Nigeria records 315 new coronavirus cases, total recoveries now over 4000

315 new cases of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were recorded in Nigeria on Monday, June 8, 2020.

In its daily update, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the new cases were recorded in 13 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

Lagos, the epicentre of the outbreak in Nigeria, recorded the most with 128 new cases, with the FCT following a distant second with 34 new cases, and Edo with 28 new cases.

Oyo State recorded 22 new cases, followed by 20 new cases in Kaduna, and 13 new cases in Gombe.

Eight new cases were also recorded in Ogun, seven each in Delta and Kwara, five each in Plateau and Kano, four in Bauchi, and two in Katsina.

Nigeria has now recorded a total of 12,801 cases in 35 states and the FCT since the index case was announced on February 27.

The total number of patients that have recovered and been released from care since the crisis started in Nigeria increased to 4,040 in Monday's update.

81 were released in the past 24 hours, according to the NCDC.

The agency also revealed that seven new deaths were recorded on Monday, raising Nigeria's official COVID-19 death toll to 361.

Nigeria's death toll may be higher than officially recognised

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, announced earlier on Monday that Nigeria may have around 500 coronavirus-related deaths that have not been officially recognised.

During the daily media briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, the minister said at least 50% of the 979 unexplained deaths recorded in Kano around February are believed to be linked to the highly infectious disease.

The unexplained deaths were recorded over a five-week period in eight municipal local government areas in the state.

"With the circumstantial evidence, investigation suggests that 50% to 60% of the deaths maybe have been triggered by or due to COVID-19 in the face of pre-existing ailments," he said.

Ehanire said a task team sent to the state to investigate the deaths arrived at their conclusions by conducting verbal autopsies which led to their "educated guesses".

He said most of the victims were over the age of 65, and that a significant number of deaths was caused by an inability to access routine care at the time due to the scare of COVID-19.

The minister didn't clarify if the figures will be officially added to Nigeria's COVID-19 death toll.