COVID-19: NCDC Confirms 313 New Cases as Lagos Toll Reaches 3,505

Vaccine: 'COVID-19 Disrupted Immunizations, Campaigns' - NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 313 fresh COVID-19 cases.

The agency made the announcement on Sunday night via its Twitter handle.

Lagos state recorded 148 new cases, bringing the total number of the infections in the state to 3,505, the highest in the country.

A total of 7,839 COVID-19 cases have now been recorded in 34 states and the federal capital territory (FCT).

The number of recoveries increased from 2,174 to 2,263.

The testing capacity has also increased by over 400 percent when compared to the figure one month ago.

As of April 23, 2020, Nigeria had tested 10,061 samples of which 981 confirmed cases were recorded.

However, according to the NCDC situation report for May 23, 2020, a total of 44,458 samples had been tested.

The agency has also made clarifications on concerns relating to distinguishing between COVID-19 and malaria, since people who have either of the two diseases may present with fever symptoms.

In a post earlier on Sunday, NCDC said COVID-19 and malaria are very different, and in fact, a COVID-19 patient could also have malaria.

“Although both diseases may present with fever, they are very different. #COVID19 is caused by a virus while malaria by Plasmodium parasite. However, an individual can have #COVID19 and malaria at the same time,” the tweet read.