Nigeria records first death as confirmed cases rises to 35

Nigeria has recorded 5 new cases of coronavirus, bringing the number to 35.

One death has also been recorded.

This is coming just hours after the country announced 30 cases with two cases discharged.

The figure rose after the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) announced on Monday that five new cases had been confirmed.

According to the health agency, this is the latest update on the disease as of 9:45am on March 23, 2020.

A breakdown of the figure shows that two cases were confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Lagos respectively, while one case was confirmed in Edo State.

According to NCDC, the case was a 67-year-old male who returned home following medical treatment in the UK is the first death recorded.

He had underlying medical conditions- multiple myeloma and diabetes and was undergoing chemotherapy.

Of the total figure, Lagos State and the FCT have recorded 24 and six confirmed cases of COVID-19 being the highest in the country.

Similarly, Ogun State has confirmed two cases while Ekiti, Oyo, and Edo States have recorded one case each.

In tweets on its verified handle on Monday, the NCDC explained that 33 of the confirmed cases were active while the other two had been discharged.

The NCDC said that it was working closely with Lagos State Ministry of Health to identify and follow up with contacts, adding that travellers that returned to Nigeria from any country in the last 14 days, should stay in self-isolation