COVID-19: Daily toll hits record high as NCDC confirms 681 new cases

Nigeria recorded its highest daily toll on Thursday with 681 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in 17 states.

Lagos alone accounted for over 50 percent of the total figure with 345 new cases.

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced the latest figures a few minutes before midnight on Thursday.

A total of 14,554 COVID-19 infections have now been confirmed in 35 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The number of discharged patients rose from 4,351 to 4,494, while five new deaths were recorded, increasing the country’s total fatality figure from 382 to to 387.

In his address at the presidential task force (PTF) on COVID-19 briefing on Thursday, Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the NCDC, said the upward surge was not unexpected considering the lockdown relaxation.

He, however, added that Nigerians need to take responsibility, especially by adhering to the guidelines on containing the spread of the virus.

“As we have eased the restrictions that we instituted across the country, and as states ease those restrictions, we have expected the numbers to increase and we have announced severally to expect an increase in numbers,” he said.

“So this increase in numbers is not unusual. There are always a few weeks’ lag and as we increase testing and ease the lockdown, this is a virus that goes from one individual to the other. Therefore, it is most likely that we will see an increase in numbers.

“Whether that increase continues or not depends on our collective action like we’ve always said, and sometimes these numbers are necessary to remind us of that reality.”