Thursday January 21, marked a new single-day increase in the COVID-19 cases in Nigeria since the start of the pandemic.

As the coronavirus pandemic surges across the nation, the data on Thursday, the most recent available says that a total of 116,655 infections have now been recorded across the nation following 1,964 new cases found in 23 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed this via its Twitter handle.

With 1,310 patients discharged from isolation centres after tested negative to the virus on Thursday, the total number of recoveries increased to 93,646 as many states around the country struggle with mounting infections and hospitalisations.

According to NCDC, discharges today include 798 community recoveries in Lagos State and 191 community recoveries in Ondo State managed in line with guidelines.

Meanwhile, another 7 people were reported dead from coronavirus late Thursday. Nigeria's official COVID-19 death toll has now reached 1,485.

Lagos state, the epicentre of COVID-19 in Nigeria recorded 824 new infections, bringing the total number of  infections in the most populous city in Nigeria and the African continent to 43,251 and the deaths toll in the state rose to 283.

A breakdown of the new cases confirmed by the health agency shows that, the most affected regional state,  Lagos lead with 824 new infections, FCT came a distant second with 246, followed closely by Plateau with 166 infections.

Other states affected on Thursday as follows Kaduna-128, Ogun-76, Nasarawa-74, Anambra-69, Edo-50, Rivers-45, Ondo-44, Niger-40, Oyo-38, Adamawa-35, Kano-31, Akwa Ibom-27, Gombe-19, Kwara-13, Ekiti-12, Delta-6, Kebbi-6, Bauchi-5, Ebonyi-4, Osun-3 and Zamfara-1.

Nigeria has so far tested 1,203,113 persons since the first confirmed case relating to the COVID-19 pandemic was announced.