By ABUJAH RACHEAL

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has registered 1,041 new infections of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

The NCDC made this known via its verified website on Thursday.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic last February, more than 912,114 samples had been tested by the agency.

NCDC said that the new infections brought the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to 81,963, out of which 69,651 patients had been discharged and 1,242 deaths recorded.

It said that the 1,041 new cases were recorded in 22 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The centre said the number of COVID-19 patients who have been discharged had increased by 377.

“Our discharges today include 128 community recoveries in Lagos State, managed in line with the set guidelines,” it stated.

As for new infections, the NCDC stated that Lagos took the lead with 316 new cases, followed by the FCT with 210, Kaduna 83 and Plateau 70 cases.

Gombe and Oyo had 56 each; Katsina, 47; Nasarawa, 35, Kano, 33 and Ogun, 21.

Rivers reported 17 new cases; Niger and Imo14 each; Delta, Kwara and Edo had 12 each; Benue, nine and Anambra had eight.

According to the NCDC Taraba and Ekiti had four, Ebonyi, six and Bayelsa and Sokoto got one each.

The agency said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level Three, has continued to coordinate the national response activities.

Meanwhile, the NCDC disclosed that in the recent weeks there has been a huge increase in the number of samples sent to the National Reference Laboratory in Abuja from several states and the FCT.

“This has led to an unusual delay with testing, but we’re working round the clock,’’ it said.

The NCDC appealed to workers in laboratories across the states to continue with COVID-19 testing, so that most samples are not sent to its laboratory in Abuja.

“Despite the very tough year, we appeal to health workers across the country to sustain the response. We remain committed to supporting states,” the NCDC said. (NAN)

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