The confirmation of the third coronavirus case in Nigeria on Tuesday woke the Federal Government from its slumber as it rolled out a number of measures to stop the spread of the disease in the country.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, at a press conference in Ikeja on Tuesday morning, said the third case was a 30-year-old woman, who returned to the country on Friday from the United Kingdom.
The announcement of the third coronavirus case triggered a flurry of activities by the Federal Government.
The Federal Government postponed the 20th edition of the National Sports Festival, tagged ‘Edo 2020’, scheduled to start on Friday.
The National Open University of Nigeria put off its 9th convocation, which was slated from March 21 indefinitely.
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, on its part, issued health advisory to religious organisations and other groups that could attract mass gatherings.
It said they should not allow people who had cough, fever or other coronavirus-like symptoms into their mass gatherings.
In the United Kingdom, the Nigerian High Commission suspended the processing of passports until further notice as a proactive measure to curb coronavirus.
Also, the Federal Government on Tuesday inaugurated a task force on coronavirus, whose members were named on March 9.
Nigeria recorded its first coronavirus case on March 27 when an Italian businessman, who was on a visit to Lafarge Africa Plc, Ewekoro, Ogun State, was diagnosed with the disease. The Italian is currently receiving treatment in Lagos.
A few days later, a Nigerian, who had contact with him and was isolated in Ogun State, was diagnosed with the disease.
Unlike other African countries, such as Egypt, South Africa, Sudan and Ghana, the Federal Government has consistently rejected travel ban on nations with high number of coronavirus cases. Also, passengers from high-risk countries are not being isolated on their arrival in the country.
On Tuesday morning, Abayomi disclosed that a 30-year-old woman had been diagnosed with coronavirus, bringing the total number of cases recorded in the country to three.
Abayomi said the woman returned from the UK on Friday via a British Airways flight BA75 after spending 10 days in the European country.
He said the woman had been in self-isolation before developing fever and high cough.
Abayomi said the patient had complied strictly with isolation principles which made contact tracing less cumbersome, adding that she had been admitted to the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba.
The commissioner stated, “She developed high fever and cough during her self-isolation period which she started immediately she arrived in the country. She tested positive and was admitted last night (Monday) at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba.
The commissioner added that the immediate family members of the newly confirmed case had been isolated in a family suite with separate rooms at the IDH.
He said contact tracing for all passengers on the flight that the patient boarded had commenced.
He, however, advised the passengers on flight BA75 to isolate themselves in their various residence and contact the ministry of health on the dedicated toll free and emergency lines for assistance.
If you are a passenger on British airline flight BA 75 that arrived in Lagos on 13th March, 2020, stay at home and isolate yourself for 14 days and call the Ministry of Health Toll Free and Emergency lines,” Abayomi said.
On the second case, the commissioner said the patient who had contact with the index case in Lafarge factory was tested negative twice and had been discharged from hospital.
Nigerian with coronavirus attended summit with Canadian prime minister’s wife
More facts on Tuesday evening emerged about the third case. It was gathered that the woman contracted the virus while attending a summit in the UK.
The friend of the victim, who identified himself only as Ayobami, told The PUNCH that the victim spent a few days at the conference.
According to him, the same conference was attended by the wife of the Prime Minister of Canada, Sophie Trudeau, who also recently tested positive for the infection.
He said, “She went for a programme in the UK. It was a commonwealth event. It lasted for two to three days. That was the same place that the Canadian prime minister’s wife got it.”
The WE Day summit, an annual youth programme, was held in London on March 4 and was attended by top celebrities, including the Canadian prime minister’s wife and an actor, ldris Alba, who also recently tested positive for the virus.
The Canadian prime minister’s wife was reported feeling unwell following her return to Canada and diagnosed with the disease.
Third case picked by parents at airport, taken to their Ogba home
Ayobami said when his friend arrived in Lagos aboard the British Airways flight, she was picked by her parents and taken to their home in Ogba, Ikeja.
He explained that the victim, who had started showing signs of the flu, isolated herself and was not in contact with anyone.
He stated, “She did not get in contact with any other person apart from her parents. Her parents took her at the airport and she was driven to their home at Ogba. She then went to isolate herself.”
“She did not feel anything serious until on Sunday. From the time she landed at the airport we had been communicating and I told her to go for a test immediately,” he added.
Ayobami had, in a series of tweets on Friday, said when the friend arrived, raised the alarm on her condition, lamenting her inability to get tested on time despite calls and messages to officials of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control.
He also decried the shortage of test kits, saying the country was not prepared for the infection.
On Sunday, he said she was eventually tested and the result returned positive.
IDH not ready when third case was brought
He stated, “When they got to the IDH, Yaba, they left her in an ambulance for about two hours to prepare a place for her. The centre was not ready. I was on a video call with her.
“After my complaints on Twitter, they gave her toiletries, but asked her to stop talking to me so that they can manage it,” he added.
Suspected Covid-19 Indian patient isolated at Dangote refnery
In a related development, a suspected Covid-19 patient was on Monday isolated in Block 21, room 5-A158, on the premises of the Dangote Refinery Camp, in the Lekki Free zone area of Lagos State.
According to an email reportedly circulated by the management of the refinery to alert its workers about the case, the suspected patient was identified as an Indian with an employee ID-62178.
The victim was said to be an assistant pipe fitter, who reportedly arrived in Nigeria on March 12, 2020, from Mumbai, India.
The email, which was released by Dr Avijit Singh, on Monday, March 16, 2020, but culled from one Akinpelu Akinboye’s Twitter handle, @theakinakinboye, read in part, “I will like to inform that we have a patient who came to our clinic today with high temperature 38.5c, dry cough, sore throat, difficulty breathing. We are suspecting coronavirus as he came from India.
“Following are details of the patient: employee ID-62178; nationality, Indian; passport number, M8869527; job title, Assistant Pipe Fitter; date of arrival in Nigeria, March 12, 2020; port of boarding, Mumbai, India. (Via Cairo, Egypt) flight and transit.
Speaking to The PUNCH, Akinboye alleged that he had been threatened for exposing the suspected case, adding that those who called him claimed to have the situation under control.
A spokesman for Dangote firm, Tony Chiejina, confirmed the suspected case but maintained that the Indian was not an employee of Dangote.
Dangote bans employees from high risk nations
Dangote Industries Limited, in a statement on Tuesday evening said it had placed travel ban on all employees to and fro high risk countries as part of measures to stop the spread of coronavirus.
The firm said, “We will like to state that an Indian national who is a staff member of Onshore Construction Company, a mechanical, electrical and instrumentation contracting firm that specialises in fertilizer construction reported at the site clinic complaining of high temperature.
“His complaint triggered our Covid-19 preparation and prevention protocols which necessitated further screening and isolation immediately.”
According to the firm, Akhil Kunyil of the Health and Safety Environment of the Onshore Company reported the development to the management following which local authorities were contacted and the patient was conveyed to the IDH, where he is currently being isolated and undergoing tests.
FG postpones national sports festival
As part of measures to salvage the situation, the Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Mr Sunday Dare, said the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had approved the postponement of the national sports festival.
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