By Ismail Auwal
Director General (DG) of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Iheakwazu, has warned that January 2020 will be difficult for Nigerians, as NCDC’s capacity to cope with the increasing cases of COVID-19 has been stretched.
The DG also warned that the nation would pay the price in January for disregarding health protocols.
Speaking at the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the DG said, “We just faced the worst week since we started responding to this outbreak. We had more cases in Nigeria last week than in any other previous weeks since the beginning of the outbreak.
“Pictures and videos from across the country paint a very disheartening situation, because it appears that our messages, our appeals to Nigerians over the last few months have not been heeded- and we have gone ahead with business as usual, he lamented.
“Events centres are full, social activities are full and so it is no surprises that cases are rising,” he added.
“January will be a tough month, no doubt about it. So, we have to brace ourselves for the consequences of the activities that we have decided to carry out in December,” the DG concluded.
