepts Sokoto travellers at Osun-Ibadan boundary
The Police in Oyo State have apprehended 11 travellers from Sokoto, who allegedly defied the ban on inter-state travels.
The suspects who claimed to be on their way to Akure from Sokoto State were apprehended at the Asejire Dam axis of the Ibadan-Osun boundary.
They were immediately tested and Governor Seyi Makinde vowed yesterday that they would not be released until government ascertained their COVID-19 status.
The governor’s Chief Press Secretary Mr. Taiwo Adisa, quoted him as saying “We are not able to explain how they got here in the first place because there is inter-state lockdown throughout the country.
“They claimed they came from Sokoto and they must have passed through so many states.
“I am also in discussion with the governor of Sokoto State. We are more than likely going to return them to Sokoto.”
How Ekiti got three fresh COVID-19 cases
The three COVID-19 cases confirmed in Ekiti State on Friday have been traced to the 29-year-old woman who died of the disease.
Health Commissioner Mojisola Yahaya-Kolade said in Ado-Ekiti yesterday that three had contact with the late pregnant woman who allegedly sneaked into the state from Lagos State.
The woman later died of COVID-19 complications at the intensive care unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido Ekiti, where she had been receiving medical care after she was delivered of a baby.
“We can confirm that three of the samples sent to the NCDC accredited laboratory for testing returned positive results of the COVID-19 virus infection,” the commissioner said.
She said the new cases are all females with ages ranging from 26-50 years and had been in self-isolation for 14 days.
Fourth case confirmed in Enugu
Health Commissioner Obi Ikechukwu said in Enugu that the fourth and latest case in the state is a 39 year old man who used to live and work in Lagos.
“Recently this person travelled back to Enugu on the 22nd of April, took ill subsequently and reported to a mission Hospital in the state,” he said.
“Staff of the hospital alerted the State COVID 19 response team days later and samples were taken on the 29th of April which have turned out to be positive today. This new case is not a contact of the 3rd case.”

By Toba Adedeji