By ABUJAH RACHEAL

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has registered 1,340 new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of infected people in the country to 136,030.

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

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the country has so far tested 1,302,410 people since the COVID-19 index case was recorded on Feb. 27, 2020.

The NCDC also confirmed additional 14 coronavirus-related deaths in the last 24 hours, bringing the total number of those who had succumbed to the disease to 1,632.

The agency said the new infections were recorded in 21 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

The NCDC said that FCT topped the list with 320 infections, followed by Lagos 275, Rivers 117 and Oyo 100 cases.

Other states where the new infections took place were Akwa Ibom 57, Ogun 51, Ebonyi 48, Benue 44, Adamawa 42, Imo 38, Kwara 35, Gombe 32, Kaduna 31, Edo 29, Osun 29, Kano 24, Ekiti 15, Katsina 14, Delta 13, Nasarawa 13, Jigawa 10 and Sokoto 3.

The NCDC put the number of recoveries at 110,449, with additional 1,792 people discharged across the country in the last 24 hours.

It added that those discharged on Thursday included 824 community recoveries in Lagos State, 448 in FCT and 142 in Plateau, all managed in line with prescribed guidelines.

The agency said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) activated at Level 3, is coordinating response activities nationwide.

The NCDC said that at this stage, amid the surge in infections and the emergence of new transmissible variants of the virus, the use of mask was not just a fact of life, but a critical tool in slowing the spread of the virus until the people are vaccinated.

“For a mask to do its job, it should fit closely to your face, shielding your nose and mouth completely. A number of widely available cloth masks now feature adjustable nose wires and ear loops to help you achieve a better fit.

“If the mask is not fitted well and there are large gaps around your nose or to the side of your cheeks or under your chin, then you’ve defeated the purpose,” the NCDC explained.

The public health agency emphasised that people should try to avoid touching their mask as much as possible.

“When you need to handle it, it’s best to only touch the ear loops or, if necessary, the portion of material that sits under your chin.

“There’s a lot of contaminants in the air, so that’s going to be on the front of your mask. And then you’re going to be putting your hand on that and then touching your face,” it warned.

The NCDC recommended that people should thoroughly sanitise or wash their hands before and after touching a contaminated or a used mask. (NAN)