The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has warned that the increasing number of coronavirus cases in the country is a warning of a possible increase in the number of deaths that would be recorded.
The minister gave the warning on Thursday during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja.
On Wednesday, 587 new cases were recorded, bringing the total number of cases in the country to 17,735.
So far, 5,967 patients have been discharged and 469 deaths recorded.
The minister said that to prevent the increase in the number of deaths as a result of coronavirus, persons described as vulnerable in view of their health condition, should take extra care in protecting themselves against infection.
The people, he said, included those suffering from hypertension, cancer, diabetes.
According to him, they should strictly observe the directives spelt out to prevent the spread of the disease like avoiding crowded places, wearing face masks among others.
He warned that once they tested positive, they should report for treatment at the centres available.
He said they should not wait for their situation to get worse before submitting themselves for treatment.
Delay, he said, could lead to death.
He said with extra care, the death rate could be reduced even as the number of cases increased.
