Osagie Ehanire, Nigeria’s minister for health has again called on Nigerians to avoid panic and remain calm, stating that all suspected cases including the four quarantined Chinese have tested negative for Coronavirus since the first confirmation of the virus in the country.
Ehanire while briefing newsmen on Monday in Abuja said about 14 tests have been carried out and the results were negative. He also said the four Chinese that were quarantined in plateau State tested negative at the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) Reference Laboratory in Abuja, but are under careful supervision.
Ehanire also reassured that government is working to track 156 passengers in the flight that brought the index case. He said currently, the contact of the index cases identified are 19 in Lagos, and 39 in Ogun state.
“As at the first of march there is no new confirmed case in Nigeria, we are in touch with these contacts who are under supervised self isolation and the states have provided them with temperature monitoring tools.
“We will continue to monitor the global situation with cases spreading quickly in countries as they are doing now,” the minister said.
He added, “It is important for Nigerians to focus on the facts and not on fear and not to generate panic, citizens must not abuse social media and not indulge in spreading misinformation that causes fear.
Godsgift Onyedinefu, Abuja
