The NCDC made this known on Thursday night via its official Twitter handle, where it disclosed that the new infections were recorded in 16 states including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).

“On  March 18, 135 new confirmed cases were recorded in Nigeria.

“The new cases are reported from 16 states, Lagos (41), Imo (20), Ogun (14), FCT (10), Kebbi (11), Rivers (10), Akwa Ibom (eight) and Plateau (four).

“’Ebonyi (three), Kaduna (three), Kano (three), Osun (three), Oyo (two), Ekiti (one), Gombe (one), and Nasarawa (one).

“Till date, 161,409 cases have been confirmed, 146,890 cases have been discharged and 2,027 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the FCT,” it said.

The health agency said that the country’s recoveries from COVID-19 were now outpacing new reported cases, as 426 people were discharged in the last 24 hours.

It said that Thursday’s report included 162 community recoveries in Ebonyi State managed in line with NCDC guidelines, while data from Kebbi State were recorded over the last two days.

The NCDC said that the country’s active cases  stood at 12,984  in the last 24 hours.

It said  a multi-sectoral National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), activated at Level 3, had continued to coordinate the national response activities in the country.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the country has tested  1,684,305 people since the first confirmed case of COVID-19 was announced on Feb. 27, 2020.

NAN reports that the daily new cases has continued to follow a downward trajectory, from an all-time high daily new positive cases of 2,314 on Jan. 22 to 135 as at March 18. (NAN)