Despite panic amongst Nigerians, the federal government has revealed that it is faced with challenges in tracking other passengers on onboard the Turkish Airlines with the Italian who came into the country with the coronavirus on the 25th of February 2020.
“It’s a wide range of investigation that is done, and it is done by experts and we have been able to identify 19 who are already under observation in Lagos, 39 in Ogun state and counting. We cannot give a fixed figure because it’s a continuous process; it’s a work in progress. But the only one we know for sure is the number of people who were in the aircraft with him, 156. And those are being tracked; we are talking to them and getting cooperation. There have been a few challenges, that some people gave telephone numbers that dint work, or numbers that were said to be switched off. Some of them probably don’t have telephones or are new arrivals in Nigeria and not just registered with any phone company, they do not have any phone number.” Minister for health, Osagie Ehanire said
On February 28, 2020, the Federal Ministry of Health announced the first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Nigeria. The index case is an Italian businessman, who arrived in Nigeria from Milan, Italy.
Despite best efforts to isolate and treat the index case, Minister of health, Osagie Ehanire revealed why it may be difficult to contain the virus if Nigeria experiences an outbreak.
“The present assumption is that even the majority of people who have contracted coronavirus infection do not have symptoms or have only mild symptoms in such a way that they don’t even diagnose it, so that is a blessing that you have people that you do not treat, it is also a problem that these people can be infectious. That they don’t know that they are sick but they can be infectious, they can transmit to those who probably do not have immunity and they do not fall ill because they have immunity and it is not easy to determine who has or does not have immunity.”
However, the federal government insists that it is taking necessary precautions on case by case bases, as the need arises.
@Fmohnigeria, Minister, @OsagieEhanire Gives Update on Coronavirus#Cureforcoronavirus #Covid_19 #coronavirusnigeria #coronavirusinlagos pic.twitter.com/c6qOoZtGEN
— RootsTv (@rootstvnigeria) March 2, 2020
Although the video of the fleeing infected taxi driver who drove the Italian emerged on social media, where he said it is fake news, yet the minister says the man in the video has been placed under observation.
“I didn’t see the taxi driver but he has been identified, he is under observation. He is going to be monitored for the next 14 days.” Ehanire said
Ehanire also revealed that the scare of the virus in Plateau state through the Nnamdi Azikiwe Airport, Abuja has been dispelled.
“Plateau state government reported four suspect cases amongst Chinese nationals on the 29th of February. None of these cases have any symptoms, they have all being tested at the Nigerian center for disease control reference laboratory and they are all negative for coronavirus infection.”
Remember you can prevent the spread of the coronavirus by:
– Washing your hands frequently with soap under running water or use an alcohol-based sanitizer.
– Cover your mouth and nose properly with a tissue paper when sneezing and/or coughing or cough into your elbow if a tissue is not available.
– Avoid close contact with anyone showing symptoms of respiratory illness such as coughing and sneezing.
– Healthcare workers are always advised to observe standard infection prevention and control measures when attending to patients and take a travel history.
If travelers from countries with ongoing confirmation of the COVID-19 fell ill with fever, cough or difficulty breathing within 14 days of arrival in Nigeria, please:
– “Observe self-isolation immediately by staying indoors and avoiding contact with people.
– “Call the NCDC 24/7 toll-free line IMMEDIATELY on 080097000010,”
