Nigeria confirms 13 COVID-19 deaths in 24 hours

ANKARA (AA) - Nigeria's health authorities on Monday confirmed 13 new COVID-19-related deaths and 371 infections over the past 24 hours.

This brings the tally of deaths to 1,982 with 138,502 infections, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian government is encouraging citizens to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

On Saturday, Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo received the vaccine jab in the capital Abuja on the second day of the country's immunization drive.

Buhari has called on all state governments and political and religious leaders to play their part in making the vaccination drive a success.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous country with over 211 million, has received 4 million doses of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and will be getting more shipments in the near future, the president said.

He explained that the government plans to vaccinate at least 70% of the country in 2021 and 2022.