The World Health Organization, WHO, has warned that except by exception hygiene culture such as hand-washing, the novel coronavirus can be transmitted by having contacts with surfaces and objects like telephones, tables and desks that have been contaminated by as little as a drop of infected fluid.
According to WHO, a person can be infected by the disease by inhaling droplets of cough from another person standing within one or two meters away.
WHO said;
“People could catch COVID-19 by touching contaminated surfaces or objects and then touching their eyes, nose or mouth. If they are standing within 1 or 2 meters of a person with COVID-19 they can catch it by breathing in droplets coughed out or exhaled by them.
“In other words, COVID-19 spreads in a similar way to flu. Most persons infected with COVID-19 experience mild symptoms and recover. However, some go on to experience more serious illness and may require hospital care.
READ ALSO: Osinbajo, NEC Approves Two Months Forensic Audit of DisCos
Recall that The Herald reported that the first case of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has been confirmed by Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, in Lagos State, Nigeria. Ehanire confirmed the case in a statement issued in the early hours of Friday, February 28.
The statement read: “The case involves an Italian citizen who works in Nigeria and just returned from Milan, Italy on the 25th of February 2020.”
The Italian citizen was confirmed to be positive by the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
The minister, however, noted that the patient is clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
Reports claim that the Italian confirmed to have been infected with Coronavirus had also visited Ewekoro in Ewekoro local government area of Ogun state this week.
The Herald gathered that Ogun state commissioner for health, Tomi Coker, made this known on Friday, February 28. Coker said that the facility visited by the Italian has been quarantined in accordance with the health safety standard.