By ANUJAH RACHEAL

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has registered 35 new recoveries from the COVID-19 infections, bringing the total number of recoveries in the country to 154,441.

The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Wednesday.

The agency said that the recoveries were registered from isolation centers across the country in the last 24 hours.

It said that since the beginning of the pandemic it had continued to sustain testing as an effective public health response to detect, isolate and treat cases of COVID-19.

The public health agency said that in an effort to slow the infection in the country and for it to be effective, Nigerians must play their part as citizens to support efforts by the Federal and State government.

“If you are showing symptoms of COVID-19, get tested. If it is a loved one, encourage him or her to get tested.

“There is no shame in getting tested and seeking treatment

“We must continue to take responsibility by using a mask in public, maintaining physical distance from others, frequent handwashing and other measures that have been,” it advised.

The NCDC also recorded additional 65 new COVID-19 cases and zero fatality in the last 24 hours.

It stated that this was the ninth consecutive day the country recorded no deaths from the virus that had infected over 144 million people globally and led to over three million deaths.

The Public health agency said that the new cases were reported across 11 states of the Federation – Lagos, 41 new cases; Kaduna 6, Kano 3, Rivers 3 Plateau 3, Akwa Ibom 2, Imo 2, Oyo 2, Edo 1, Bauchi 1 and Osun 1.

NCDC said since the beginning of the pandemic, the country had recorded 164,488 COVID-19 cases, while 2,061 people had died from it.

It said that the country had also tested 1,870, 915 people since the first COVID-19 cases was announced on Feb. 27, 2020.

It added that a multi-sectoral National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, has continued to coordinate the national response activities in the country.

The NCDC noted that as at April 21, the country’s active case stood at 7,956.

Meanwhile, the NCDC said that the Federal Government could not regulate the cost for COVID-19 test in private laboratories.

“As the country’s response to COVID-19, the public health laboratories will continue to provide testing free-of-charge for public health needs,” it said.

The agency said the Federal Government had also insisted on a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), test for international passengers, to prevent overwhelming the nation’s health infrastructure.

“So please bear with us, it’s a small price to pay for the future and the health of the country and its people and we encourage you to keep carrying out departure test.

“All travelers arriving in Nigeria must have tested negative for COVID-19 by PCR in country of departure pre-boarding.

”The PCR test must be done within 96 hours before departure and preferably within 72 hours,” it said.

NCDC noted that passengers were required to remain in self-isolation on arrival and carry out a COVID-19 test in a designated private laboratory seven days after arrival.

“This entire process must be registered on the Nigeria International Travel Portal- www.nitp.ncdc.gov.ng,” it said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that passengers have expressed their frustration on accessing the portal, costs of the test on arrival and other challenges.

Taking to Twitter, some passengers said they have been unable to complete payment online and therefore unable to board their aircraft. (NAN)

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