TheCable

Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), says young persons between the ages of 20 and 40 are accelerating the spread COVID-19.

Speaking at the briefing of the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja on Thursday, Ihekweazu said although younger persons are spreading the virus, patients above 50 years are the highest fatality victims.

As of Wednesday, Nigeria had recorded 26,484 COVID-19 cases with 603 deaths.

“As more people are infected across the world as you might have seen, ten million. It is increasingly obvious that there is high transmission among younger people, not children but people aged between 20 and 40 are really driving the spread of this virus. But those that are bearing the brunt of it are people aged 50 and above,” he said.

“Three out of five people who die from COVID-19 are 50 years above. So we have to work harder. All of us, collectively to protect our elderly.”

Ihekweazu warned Nigerians against non-essential travels to families in other states in order to curb the spread of the virus.

Also speaking at the PTF briefing, Osagie Enahire, minister of health, said 138,462 samples have been tested so far.

He said more males are infected with the virus than females, with a ratio of 70:30.