State Governments and the Federal Capital Territory Administration (FCTA) in Abuja are ramping up activities to check the escalation of the dreaded Coronavirus, as figures continue an upward climb that is sending jitters across the country.
Knowledgeable sources fear that figures may be higher than what is being projected.
On its Twitter handle, the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) reports that three new cases of #COVID19 have been confirmed in Lagos, Nigeria.
It adds, “Two cases are returning travellers and 1 is a contact of a confirmed case.
“As at 05:28 pm on the 22nd of March, there are 30 confirmed cases of #COVID19 in Nigeria. Two have been discharged with no deaths.”
In Abuja, a highbrow estate has effected what amounted to a lockdown following the discovery of a resident with the disease. It has restricted children to their homes, while other estates followed suit with measures to protect residents.
In Oyo State, the Task Force on COVID-19
confirmed that the test for the suspected case at Bodija came back POSITIVE. The result was released at 17:35 PM of March 21, 2020.
Information said the Oyo State Public Health Officials are collaborating with the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan’s team on the case.
A follow up on the Ekiti COVID-19 case revealed that the American who died was picked up directly from Lagos Airport to a private apartment in Ona Ara Local Government Area.
The Health Authorities have contacted the family concerned and the community has been alerted for intensified contact tracing and self-isolation of identified close contacts.
The information given that he stayed in some hotels in Ibadan has been found to be false.
Another returnee from Texas, USA, has also been identified at Oluyole Local Government Area. She has been kept in self-isolation with close monitoring by the State Epidemiological Team. All recent returnees are again urged to identify themselves to Ministry Officials and self-isolate for 14 days.
The state government says it has released funds for:
a. Activation of Emergency Operation Centre at the Ministry of Health.
b. Establishment of Diagnostic Centre for screening of Coronavirus and other related infectious diseases to be stationed at the UCH, Ibadan.
c. Equipping of the newly designated Oyo State Infectious Disease Centre at Olodo that has the capacity for over 100 cases.
Oyo State Ministry of Health Helplines: 08038210122/ 08023229267/ 08073431342.
Meanwhile in Abuja, the FCT Minister, Malam Muhammad Musa Bello Sunday inaugurated an Emergency Response Team, according to a statement by his spokesman, Abubakar Sani.
Bello explained that the primary responsibility of the team is to confront the disease in all ramifications and curtail its spread.
Recall that the three cases of the Coronavirus were recorded in the FCT yesterday while the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) also announced a new confirmed case today.
Bello, who was represented at the event by the Acting Secretary of the Health and Human Services Secretariat, Dr. Kawu Mohammed said the response team has seven major pillars to address specific areas while a central coordinating committee would oversee the overall affairs of the team.
The teams include: Infection Prevention and Control; Epidemiology, Survelance and Point of Entry as well as Laboratory.
Others are Risk Communication and Social Mobilization; Case Management as well as Health Safety and Welfare.
Each of the teams are to be chaired by relevant professionals.
The Minister charged members of the response team to bring their experiences and professionalism to bear in attending to the confirmed cases and also deligently tracking all suspects until the the FCT is declared free of the pandemic.
He said so far thirty (39) cases were reported and tested in the FCT while four were confimed to be positive.
Also, in its determined effort to stop the spread of the virus, the Oyo State Task Force on COVID-19 has activated emergency Operating Centres (EOCs) in the State.
The Task Force headed by the State governor, Engineer Seyi Makinde also on Sunday named Dr. Taiwo Ladipo of the Ministry of Health as the Incident Manager in charge of the Operating Centres.
In addition, a five-member committee of experts has been approved to act as sub-committee for the EOCs.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Seyi Makinde, Mr. Taiwo Adisa, confirmed the above as some of the decisions reached at the second meeting of the COVID-19 Task Force held at the Government House, Agodi, Ibadan, on Sunday.
The statement also quoted the State’s Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bashir Bello, as affirming the release of two dedicated lines to coordinate COVID-19 related emergencies.
The numbers are: 08095394000 and 08095863000.
The statement also confirmed that Dr. Bello, in a brief submitted to the Task Force indicated that the EOCs started 24-hour operations on Sunday, March 22, 2020.
According to Dr. Bello, the State Surveillance Team is directly following up the suspected corona virus case in the state.
The suspect was said to have recently arrived Oluyole, Ibadan, from the United States of America.
“It must be noted that she arrived in Nigeria on the 8th of March and today 22nd of March is her 14th day post arrival, which has thus completed the isolation period,” the statement read.
The statement re-emphasised the need for the people of Oyo State to observe standard procedures of engagement at this time by maintaining social distance, regular hand washing and use of sanitisers.
The statement further read: “We also encourage Nigerians returning from COVID-19 affected countries to maintain the globally accepted protocol by self-isolating for 14 days and reporting any untoward conditions to the State medical personnel.
“Let us also use this opportunity to reaffirm that all schools are to remain closed till after the Easter holidays and until the State re-evaluates the situation on ground.”