The Edo government, on Friday, said the state had recorded 53 new cases, 23 recoveries and one more death from the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the latest development, the state government said that the death recorded in the second wave of the pandemic had now risen to 42.

The state’s COVID-19 Incident Manager, Dr Andrew Obi, disclosed this during a virtual meeting of the state’s COVID-19 Task Force, in Benin.

“The 53 new cases were confirmed positive from 208 samples collected within a 24-hour period.

“We also recorded one more health worker-infection, with 864 active cases that are being managed at various treatment and isolation centres in the state.

“With the new figures, Edo has now recorded a total of 1,717 confirmed cases, 389 health worker-infections, 42 deaths and 803 recoveries since Dec. 1, 2020 when the state started tracking the second wave of the virus,” he said.

Obi reassured the people of the state of government’s commitment to containing the pandemic and protecting them.

He, however, urged residents to complement the state government’s efforts at ensuring the health and safety of all citizens.