The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reported 1,145 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, another record since the outbreak of the pandemic in the country earlier in the year.
In a Twitter update via its verified handle, the government agency said there are now 76,207 confirmed cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus in Nigeria.
A total number of 67,110 people it said, have so far been discharged from hospital, while the number of deaths so far is 1,201.
As of Wednesday, more than 74 million cases of COVID-19 had been reported worldwide, with more than 41.9 million cases considered recovered or resolved, according to a case-tracking tool maintained by Johns Hopkins University. The global death toll stood at more than 1.6 million.
According to a Metro update Thursday, in Europe, French president Emmanuel Macron tested positive for coronavirus, his office has said. The Elysee palace, the president’s official residence, confirmed that he was tested after showing symptoms of COVID-19. The 42-year-old will now undertake an isolation period of seven days, but will continue to carry out his work remotely. The statement gave little detail about the president’s condition. ‘He will continue to work and take care of his activities at a distance,’ it said. The French president was pictured just yesterday standing next to Portugal’s prime minister, Antonio Costa, before the pair delivered a joint news conference. Both world leaders were wearing masks when photographed next to each other.
He was also pictured with Spanish prime minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday. President Macron has also been at centre stage of Brexit negotiations between the UK and the EU over the last few weeks.
It is unknown whether his 67-year-old wife, Brigitte, who he usually lives with at the palace also has the virus. He was due to visit Lebanon next week, but the palace said the trip has now been cancelled. The news comes after France has started lifting coronavirus restrictions after the country was in a period of lockdown. A number of world leaders have had the virus since the start of the pandemic, including Boris Johnson, Donald Trump (and his wife Melania), Bolivian president Jeanine Anez, Brazil premier Jair Bolsonaro and EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier.