Nation
Covid-19 Soars As NCDC Records 1,064 New Cases, 13 Deaths
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) recorded 1,064 new cases of Covid-19 on Saturday as the deadly scourge continued its renewed surge in the populous African nation.
The public health centre, in its verified website monitored on Sunday, said that 13 deaths were recorded on the date under review.
It attributed the recent surge in infections to the spread of the Delta variant in the country.
The staggering Saturday figure represented a huge leap compared to the 304 cases announced a day earlier.
The NCDC said that the new infections were recorded in nine states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to the agency, the total infection figure in the country currently stands at 186,635, while the 13 new deaths increased the total fatality figure to 2,260.
A breakdown of the infections showed that Lagos State led with 776 cases while Rivers followed with 196 cases.
It further showed that Ekiti ranked third with 49 cases, followed by Kwara with 33 cases, while Ogun and Benue recorded 21 and 18 cases respectively.
Oyo State followed with 13 cases; the FCT, five; Osun, four, while Yobe recorded two cases.
The health agency said that Nigeria had successfully treated 168,320 Covid-19 cases following the discharge of 279 additional patients on Wednesday.
The NCDC said that there were currently 16,055, active cases, a sharp rise from the 2,000 active cases reported in June.
According to NCDC, over 2.6 million samples of the virus, out of the nation’s roughly 200 million population, were tested, with an average test positivity rate of six per cent.
It also stated that the multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at level two, had continued to coordinate the national response activities.
The NCDC reiterated that vaccines give a high level of protection from serious illness and death from Covid-19 variants, including the Delta variant.
“The more people are vaccinated, the less opportunity the virus has to spread and develop new variants.
“Remember to always adhere to all non-pharmaceutical preventive measures of Covid-19 to reduce the risk of spread.
“Always wear a face mask, avoid large gatherings, observe physical distancing and wash hands frequently with soap and water,” it advised.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
