The death toll from coronavirus (COVID-19) in Edo State has risen to 35 with nearly 1,000 confirmed cases in the state.

The Commissioner for Health in Edo, Dr Patrick Okundia, disclosed this on Monday while briefing reporters in Benin City, the state capital.

He stressed the need for residents to adhere to preventive measures such as the use of face masks, handwashing, and physical distancing, to protect themselves and others from being infected with the disease.

Okundia called on the residents to support the government’s efforts at curbing the spread of COVID-19 and protecting them by complying with the guidelines to contain the pandemic.

“Complying with these directives will imply that we care about the well-being of others, especially the elderly, and are determined to protect them from getting infected by the deadly virus that has continued to claim thousands of lives globally,” he said.

The commissioner added, “The Edo State government has taken serious steps to contain the pandemic across all communities in the state, but we have observed poor compliance among members of the public towards COVID-19 preventive measures.

“This is even as some give out wrong addresses and phone numbers during sample collection, which makes it difficult for contact tracers to track down confirmed cases after laboratory results are released.”

Okundia, therefore, urged all residents to stay at home and observe all precautionary measures against the spread of the infectious disease.

He noted that the government has introduced two toll-free lines for COVID-19 response to strengthen the initial lines from the State Ministry of Health and the World Health Organisation (WHO) distributed at the outset of the outbreak.

The commissioner said so far, Edo has confirmed 962 cases out of 5,838 suspected cases, with 277 patients successfully treated and discharged.

He added that the state has 2,577 line-listed contacts and 347 Persons of Interest (POIs).