Nigeria reports fresh COVID case

Nigeria has recorded a fresh case of COVID-19. The newest case was confirmed in Cross River State.

The Cross River State Ministry of Health has begun profiling and tracing individuals in the state who have been in contact with a Chinese national admitted after testing positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The commissioner for health in the coastal state, Henry Ayuk, disclosed this in Calabar while briefing newsmen on a resurgence of the deadly SARS variant, Covid-19, in Cross River State.

Ayuk said Cross River is recording its first significant case since 2022 and promised to curb the spread of the virus even further.

According to him, the patient who arrived in the country on the 17th of March 2026 is believed to have contracted the virus within Nigeria after surpassing the 14-day incubation period, as signs and symptoms were noticed on the 10th of April.

The commissioner urged Cross Riverians to remain watchful but free to go about their daily legitimate duties, as the state is capable of fighting and preventing the spread of the epidemic.

He noted that the ministry under his watch has mobilised health workers across communities in Akamkpa Local Government Area, where the patient lived and worked, to avert possible spread.

A health worker holds a vaccine tube and a syringe. Channels TV/ Sodiq Adelakun.

Meanwhile, the World Health Organisation (WHO) coordinator in Cross River, Yewande Olatunde, has warned Nigerians to remain health-conscious, noting that COVID-19 has not fully been eradicated globally, with different strains developing, as he encouraged residents to remain vigilant and adhere to public health guidelines.

The resurgence of the disease came years after the COVID-19 pandemic led to the death of millions globally.

In Nigeria, the disease killed about 3,000 people, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

COVID-19, first reported in China in late 2019, spread to several other countries, leading to lockdowns and paralysis of economic activities across the globe.

But things began to ease off after more than one year, with vaccines and other health and safety protocols rolled out in many nations.