By Abujah Racheal

The Nigeria Centre For Disease Control (NCDC) has reported 1,074 new infections of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country.

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

Nigeria has so far tested 948,048 people since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on Feb. 27, 2020.

The agency put the total number of COVID-19 infected people in the country at 88,587.

The public health agency also reported five new deaths in the past 24 hours in Nigeria.

The NCDC said that 14 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) recorded the new infections.

It noted that in the past 24 hours, 660 recoveries were recorded in isolation centres across the country.

“Our discharges today include 459 community recoveries in Lagos State and 156 community recoveries in Katsina State, all managed in line with stipulated guidelines,” the NCDC stated.

The agency said that Lagos reported 642 cases of the new infections, followed by Kaduna with 92 cases, Rivers had 78 cases, while the FCT and Gombe reported 66 cases each and Kano 35.

Other states with new cases were Ogun-31, Katsina-22, Plateau-20, Abia-seven, Niger-four, Oyo-four, Akwa Ibom-three, Delta-two and Osun-two.

It said that a multi-sectoral national Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level Three, is coordinating the national response activities.

Meanwhile, the NCDC noted that in 2020 the agency rose to the challenge of leading the public health response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The centre said that while it understood the need for Nigerians to relax after a difficult year, it noted that COVID-19 “does not recognise the necessity for humans to celebrate’’.

It urged Nigerians to observe all the safety protocols by covering their mouth and nose properly with a tissue paper or their elbow when sneezing or coughing.

“Dispose the tissue properly immediately after use and wash your hands with soap under running water,“ it advisd.