The Federal Government disclosed on Monday that despite the fact that coronavirus disease otherwise referred to as Covid-19 is yet to claim any life in Nigeria, the country was still at very high risk to it.like other countries.
”We continue to monitor returning travelers that fit our case definition and improve our surveillance, detection and risk communications.
”Following the declaration of a pandemic and increasing spread in countries, we carried out a review of our case definition’’.
While advising Nigerians against being complacent, the minister warned that the pandemic disease, ‘Coronavirus’ is dangerous than most people think. Mamora added that ‘our gene’ does not resist the disease, owing to speculations that black man’s gene resists the virus.
“We must be conscious of not being complacent; the price to pay for complacency is huge. I have heard people say that the black man’s gene is resistant and so COVID-19 is not for us.
“Don’t forget, some black men even from Africa, even from Nigeria have died, unfortunately. We heard the story of one doctor who lived in Italy, a Nigerian, a black man.
“So we should not get carried away. There are a lot of things known about COVID-19 and there are still things unknown. We have to be very careful about believing claims that are yet to be fully validated’’, Mamora warned.
While explaining that the index case was not only clinically stable and had improved greatly, the minister said that between January 7 and 15 of March 2020, a total of 48 people who met our case definition have been screened for COVlD-19 in eight states–Edo, Lagos, Ogun, FCT, Yobe, Rivers, Kano and Enugu.
He said that out of the number, 47 tested negative and have been cleared, one was positive (contact of the index case) and one result is pending. There has been no death.
“In Enugu, a woman in her 705 returned from the UK and had symptoms of fever and mild respiratory illness. Her sample was collected for laboratory diagnosis and tested negative for COVlD-19. Therefore, as at March 15, 2020, Nigeria has recorded two confirmed cases of COVlD19.
”The multi-sectoral Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by NCDC continues to coordinate national response activities.
“NCDC has launched a new website focused only on COVID-19. The website is updated daily and has all the information needed including daily situation reports, guidance for schools, guidance for health workers and more,” he added.
Mamora added that officials will continue to monitor returning travelers that fit its case definition and improve our surveillance, detection and risk communications.
”We continue to monitor returning travelers that fit our case definition and improve our surveillance, detection and risk communications.
“We have added three new countries to the existing list of five high-risk countries with widespread community transmission.
“These are France, Germany and Spain. Therefore, eight countries are in our priority list China, Japan, Iran, Italy, Republic of Korea, France and Germany.
“Travelers from these eight countries will undertake secondary screening at the point of entry.
They are also advised to self-isolate for 14 days on entry. It would be recalled that China, Japan, Iran, Italy, Republic Republic of Korea are already in the government’s existing priority list.
source: Daily Times
