The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 204 new cases of COVID-19 in 17 states and the federal capital territory.
The agency announced this on its Twitter handle on Thursday night.
The number of recovered patients increased from 305 to 319, while the number of fatalities increased from 51 to 58.
A total of 1,932 cases have now been confirmed in 34 states and the federal capital territory – Cross River and Kogi have not recorded any case of COVID-19.
A breakdown of the new cases showed that 80 were recorded in Kano, 45 in Lagos, 12 in Gombe, nine each in Bauchi and Sokoto, seven each in Borno and Edo, six each in Rivers and Ogun, four each in the FCT, Akwa Ibom and Bayelsa, three in Kaduna, two each in Oyo, Delta and Nasarawa and one each in Ondo and Kebbi.
With the increase in the number of cases, Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of the NCDC, says the agency will focus on scaling up testing capacity across the country, but with special focus on Lagos, Kano and the federal capital territory.
Speaking on Thursday at the presidential task force on COVID-19 briefing, he also expressed concern about the number of bed spaces at isolation centres, noting that with the current situation, there may be a need to consider “home care” for certain COVID-19 patients.
“Ultimately, we might have to change our strategy a little bit, start considering home care in certain circumstances, where first we are able to provide a room where a patient can be managed sufficiently, and secondly we’re able to support the care by enabling healthcare workers come to that,” he said.