The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 148 new cases of coronavirus in the country, according to its official twitter handle on Thursday.
It said that the 148 new cases were from 14 states in the last 24 hours, distributed as follows – Lagos State (66), FCT (25), Oyo (13), Plateau (11), Kaduna (7), Rivers (6), Ebonyi (5), Ekiti (4), Ogun (4), Imo (2), Ondo (2), Edo (1), Nasarawa (1), and Taraba (1).
The NCDC said the 148 new cases brings the nation’s confirmed COVID-19 infection cases to 60,982.
The public health agency noted that till date, 60,982 cases have been confirmed, 52,194 discharged and 1,116 dead across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
It said that two new laboratories have been accredited for inclusion into the private, fee-paying laboratories for COVID-19 testing in the country.
They are the E-clinic Diagnostics, Abuja, and Everight Diagnostics, FCT.
“For a complete list of private, fee-paying laboratories in Nigeria visit: covid19.ncdc.gov.ng/privatelabs/,” it added.
The health agency said that a multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, has continued to coordinate the national response activities across the country.
On the Global Hand Washing Day (GHWD) 2020, the agency said that hand washing with soap under running water is one of the most effective ways to reduce the spread of infectious diseases like cholera and influenza.
“This GHWD teaches your family the importance of regular hand washing to stay healthy. Hand washing hygiene for all is non-negotiable for a healthier and happier society,” it stated.
The agency has strongly urged every #ENDSARS protester to use a face mask and constantly use hand sanitizers during the peaceful demonstrations.