11 of 20 COVID-19 patients discharged by Lagos State govt
FG decry fake news on Task Force activities
Germany donates €5.5m to Nigeria for humanitarian services
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) on Thursday evening said that the country has 10 new confirmed cases of Coronavirus (COVID-19) just as 20 of the virus patients have been discharged.
According to the NCDC, “Ten new cases of #COVID19 have been reported in Nigeria; 7 in Lagos and 3 in the FCT. As at 08:00 pm 2nd April there are 184 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria. Twenty have been discharged with two deaths.”
With the 10 new figures, Lagos now has 98 cases, FCT – 38, Osun – 14, Oyo – 8, Akwa Ibom – 5, Ogun – 4, Edo – 4, Kaduna – 4, Bauchi – 3, Enugu – 2, Ekiti – 2 and Rivers and Benue with one each.
Eleven of the 20 patients discharged were released by Lagos State government.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Lagos State announced this Thursday evening via his Twitter handle @jidesanwoolu.
The Tweet reads: “I am happy to break to you, my good people of Lagos, the news of the release today of 11 more patients from our facility in Yaba. They have fully recovered and have tested negative to #COVID19 and have been allowed to return home to their families. The patients include two females and nine males. Their results came out negative in two rounds of tests.
“I want to use this opportunity to, once again, thank our frontline health workers and other professionals for their service. Let me reiterate that this is not the time to relax, but to maintain our vigilance because of the community infection that we are beginning to see. I assure you that at the end, we will hoist a flag of victory – with your cooperation and by the grace of the Almighty.”
This is just as the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 pandemic is intensifying consultations with the 36 State governments towards a better coordination in the fight against the virus.
The federal government also urged all the 36 State governments to prepare facilities of at least 300 persons capacity in anticipation of a surge in the spread of the disease.
Chairman of the Task Force and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, warned that most of the very harsh measures that have been introduced might be amplified if the spread is not halted, noted that COVID-19, beyond posing a potential threat to humanity, is a threat to both the economy and national security of Nigeria.
But the Task Force said that fake news is a major distraction to its work.
Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, while debunking the news making round that the donations from Chinese billionaire, Mr Jack Ma was infected with the virus, said that “this is quite unhelpful. It was trending on the social media that the equipment that we received from China, from Jack Ma, have all been infected with virus. This is not true. Also, I was quoted yesterday (Wednesday) to have said that the PTF had distributed N5 billion to the most vulnerable people in the last 24 hours. That also is not correct.”
Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has said Nigerians should be prepared for more confirmed cases of COVID-19 as contact tracing and testing capacity are being ramped up.
He also announced that a local firm, “TradeInvestNG to see how we can quickly scale up domestic production of essential items like masks etc.”
National Coordinator of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Dr. Sani Aliyu, on his part clarified on the opening of markets in the lockdown states of Lagos, Ogun and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
According to him, only neigbourhood markets and shops will be allowed to open every other day between 10am to 2pm and they must be stores selling food, pharmaceuticals and perishable items.
He stated that main and open markets remain closed.
However, all the neighborhood markets shops allowed to open must ensure that they comply with the following: Avoid mass gatherings; Make hand sanitizers available; Ensure temperature measurement of customers and that regular inspections will be carried out, defaulters will be shut.
Director-General of National Center for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, on his part said 71 percent of all the 5,000 to 6,000 contacts tracing have been reached.
Said Ihekweazu, “Lagos has been transformational in this area. Tracing Teams have been able to take advantage of the restrictions to move very quickly in Lagos to reach all those listed.”
Meanwhile, the German Mission in Nigeria has pledged €5.5m to the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, says the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Nigeria announcing on its Twitterhandle, @OCHANigeria, said the donation by Germany would help vulnerable persons in Nigeria have access to potable water, food and shelter amidst the crisis.
UNOCHA Nigeria tweeted, “Germany pledges €5.5m to the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund. It’s more critical than ever for vulnerable people to have access to clean water, food & shelter. This will enable partners to continue delivering life-saving aid amidst COVID-19.”