Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Professor Akin Abayomi, has confirmed that the Coronavirus Index case in Nigeria will repeat the test for the disease by Tuesday.
Professor Abayomi, while giving an update on the index, said, “We will keep him for another two or three days and repeat the test to make sure that there are no more virus particles in his saliva and that means that he will not be contagious. Then, we give the OK for him to be released back into the community.”
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AIT gathered that if the Italian Coronavirus patient tests negative with the repeat test, Nigeria will become Coronavirus free hence there is no other positive case under treatment. Reports say all those so far quarantined in Lagos, Ogun, Plateau and Cross River States have not shown signs of the virus or tested positive
The Commissioner debunked the news making the rounds that the index case tried to escape from the hospital. He said the patient has never expressed any desire to leave the facility to the doctors and nurses who look after him.
The Commissioner said he has spoken with the Italian Coronavirus patient and that he was doing very well.
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He noted that the patient was initially kept in a single isolation room for his privacy when he was brought in because part of the facilities at the Mainland Hospital were being renovated, and the patient has been moved to one of the newly renovated wards.
As at the time of this report, the Commissioner said his condition has improved, he hasn’t developed new symptoms but still had a mild fever.
Also responding to the news of an Uber driver who had contact with the index case and reported to have gone at large, Abayomi described the news as fake and untrue stressing that nothing of such happened.
While restating that the State Government is prepared to contain and break the circle of transmission of the virus, he explained that the Lagos State Government has been building capacity for any biosecurity threats to Lagos since the Ebola virus incident of 2014.
The Commissioner disclosed that the reformation plan for the Mainland Hospital is a step by step process but very advanced adding that new facilities are being designed for the hospital with the ultimate goal of making it a centre of excellence for infectious diseases with a large capacity for isolating patients if there is any major outbreak.
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Meanwhile, it appears all operations relating to the Coronavirus outbreak in Lagos State have been moved to the containment facility at the Lagos Mainland Hospital where the Index case in Nigeria is isolated for treatment.
Latest reports show that all media briefings and meetings on the outbreak are exclusively held at the facility where the Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also chairs a stakeholders meeting of the Coronavirus Responds Team.
The meeting on Sunday also had in attendance, the State Deputy Governor and the Commissioner for Health. Others present are security personnel and health workers who are part of the Responds Team.
Governor Sanwo-Olu commended the Lagos State Response Team with the assurance of continued support from the State Government.
