The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 72 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday.
In a Twitter update via its verified handle, the government agency said there are now 63,036 confirmed cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in Nigeria.
A total number of 59,328 people it said, have so far been discharged from hospital, while the deaths now stand at 1,147.
Coronavirus cases have risen over the last few months in several regions of the world and infections worldwide have exceeded 45 million.
A database maintained by Johns Hopkins University put the cumulative number of COVID-19 cases reported around the world since the pandemic began at more than 46 million as of Monday, with more than 30 million of those listed as recovered. The death toll reported by the US-based university is over 1.2 million.
Africa is said to have recorded nearly 1.8 million confirmed cases, while the US with the world’s highest number of confirmed cases at nine million, has recorded about 230,000 deaths from coronavirus – the world’s highest official death toll.
Meanwhile, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) announced that he is in quarantine after coming into contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19 — as the worldwide virus-related death toll surpassed 1.2 million early Monday.
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, tweeted about his decision to self-isolate Sunday evening.
“I have been identified as a contact of someone who has tested positive for #COVID19,” he wrote. “I am well and without symptoms but will self-quarantine over the coming days, in line with @WHO protocols, and work from home.”
“It is critically important that we all comply with health guidance,” he added. “This is how we will break chains of #COVID19 transmission, suppress the virus, and protect health systems.”
