An 80-bed isolation facility has been made ready in Lagos, as part of measures to contain the deadly Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the event of possible spread of the disease beyond the first index case already recorded in Nigeria.
Lagos, Abuja, Kano and other cities where international flights touchdown are also placed on special surveillance, just as details of persons arriving from abroad are being collated at the airports. This is to enable the government track such persons and those who may have had contact with them in the event they fall sick or develop symptoms of Coronavirus.
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, alongside his commissioner for health, Akin Abayomi, while giving an update on the first index case (an Italian citizen), said aside the 80-bed facility, two test centres, one at Yaba and another at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) have also been designated in collaboration with the Federal Government.
Health officers have been deployed in the 20 local government areas and 37 local council development areas to monitor and escalate any suspicious case to the state level.
While urging the citizens not to panic but take preventive health measures, including keeping a social distance from persons with consistent cough, the government assured that the index case which is being handled clinically at the Yaba isolation centre, is stable.
Giving details of how the Italian arrived Nigeria, the commissioner for health, Abayomi said the patient, who had a business transaction with an Ogun State based company, arrived in Nigeria onboard a Turkish Airline on February 25, 2020.
“The case is an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on the February 25 from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit.
“The patient, a traveler started his journey from Milan on Monday, February 24. He transmitted through Istanbul onboard a Turkish Airline and arrived in Lagos on Tuesday night, and spent the night in a hotel near the airport. And on Tuesday morning, he moved on to his business in Ogun State, a corporate entity. He carried out his business within Ogun State within the confine of the company. And on Wednesday he spent the night in their accommodation, a guest house,” said Abayomi.
The commissioner further narrated that by the patient fell ill while in the guest house in Ogun State, and eventually developed symptoms of high fever and body pains, and was taken to company’s medical facility, where the investigation began.
“It was astute of the medical personnel to keep him overnight in an isolated environment. They contacted us at the bio-security unit in Lagos for assistance and we immediately asked them to transfer the case to Lagos,” said the commissioner.
Upon arriving at Lagos containment facility at Yaba on Thursday, February 27, appropriate tests were ordered and within hours, signals were received that the test in the laboratory was showing signs of positivity.
“As of now, we have started to trace the movement from the airport through Lagos to Ogun State. And we are busy identifying any possible person that may have come in contact with him so that we can start our isolation and containment exercise to ensure we break the circle of transmission,” said Abayomi.
The commissioner added that the state government was in constant contact with the National Centre for Disease Control and the minister of health and exchanging information.
He urged the public to watch for the following as symptoms of COVID-19 patient: Running nose, headache, dry cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, sore throat, fever, Kidney failure, feeling of being unwell.
“Symptoms are more severe and fatality is higher in persons that have medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, or diseases that impair the immune systems.
“For those with a weakened immune system, the elderly and the very young, there is a chance the virus could cause a lower, and much more serious respiratory tract illness like pneumonia or bronchitis,” he added, and urged the public to call the following emergency hotlines 08023169485 or 08033565529 or 08052817243 which are available day and night.
JOSHUA BASSEY
