The Ogun State Government on Friday confirmed that the Italian infected by the Coronavirus visited Ewekoro, an industrial town in the state.
Addressing a press conference at the Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said the Italian who was infected with the Coronavirus disease came to Ewekoro from Lagos and had a short stay before returning to Lagos for medical attention.
He however dismissed speculations that many people had contracted the deadly virus in the state, insisting that Italian visit was brief.
THISDAY investigations revealed that the Italian is a consultant to a company in the locality.
The Health Commissioner said, “The state government has quarantined the location visited by the Italian in Ewekoro and so, Ogun residents should not panic.”
She, however, listed the symptoms of the Coronavirus disease to include illnesses such as the common cold, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
She advised anyone with the symptoms to go to the general hospital, as against visiting a private hospital or a herbal home, to enable the government track any patient identified with the disease.
Coker also advised members of the public “to keep at least five meters away from anyone found with cold or fever.”
She said the Ogun State Government already has an Infectious Centre at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, for an home diagnosed with the Coronavirus disease, but noted that the infected Italian is currently being treated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Yaba, Lagos.
She urged members of the public in the state to call 0818897893 or 08188978393 to report any health emergency.
Meanwhile, one of Nigeria’s leading pharmacists, Prof (Mrs) Peace Chinedu-Babalola, has warned that precautionary method was most desired in keeping the widespread coronavirus away from Nigeria, noting that it could cost the federal government at least $2 billion (about N700 billion) to evolve any new medicine.
She gave the advice in Abeokuta while speaking with THISDAY, on the heels of her return from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she was presented with the Kwame Nkruma Award for Scientific Excellence, at an African Union (AU) summit which held in the country.
Chinedu-Babalola, who is the Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Owode-Abeokuta, said finding cure for the coronavirus, which is the latest epidemic that has wiped off thousands of souls, especially in China, is capital intensive.
While commending the federal government for promising to release N36 million to aid research into killer diseases, she, however observed that in the face of lean resources, the government and the citizenry must take utmost precautions to prevent the disease from spreading to the country.
“This is because an equipment needed to embark on research into diseases such as Ebola Virus, Lassa fever and coronavirus could cost as much as N36 million,” she said.
The don, who is the first female professor of Pharmacy at the University of Ibadan, also said, “When it comes to epidemics, Nigerians know how to take precautions. There is awareness in the country and people are taking their personal precautions.
“In terms of government input, government is doing its best. At the various airports, the government has set up various processes to detect the virus. Government is checking those who are coming into the country at the various ports of entries.”
But she said a lot still needed to be done in terms of drug discovery.
“In terms of drugs discovery, that is another cup of tea. For you to discover drugs and vaccines is not bread and butter. Many times, researches have been going on for years. To produce one medicine, it can take us 10 to 15 years. Although, we now have processes that can reduce drug discovery time.
“For us to discover these things, we need to empower research centres. Nigeria needs to inject money to ensure that scientists are working round the clock, testing different viruses so that if one comes up, we can easily detect it, to start with.
“But we should go beyond detection; as a pharmaceutical scientist, when you study the genetics of a disease, when you study the properties of a particular disease or disease agent, we should use it and target medicines, and molecules that can also kill it or cure it.
“We should go beyond diagnoses, we should also empower centres to be able to discover, design and develop drugs. These things take time.
“It will cost about 2 billion dollars to develop one medicine, so Nigeria needs to think seriously about this.”
Founded on January 22, 1995, THISDAY is published by THISDAY NEWSPAPERS LTD., 35 Creek Road Apapa, Lagos, Nigeria with offices in 36 states of Nigeria , the Federal Capital Territory and around the world. It is Nigeria’s most authoritative news media available on all platforms for the political, business, professional and diplomatic elite and broader middle classes while serving as the meeting point of new ideas, culture and technology for the aspirationals and millennials. The newspaper is a public trust dedicated to the pursuit of truth and reason covering a range of issues from breaking news to politics, business, the markets, the arts, sports and community to the crossroads of people and society.
Following the confirmation of a case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Lagos State Friday, Nigerians have expressed fears over the nature of spread of the disease, especially since the index case had contacts with some people in Lagos and Ogun State.
This is even as the virus has so far killed 2,873 persons, infected 83,654, and affected 47 countries, including Algeria and Egypt in Africa.
A Lagos resident and dentist, Tijani Kolawole, said although Lagos was one of the most technologically advanced state in the country, its population may play a role in the wild spread of the virus.
“My only concern is that the index case may have had contact with people, who may in turn spread it to others. Have you noticed how we clump ourselves into buses, Nigerians normally do not respect personal space, and it is a fast way to spread diseases like this. And compared with the heat, it will be easy to transmit this virus from human to human.”
An Uber driver, Joel Ugo, said with the level of spread of the virus, he may start wearing gloves and masks while plying his trade, noting that he was still presently shaken by the case in the country.
He said: “I can only hope it stops with the man that has been quarantined.”
A former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, called on Nigerians to be united as that was the only way to fight the outbreak.
In a message on his Twitter account, @realFFK, said: “Let us put our differences aside and stand as one to fight this evil plague called coronavirus that has afflicted our shores.
“The federal government must be proactive and we must do our part and pray. May God defend our people and protect our shores,” he said.
Another Twitter user, Victor Babatunde (@vhic_tore) called on Nigerians to stop making funny tweets about the outbreak, saying it was an important issue.
Meanwhile, the Lagos State government said it had commenced tracing of persons who have been in contact with the index confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state.
In a press briefing Friday, the Governor, Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the airline with which he flew into Nigeria February 25 had been contacted to provide details of travellers who sat close to the index case, so that they can be tracked and placed under surveillance for possible infection.
He said: “We have also contacted the company in Ogun State where he went to work on February 26. We have put the staff of the company who were in contact with him under surveillance.
“We will ensure everyone who have had contact with him is contacted and monitored.”
He called on Lagos residents to go about their normal business, noting that until it reaches the point of human-to-human spread, the state will not escalate the process it currently has in place.
Sanwo-Olu said the isolation centre in Yaba has the capacity to take in a minimum of 80 confirmed or suspected cases, adding that plans were being put in place to expand the facility to accommodate more people.
The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi said air travel was one of the commonest ways the virus could come into the country, adding that it has, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health beefed up surveillance at airports.
He also said: “For sea borders, it takes a minimum of three weeks for ships to enter Lagos from China. This means before it gets here, the occupants of the vessel must have manifested the symptoms.
“Land borders have longed been closed by the federal government, which means we need to intensify efforts at the borders.”
He said there was no point closing public institutions, as the thread has not reached that point. “We do not want to cause panic,” he added.
Sharing his thoughts in an interview on TVC Friday, the Deputy Governor, Lagos State Dr. Femi Hamzat, gave insight on how the index case, an Italian expatriate came into Nigeria.
He said: “The Italian came in from Milan on February 25. He had a consultant job in Ewekoro in Abeokuta where he spent all his February 26. He eventually fell ill, and the doctors who attended to him were smart enough to call us.
“We went there with an ambulance and then brought him to our isolation centre in Yaba. He was brought in yesterday morning, and within hours he was diagnosed. Testing tools normally take eight hours on the average, but ours worked faster than we expected; within four hours, he was diagnosed and confirmed to be infected.
He said at the moment the index case is the only person at the Yaba centre which can house almost 100 people, adding that he was hopeful other beds will not be occupied.
The Ogun State Government on Friday confirmed that the Italian infected by the Coronavirus visited Ewekoro, an industrial town in the state.
Addressing a press conference at the Oke-Mosan Governor’s Office in Abeokuta, the state’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, said the Italian who was infected with the Coronavirus disease came to Ewekoro from Lagos and had a short stay before returning to Lagos for medical attention.
He however dismissed speculations that many people had contracted the deadly virus in the state, insisting that Italian visit was brief.
THISDAY investigations revealed that the Italian is a consultant to a company in the locality.
The Health Commissioner said, “The state government has quarantined the location visited by the Italian in Ewekoro and so, Ogun residents should not panic.”
She, however, listed the symptoms of the Coronavirus disease to include illnesses such as the common cold, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS).
She advised anyone with the symptoms to go to the general hospital, as against visiting a private hospital or a herbal home, to enable the government track any patient identified with the disease.
Coker also advised members of the public “to keep at least five meters away from anyone found with cold or fever.”
She said the Ogun State Government already has an Infectious Centre at the Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital (OOUTH), Sagamu, for anyone diagnosed with the Coronavirus disease, but noted that the infected Italian is currently being treated at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) in Yaba, Lagos.
She urged members of the public in the state to call 0818897893 or 08188978393 to report any health emergency.
Meanwhile, one of Nigeria’s leading pharmacists, Prof (Mrs) Peace Chinedu-Babalola, has warned that precautionary method was most desired in keeping the widespread coronavirus away from Nigeria, noting that it could cost the federal government at least $2 billion (about N700 billion) to evolve any new medicine.
She gave the advice in Abeokuta while speaking with THISDAY, on the heels of her return from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she was presented with the Kwame Nkruma Award for Scientific Excellence, at an African Union (AU) summit which held in the country.
Chinedu-Babalola, who is the Vice-Chancellor of Chrisland University, Owode-Abeokuta, said finding cure for the coronavirus, which is the latest epidemic that has wiped off thousands of souls, especially in China, is capital intensive.
While commending the federal government for promising to release N36 million to aid research into killer diseases, she, however observed that in the face of lean resources, the government and the citizenry must take utmost precautions to prevent the disease from spreading to the country.
“This is because an equipment needed to embark on research into diseases such as Ebola Virus, Lassa fever and coronavirus could cost as much as N36 million,” she said.
The don, who is the first female professor of Pharmacy at the University of Ibadan, also said, “When it comes to epidemics, Nigerians know how to take precautions. There is awareness in the country and people are taking their personal precautions.
“In terms of government input, government is doing its best. At the various airports, the government has set up various processes to detect the virus. Government is checking those who are coming into the country at the various ports of entries.”
But she said a lot still needed to be done in terms of drug discovery.
“In terms of drugs discovery, that is another cup of tea. For you to discover drugs and vaccines is not bread and butter. Many times, researches have been going on for years. To produce one medicine, it can take us 10 to 15 years. Although, we now have processes that can reduce drug discovery time.
“For us to discover these things, we need to empower research centres. Nigeria needs to inject money to ensure that scientists are working round the clock, testing different viruses so that if one comes up, we can easily detect it, to start with.
“But we should go beyond detection; as a pharmaceutical scientist, when you study the genetics of a disease, when you study the properties of a particular disease or disease agent, we should use it and target medicines, and molecules that can also kill it or cure it.
“We should go beyond diagnoses, we should also empower centres to be able to discover, design and develop drugs. These things take time.
“It will cost about 2 billion dollars to develop one medicine, so Nigeria needs to think seriously about this.”
Italian Infected by Conronavirus Lodged in Lagos Hotel on Arrival, Visited Ogun
More details have emerged about the movement of the Italian infected by the coronavirus in Nigeria as Lagos State Governor Mr. Babajide Sanwo-olu confirmed on Friday that the man, whose identify he refused to disclose, spent a night in a hotel in Lagos before heading for a company in Ogun state where he worked with some people before the Coronavirus symptom manifested
Sanwo-Olu, has warned Lagosians not to panic following the confirmation of Coronavirus in Nigeria.
The governor who is the Chief Incident Commander on the COVID-19 virus in the state disclosed that even though the Italian on a business visit to Nigeria had been confirmed to have the virus, he was in stable condition at the Infectious Diseases Hospital (LDC), Yaba, where he has been quarantined.
He assured that there was no cause for alarm yet on the incident adding the government would do everything in its powers to contain it.
“He will remain in strict isolation,” says the governor, adding that the movements of the Italian from the moment he left his Turkish Airline flight to Nigeria is being traced to know all the people he came in contact with.
He assured that others who were in contact with him in Ogun state had been placed under watch.
“We are trying to identify anybody who has come in contact with him to break any spread,” Lagos State Commissioner of Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said.
“We are working to identify all the contacts of the patient, since he arrived in Nigeria. Please, be reminded that most people who become infected may experience only a mild illness and recover easily, but it can be more severe in others, particularly the elderly and persons with other underlying chronic illnesses. All Lagosians should take care of their health and maintain hand and respiratory hygiene to protect themselves and others, including their own families.”
He urged Lagosians to call the Lagos State Emergency hotlines 08023169485 or 08033565529 or 08052817243 which are available day and night if the suspect any symptom of the very contagious disease.
Coronavirus: FG Deploys Rapid Response Teams Across States
By Kuni Tyessi
The federal government says it has deployed rapid response teams across the country to ensure that Coronavirus doesn’t spread across the country.
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, stated this during a press briefing in Abuja on Friday following the confirmation of the first case of the virus in Lagos.
Asked how prepared the government was in ensuring the virus doesn’t escalate, the minister assured Nigerians of the preparedness of the government to tackle the viral disease, adding that there is no reason to panic.
“The Federal Ministry of Health, through Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, will continue to provide updates and will initiate all measures required to prevent the spread of any outbreak in Nigeria,” the minister said.
“The multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has immediately activated its national Emergency Operations Centre and will work closely with Lagos State Health authorities to respond to this case and implement firm control measures.
“I wish to assure all Nigerians that we have been beefing up our preparedness capabilities since the first confirmation of cases in China, and we will use all the resources made available by the government to respond to this case.”
Earlier speaking, Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of NCDC, stated that Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has deployed its rapid response teams in Lagos state and other parts of the country to manage the situation adequately.
As it stands, Nigeria becomes the third country to confirm the disease in Africa and the 52nd in the world.
The patient, an Italian citizen, was said to have entered Nigeria on February 25 from Milan, Italy on a business visit.
Over 80,000 cases of coronavirus have been recorded globally, out of which more than 33,000 people have recovered.
Ihekweazu said health facilities must remain on high alert and he assured Nigerians of their safety against COVID-19.
“The NDCD has escalated the multi-sectoral coronavirus preparedness group to an Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), at level II to lead response activities,” he said.
“The NCDC will continue to keep Nigerians informed. It is important for them to be focused on facts and not fear.
“Nigerians should protect themselves by staying calm, drink lots of water.” he added.
Lagos Begins Contact Tracing for Coronavirus
By Martins Ifijeh
The Lagos State government has commenced tracing of persons who have been in contact with the index confirmed case of Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the state.
In a press briefing Friday, the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said the airline with which he flew into Nigeria February 25 had been contacted to provide details of travellers who sat close to the index case, so that they can be tracked and placed under surveillance for possible infection.
He said: “We have also contacted the company in Ogun State where he went to work on February 26. We have put the staff of the company who were in contact with him under surveillance.
“We will ensure everyone who have had contact with him is contacted and monitored.”
He called on Lagos residents to go about their normal business, noting that until it reaches the point of human-to-human spread, the state will not escalate the process it currently has in place.
Sanwo-Olu said the isolation centre in Yaba has the capacity to take in a minimum of 80 confirmed or suspected cases, adding that plans were being put in place to expand the facility to accommodate more people.
The Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi said air travel was one of the commonest ways the virus could come into the country, adding that it has, in partnership with the Federal Ministry of Health beefed up surveillance at airports.
He also said: “For sea borders, it takes a minimum of three weeks for ships to enter Lagos from China. This means before it gets here, the occupants of the vessel must have manifested the symptoms.
“Land borders have longed been closed by the federal government, which means we need to intensify efforts at the borders.”
He said there was no point closing public institutions, as the thread has not reached that point. “We do not want to cause panic,” he added.
Italy’s Coronavirus Spread Up 50% in 24 Hours, Reports 650 Cases, 17 Deaths
Martins Ifijeh
Italy’s number of Coronavirus (COVID-19) cases spiked by more than 50 per cent in just 24 hours and now stands at 650 cases and 17 deaths, the Italian Ministry of Health says.
More than 400 of the cases are in the hard-hit Lombardy region, where some towns are under a lockdown.
The Commissioner for Coronavirus Emergency, Ministry of Health, Italy, Angelo Borrelli, said yesterday that nearly 250 of the people who were infected are currently in the hospital, including 56 patients who are in intensive care.
“Another 284 people who have been infected are in home isolation to try to stop the coronavirus from spreading further.
Table Showing All Cases, Deaths from Coronavirus (As of 9:53am, February 28, 2020)
Coronavirus: No Country Will Be Spared, WHO Warns
Considering the rapid global spread of Coronavirus, otherwise known as COVID-19, the Director General, World Health Organisation (WHO), Dr. Tedhros Ghebreyesus, has warned all countries to prepare for the outbreak of the deadly virus.
Speaking during its Thursday briefing, the WHO DG said with new infections reported around the world now surpassing those in mainland China, even rich countries should prepare for the outbreak.
“No country should assume it won’t get cases, that would be a fatal mistake, quite literally,” Tedros said, pointing to Italy, where 17 people have died in Europe’s worst outbreak.
Nigeria has become the third African nation to be affected by the outbreak, with the Italian index case said to be under isolation since Thursday night.
Clinical Trial of Coronavirus Vaccine Begins April, Says US Agency
By Martins Ifijeh
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) has said a United States biotech firm, Moderna, has developed an experimental vaccine against Coronavirus (COVID-19), which will be ready for first clinical trial in April.
In a statement by the Director, NIAID, Anthony Fauci, yesterday, the agency said the vaccine had been shipped to researchers just six weeks after it started working on the immunisation.
Fauci said the first batch of the COVID-19 vaccine called mRNA-1273, would be used in a planned phase 1 study in the US, which typically involves testing a vaccine on a small number of healthy humans.
He said the clinical trial could start by the end of April, and that this represents the first step in potentially making a vaccine available for use.
The Wall Street Journal, which was first to report the development, said that two doses of the vaccine would be tested on volunteers to see if it produces an immune response that protects against the virus.
Fauci told CNN that 45 people would participate in the trial.
“Even if the clinical trial is successful, further testing and regulatory approvals would be needed before the vaccine could be deployed widely,” he said.
Health officials and pharmaceutical companies around the world are working at a breakneck pace to identify treatments or a vaccine to help fight the coronavirus, which has infected more than 80,000 people around the world, and killed over 2800 persons.
Fauci previously told CNNthat researchers could expedite the approval process for a vaccine following a successful Phase 1 trial in an attempt to halt the spread of the virus.
But even when proceeding at an “emergency speed,” a vaccine would not be available for use for at least a year or 18 months, according to him.
Moderna is not the only drug company hoping to find an immunization for the virus.
Pharma giants, Johnson & Johnson and GlaxoSmithKline are working on vaccines, as are government scientists including some at NIAID.
While the experimental vaccine developed by Moderna remains unproven, the speed at which it was created represents a breakthrough. According to Moderna, the vaccine was developed within 42 days of the company obtaining genetic information on Coronavirus.
By comparison, it took researchers about 20 months to start human tests of the vaccine for SARS, an older Coronavirus, according to a journal paper written by Fauci.
First Case of Coronavirus Confirmed in Nigeria
The Federal Ministry of Health has confirmed a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case in Lagos State, Nigeria.
A statement issued by the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, in the early hours of Friday said the case, which was confirmed on February 27, was the first case to be reported in Nigeria since the beginning of the outbreak in China in January 2020.
The statement said, “the case is an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and returned from Milan, Italy to Lagos, Nigeria on the 25th of February 2020. He was confirmed by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control. The patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.”
Noting that the government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry of Health has been strengthening measures to ensure an outbreak in Nigeria is controlled and contained quickly, it said “the multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has immediately activated its national Emergency Operations Centre and will work closely with Lagos State Health authorities to respond to this case and implement firm control measures.”
The minister however reassured all Nigerians that government had been beefing up preparedness capabilities since the first confirmation of cases in China, and will use all the resources made available by the government to respond to the confirmed case.
Ehanire said Citizens must not abuse social media and indulge in spreading misinformation that causes fear and panic, adding that the Federal Ministry of Health, through Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, will continue to provide updates and will initiate all measures required to prevent the spread of any outbreak in Nigeria.
He further said, “We have already started working to identify all the contacts of the patient, since he entered Nigeria. Please be reminded that most people who become infected may experience only mild illness and recover easily, but it can be more severe in others, particularly the elderly and persons with other underlying chronic illness.”
With the confirmed case in Lagos, Nigeria becomes the third African country to record a case of the deadly virus. Egypt and Algeria had earlier reported cases of the virus in their countries.
The new coronavirus has spread to all the continents of the world except the Antarctica, with 82,000 cases in 48 countries. Italy, with the largest outbreak outside Asia, has 650 cases as of Thursday night – up from 400 a day earlier – with 17 deaths. China however remains the worst hit with 78,000 cases and 2,747 deaths. 32,531 of those infected by the virus have recovered so far.
The minister urged all Nigerians to take care of their health and maintain hand and respiratory hygiene to protect themselves and others, including their own families, following the precautions below:
1. Regularly and thoroughly wash your hands with soap and water, and use alcohol-based hand sanitiser.
2. Maintain at least 1 & half metres (5 feet) distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
3. Persons with persistent cough or sneezing should stay home or keep a social distance, but not mix in crowd.
4. Make sure you and people around you, follow good respiratory hygiene, meaning cover your mouth and nose with a tissue or into your sleeve at the bent elbow or tissue when you cough or sneeze. Then dispose of the used tissue immediately.
5. Stay home if you feel unwell with symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. Please call NCDC toll free number which is available day and night, for guidance- 0800-970000-10. Do not engage in self-medication
6. Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19 through official channels on TV and Radio, including the Lagos State Ministry of Health, NCDC and Federal Ministry of Health.
THURSDAY February 27, 2020
Iran’s VP Infected by Coronavirus, Saudi Arabia Halts Travel to Mecca, Medina
Vice President of Iran for Women and Family Affairs, Masoumeh Ebtekar, has tested positive to the coronavirus, according to a report on Aljazera.
Iranian officials had on Tuesday confirmed that Deputy Health Minister Iraj Harirchi had tested positive to the virus and was under quarantine.
The report said Ebtekar was the English-language spokeswoman for the 1979 hostage-takers who seized the US embassy in Tehran and sparked the 444-day diplomatic crisis.
The country’s health ministry said the new coronavirus had killed 26 people while there are 245 confirmed cases.
As part of steps taken to halt the spread of the virus, the report said Iran had cancelled Friday prayers in the capital, Tehran, and around the country.
Iran has also banned Chinese citizens from entering the country.
With more than 220 confirmed cases of the virus in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia has halted travel to its holiest sites months ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage.
The new coronavirus has spread to all the continents of the world except the Antarctica, with 82,000 cases in 48 countries. China however remains the worst hit with 78,000 cases and 2,747 deaths. 32,531 of those infected by the virus have recovered so far.
Meanwhile,the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has stated that 11 persons have so far tested negative to Coronavirus (COVID-19) in Nigeria.
The Director General, NCDC, Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, who confirmed this to journalists in Abuja Thursday, said the tests were conducted by the NCDC National Reference Laboratory and Virology Laboratory at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), and that Nigeria was free from the virus.
He said: “Four laboratories in Nigeria have the capacity to test for the coronavirus. These laboratories are within the NCDC laboratory network and are open 24/7. If a new case is confirmed, it will be reported accordingly.
“We are in close communication with the Lagos State Ministry of Health and other states, and will inform the public once there is a confirmed case in the country.”
Ihekweazu, who said the centre will continue to monitor the outbreak globally, urge Nigerians to disregard rumours over spread of the virus.
He said when a high-risk traveller with symptoms arrives in the country, the person would be taken from the airport to an isolation centre and samples would be collected immediately for testing.
“If confirmed, appropriate management will commence, but if negative, the person would still be monitored for 14 days and retested.
“When a high-risk traveller that is not symptomatic comes into the country, the person is advised to stay at home for 14 days and report immediately if he/she develops symptoms. We also ensure we collect contact details of the person while an official is attached to the person to monitor him/her daily for 14 days.
“If the person develops symptoms within 14 days of arrival in the country, samples would be collected for confirmation. If confirmed, the person goes into our isolation centre where he would be managed appropriately,” he said.
Ihekweazu described a high-risk traveller as someone who has had contact with a confirmed COVID-19 case or was travelling from China, particularly Wuhan.
While calling on Nigerians not to panic, he said that the Chinese authorities have intensified measures to prevent the exportation of COVID-19 such as screening travellers leaving China.
“In Nigeria, the NCDC conducts daily epidemic intelligence gathering to monitor the spread of the outbreak,” he said.
