I observed that the NCDC data analysts only pay attention to reports from Lagos and Abuja, being the epicenters of the pandemic in Nigeria.

Yesterday, April 11, at exactly 9:30pm, the Nigeria Center for Disease Control announced a total of 318 cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria through its website and verified social media accounts. Analyses show 70 discharged, 10 deaths, and 238 active cases. However, a further look at the data released by the NCDC shows that the number of discharged patients is under-reported, which, without much ado, renders the number released for active cases inaccurate.

For instance:

• Osun: 10 patients were discharged around 2 pm on April 11 from the state’s isolation center situated at Ejigbo, making it a total of 11 recovered patients thus far, but NCDC recorded only 1 discharged for the state.
• Oyo: The state governor, Seyi Makinde, announced on Saturday, April 11, that seven patients including himself, had already recovered and been discharged in the state but NCDC recorded only four discharged for the state.
• Bauchi: The state Commissioner for Health, Dr. Aliyu Maigoro, announced on Thursday, April 9, that the state only had four cases thus far with two recoveries, including the state governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, but NCDC, though initially recorded eight cases for the state, has reduced the figure to six following complaints from the state government. However, the NCDC on April 11 recorded zero discharges for Bauchi State with six cases instead of four.
• Ekiti: Ekiti has recorded two cases, and both patients had recovered and been discharged but NCDC recorded only one discharge for the state.

Accurate discharged patients:

As at 10:30 pm April 11, records from isolation centers across Nigeria showed that the country has recorded 86 discharged patients, contrary to the 70 reported by the NCDC.

Findings:

• Lagos: 50 discharged
• FCT: 11 discharged
• Oyo: 7 discharged
• Osun: 11 discharged
• Ogun: 2 discharged
• Ekiti: 2 discharged
• Rivers: 1 discharged
• Bauchi: 2 discharged
• TOTAL: 86

Observation:

I observed that the NCDC data analysts only pay attention to reports from Lagos and Abuja, being the epicenters of the pandemic in Nigeria. I equally discovered that all data released from Abuja and Lagos respectively are accurate while most reports recorded for other states are inaccurate.

Conclusion:

While I salute the NCDC for a job well-done thus far, I urge the agency to look into the discrepancies in the information being released to the general public in the interest of the rest of the world, who relies solely on their data for strategic planning.

Previously Published by: Sahara Reporters