The Lagos State Government on Thursday confirmed four new coronavirus cases, bringing to 12, the total number of cases in the country.
The state Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this at a press conference in Ikeja, also said the Italian, who was the first person in the country to be diagnosed with the disease, had tested negative.
Abayomi stated this just as more states took steps to prevent the spread of the disease. The Federal Capital Territory and states such as Ogun, Benue, Anambra, Enugu and Niger on Thursday ordered the closure of their schools.
The Italian was diagnosed with COVID-19 on February 27 in Lagos, where he was being treated, after developing symptoms of the disease at Lafarge Africa Plc, Ewekoro, Ogun State.
A few weeks later, a Nigerian, who had contact with him, tested positive for the disease, making him the second coronavirus case in the country.
The third case is a 30-year-old woman, who returned to the country from the United Kingdom on Friday last week.
The cases rose to eight on Wednesday when the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ohanaire, said a woman, her six-week-old baby and three other persons had been diagnosed with the disease. The minister had said four of the five cases were in Lagos State, while one was in Ekiti State.
Lagos tracing 1,300 contacts of infected persons
The Lagos State commissioner for health told journalists that state government was tracing 1,300 persons that might have had contact with the positive cases.
“We are following over 1,300 people right now,” the commissioner said.
Abayomi disclosed that 19 persons, who had contact with Wednesday’s cases, were tested and five of them were positive.
He stated, “Out of those 19 tests, we have four new positives. The first new positive is the contact of the third case that came from the UK. She has tested positive and will be admitted shortly. We have a new case, a female, a Nigerian, returning from France via Istanbul on Turkish Airlines TK 1830 on March 14.
“We have a third case, Nigerian male, in his 50s. He has never travelled anywhere and he presented with symptoms. He was referred to us, we went to retrieve samples and it tested positive. He has since been admitted into our facility. The fourth case is a Nigerian male; he arrived on March 13 from Frankfurt via Lufthansa Flight no LH568.”
The commissioner stated that the state was running more tests on suspected cases and contacts of confirmed cases. “It is clear that we have a combination of imported cases and local transmission,” Abayomi added.
LASG may come up with social distancing policy
The commissioner added that members of the state executive council were meeting to decide on the next step which might include social distancing.
He advised Lagosians to maintain social distance to slow down the outbreak of the disease.
Abayomi stated, “The virus cannot jump a distance. It has to move either through contact, very close proximity or if you touch the surface that an infected person has also touched.
Effectively, it means no touching; if you are unwell, stay at home, particularly if you have respiratory symptoms. Communicate with your medical professionals, or contact any of our hotlines, particularly, 08000CORONA.”
Italian who brought COVID-19 to Nigeria recovers
The commissioner disclosed that the Italian who brought coronavirus to Nigeria, had tested negative for the disease.
He said the index case, who had been receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba would be discharged if he tested negative one more time.
“I have the good news to tell you that the index case has now cleared the virus. We will check him one more time and if he is negative, he will be discharged,” Abayomi said.
We will only attend to people with valid appointments –UCH
But the University College Hospital, Ibadan described as untrue claims that the teaching hospital was treating a coronavirus patient in its isolation bay.
However, the hospital disclosed that the result of a suspected case of COVID-19 patient, who is currently self-isolating and whose blood sample had been sent for tests, was being awaited.
The Chief Medical Director, UCH, Prof. Jesse Otegbayo, disclosed this during a press conference on its preparedness in view of the news on the outbreak.
Otegbayo stated that the details about the suspected case and efforts made were provided by the Oyo State Ministry of Health.
He said, “While the citizenry is encouraged to remain calm, the need to be more cautious and proactive in measures that have been proved to reduce transmission of the virus is vital at this time in efforts to control the pandemic.
“Let me quickly debunk the rumour going around about a patient with a positive test for COVID-19 being on admission in the UCH. This is not the case. There is a suspected case of COVID-19 infection who is currently self-isolating and whose blood sample has been sent for tests. The result is being awaited.”
We will only attend to people with valid appointments –UCH
Otegbayo said the hospital decided to limit the number of people and patients who thronged the hospital daily as part of efforts to check the disease.
He said, “Patients who do not have definite or valid appointments are advised not to present at our clinics as only those with valid appointments will be allowed on the premises.
“Only when absolutely necessary should patients be accompanied to regular clinic visit and the number of accompanying caregivers should be the minimum required for the purpose. Clinically stable patients are advised to stay at home and to resume regular clinic visits after the pandemic has subsided.”
But the President of the Nigerian Medical Association, Dr Francis Faduyile, said ethics of medical profession and information management in public governance could necessitate Ekiti State’s silence on some of the details surrounding the death of an American who was suspected of having coronavirus symptoms.
Faduyile, in an interview with The PUNCH, said physicians hardly made public medical information given to them by the patients, even in death.
He said, “The level of testing for coronavirus confirmation or infection is of different levels. If they said it was not positive, it does not mean that they will not subject the sample to other tests that are more sensitive.
FCT, Ogun, Benue, Anambra, Enugu, Niger shut schools
In Ogun State, the government said it had extended the ban on all high-density gatherings to school and worship centres in the state.
The Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Kunle Sumorin, who disclosed this in a statement in Abeokuta, stated that the ban on high-density gatherings affected all schools both public and private as well as all religious activities in the state.
The statement reads partly, “Consequently, all schools in the state will remain closed indefinitely after school hours on Friday, March, 20th, 2020.
“Also, all religious centres and activities including regular and special services that bring together 50 or more persons in the same place are banned with immediate effect.
“These measures will be reviewed at regular intervals in response to the development surrounding the coronavirus.
The state government urged all parents and guardians, who have their children and wards in any boarding facility within the state to immediately take them home at the close of schools on Friday.
It advised residents of the state to maintain a high level of personal hygiene and surveillance.
It added that suspected cases should be reported at the nearest primary healthcare centres in all the 236 wards in the state or the emergency operation centre on COVID-19 by telephone on 08188978393 or 08188978392.”
Also, the Benue State Government has ordered the closure of all schools in the state beginning from March 27.
The state Commissioner for Education, Professor Dennis Ityavyar, who stated this while briefing journalists, said residents of the state should avoid physical contacts.
The Anambra State Government also ordered the closure of schools in the state beginning from March 27.
In a statement, the state government said the management of all schools in the state must provide hand wash stations at their entrances.
It added, “Schools managements are encouraged to take the temperature of their boarding students at least once every day. Temperatures above 37.9 degrees Celsius must be reported to the nearest hospital.”
The Secretary to the Enugu State Government, Prof. Simon Ortuanya, in a statement, said the state schools should close starting from March 27.
In Niger State, the state government directed the closure of public and private schools, as well as tertiary institutions across the state from Monday.
A statement on Thursday by Secretary to the State Government, Ahmed Matane, stated that all public gatherings had been suspended by the state government. Matane said the closure of the schools would be for 30 days.
The Federal Capital Territory Administration also ordered indefinite closure of schools in the FCT beginning from Friday.
The FCT Minister of State, Dr. Ramatu Aliyu, who announced the suspension, also directed that social gatherings and worship centres should be restricted to avoid large gatherings that could further endanger the health of others.
During a meeting with heads of secretariats, departments and agencies under her supervision, the minister said measures would be intensified to prevent the outbreak of the dreaded COVID-19 in the territory.
According to a statement by her media aide, Austin Elemue, Aliyu stressed that shops that failed to provide hand sanitisers and other preventive measures should be closed down indefinitely.
ASUSS wants Ekiti to close down schools
The Academic Staff Union of Secondary Schools in Ekiti State has called on the state government to close all schools in the state.
The ASUSS State Chairman, Sola Adigun, in a statement in Ado-Ekiti, said that such would prevent the close group interactions which could hasten the spread of the virus among very active adolescents in secondary schools.
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