ANKARA

Nigerian authorities registered 343 new coronavirus cases on Thursday, the highest daily spike since Aug. 23, local media reported on Friday.

With latest additions, the total number of cases in the country reached 68,303, according to Premium Times online newspaper.

Two more people died of the virus, bringing the death toll to 1,179, it added.

“We have to start preparing Nigerian population for vaccine delivery when it becomes available,” Chikwe Ihekweazu, the director general of the Nigeria Center for Disease Control, was quoted as saying.

“Access is a very key issue when it comes to vaccines; that a vaccine is developed does not necessarily translate to being available to those that need it the most,” he said.

Since first being detected in Wuhan, China last December, the COVID-19 pandemic has claimed more than 1.5 million lives in 191 countries and regions.

Over 65.32 million cases have been reported worldwide, with more than 42.04 million recoveries, according to figures compiled by the US’ Johns Hopkins University.​​​​​​​