The Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire has disclosed that the federal government has begun an intense contact tracing of British Airways passengers who were aboard the same flight as Coronavirus patient.
He made the disclosure in a Press briefing after Nigeria recorded her third confirmed case of the deadly virus.
“The stringent surveillance efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) have identified a new case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) within our borders, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to three.
“The latest case is a Nigerian national in her 30s, who returned from a short visit to the United Kingdom on March 13th.
“Fortunately, she decided, upon returning home, to go into a 14 day self-isolation, but subsequently developed symptoms of fever and cough on March 16th, at which point she voluntarily called the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) toll-free call line, to report her condition.
“Officials from the Lagos State Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) were immediately dispatched to her home to collect samples, which upon testing came out positive for the coronavirus.
“The lady is currently at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba, where she has remained clinically stable and is responding to treatment”.
“Intensive contact tracing has begun, to help identify all persons who the patient has been in contact with since her return. We expect the number to be small, because of her sensible decision to go into self-isolation from the time of her arrival. We commend her for following the recommended guidelines to the letter.
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“The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) will continue to assess the situation and adjust response accordingly. The inaugural meeting of the Presidential Taskforce on Coronavirus will hold later today.
“With regard to banning flights into Nigeria or social activities and festivals, I will provide an update after the deliberations of the Inter-Ministerial meeting of the Presidential Taskforce on Coronavirus, scheduled for later today, headed by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation.
“The Federal Government of Nigeria will make further announcements later today. The Federal Ministry of Health continues to carry out the necessary risk assessments on a daily basis. The National Emergency Operations Centre and partners will work with Lagos State Health authorities in their response.
“It is important to note that many people who are infected with coronavirus will experience only mild symptoms and recover without incident. Of great concern are those with existing underlying medical conditions and senior citizens, who are known to be more vulnerable. We strongly advise these citizens to stay more at home”.