• 3 Chinese isolated in Plateau
• Stores run out of face masks, sanitisers in Abuja, Lagos
• Italian Improves, Being Monitored
• Ogun contacts rise to 39
• Checks increase at entry points

More people have been quarantined in Lagos and Ogun states while three Chinese nationals were yesterday isolated in Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State to check spread of the Coronavirus in the country, amid intensified screening at entry points after the first case of the disease was recorded in the country through an Italian.

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, while addressing journalists yesterday, said though he could not give the actual number of those quarantined, the number was increasing.

He said government had moved the Italian national who tested positive to Coronavirus to a new facility to continue his treatment, following reports that he attempted to leave the isolation centre due to its poor state. Abayomi said the patient’s condition had improved and he would be continuously monitored. He admitted that he was initially kept in a single room but had now been moved to a better facility.

“The patient is now comfortable and his condition has improved. As of this morning, his condition has improved, he hasn’t developed any new symptoms, but he still got fever,” the commissioner said.

“As soon as we get a negative screening, we will keep him for another two to three days and repeat the test to make sure that there is no more virus concentration in his saliva, and that means he will now be non-contagious,” he added.

After being confirmed to be free of the virus, he  would be released back into the society, he said, adding that people at the factory, hotel and the airline where the Italian visited had been contacted and others had been quarantined.

Similarly, the Plateau State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Nimkong Ndam, told Daily Trust  on Sunday that three Chinese were suspected to be infected with the disease after arriving the state Thursday from Ethiopia for mining activities.

“When they arrived the mining site, their colleagues didn’t agree to stay with them for fear of contacting the disease before they arrived the state. So, they are like suspects now but we have isolated them at a centre for proper investigation and monitoring by the healthworkers who have been sent to the area since Friday. They will remain isolated at the centre until after two weeks,” the commissioner said.

He noted that the state government had already provided two isolated wards in Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH) and Plateau Specialist Hospital for any person tests positive to the disease.

Rapid response team deployed to Lagos, Ogun

Meanwhile, a national rapid response team has been deployed to support Lagos and Ogun State governments with contact tracing and required response activities, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) disclosed in its advisory to the public yesterday.

The NCDC said currently, there are four laboratories in its molecular laboratory network, with the capacity to test for COVID-19 in Nigeria.

Mad rush for sanitizers, face masks as stores run out of stock

The confirmation of the virus in the country has sent many Nigerians, especially those in Abuja and Lagos, into panic buying of face masks and hand sanitisers. At the Sahad Stores in Abuja, Daily Trust learnt that as at 9 am on Friday, they had a stock of 15 cartons of face masks but by 9pm, it ran out. A visit to another store at Lokogoma area showed that customers cleared it in large quantities.

Mr. Nicholas Nwabueze, the manager at Family Wellness Pharmacy and Stores, said the sale of  sanitizers and face masks had tripled since Friday. A hand sanitizer sold for N500 before Friday, but now goes for N1500 while a face mask that cost N50 a few days ago is now N150.

Destiny James, a sales representative at SS1B Super Mart, said they had run out of hand sanitizers and face masks, adding that the high demand cleared their shelves.

Sidikat Naziru, a pharmacist at Medtibb Pharmaceuticals, disclosed that the sale of hand sanitizer and face masks had increased tremendously.

“A packet of face masks we used to sell for N450 is now N4000 and a hand sanitizer of N500 is now N2,500. In fact, we have deliberately refused to re-stock our store because the prices are outrageous. Instead of quarrelling with our customers over hike in prices, we simply tell them that it’s out of stock,” she said.

Reports from Lagos said there has been a serious increase in the demand for the two items. Many stores in Ikeja and nearby communities did not have them in stock as at yesterday.

Italian contacts now 39, as company denies shut down  

The number of contacts identified and quarantined in connection with the Italian at Lafarge Africa PLC factory in Ewekoro, Ogun State has risen from 28 to 39, the cement company’s Industrial Director, Segun Soyoye, disclosed yesterday.

Soyoye said Lafarge had not shut down its production lines contrary to media reports.

He spoke at the Lafarge facility in Ewekoro during as assessment by Ogun State government officials, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and World Health Organisation (WHO).

Soyoye said the Italian came to Lafarge to inspect some installations of machines bought from a Swedish firm. He said all the 39 contacts had been quarantined at the isolation centres in the facility where they were expected to spend 14 days.

He said, “The contacts are now 39 and we have quarantined them. We don’t take chances, that is why they were put there. Today is Day 3, they will be there for 14 days, we will continue to observe them, we have their database, showing their bio-data and other information. The doctor is here and what he is doing is to check them on a regular basis, so far everybody is stable, they are not symptomatic, we are providing everything for them over there,” he said.

Meanwhile, the state government has denied reports that a taxi driver who took the Italian from Lagos to Ewekoro had escaped.

Reports had gone viral on social media that the driver had demanded N100million, threatening to spread the virus, if not paid.

A statement from the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Kunle Somorin, denied the reports, saying there was no reason to panic, adding that the situation was being controlled and contained.

Catholic Church modifies worship over virus 

To prevent the spread of Coronavirus in Lagos, the Catholic Church has approved new worship directives.

The Catholic Archbishop of Lagos, Alfred Martins, who issued the new worship directives, stressed that the measures which affect the church doctrines, became imperative to save members from contracting and spreading the virus in Lagos.

In a statement, he described the virus as a plague. Part of the measures includes stopping handshakes during mass as a sign of peace which he said would no longer be allowed for the time being.

“During this season of Lent, in order to reduce the number of gatherings in church to the barest necessary, we encourage people to do Stations of the Cross privately on Wednesdays while public celebrations will take place only on Fridays, especially as it is often followed by mass,” he added.

According to him, receiving of the Holy Communion in the mouth will no longer be accepted but each member would be given on their palms. The church also encouraged members to ensure constant use of sanitisers.

The archbishop further directed that priests should suspend the use of Holy Water fonts in churches till further notice.

Avoid fake news, Saraki cautions 

A former Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, has cautioned Nigerians against spreading sensational or false information about the coronavirus.

Saraki, in a Twitter message, also urged the federal government to install top of the line screening equipment at Nigeria’s entry ports and implement a policy of stronger screening of people arriving the country from places with high prevalence of the virus.

He appealed to the Federal Ministry of Health and the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control to step up awareness campaigns by transmitting information about the disease and steps to prevent it in as many Nigerian languages as possible.

Kaduna sets up emergency centre

The Kaduna State government has constituted an Emergency Operational Centre (EOC) to combat spread of the virus.

A statement from the Ministry for Health said yesterday that a committee would be chaired by the Commissioner, Dr. Amina Mohammed Baloni, to respond quickly in the event of an outbreak of the disease in the state.

The statement advised the public to observe  preventive measures as advised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

Checks on at Abuja airport

Checks at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja yesterday showed that normal screening of passengers was going on.

Passengers said screening was in progress and hand sanitisers were placed strategically at the airport for users.  But a worker under condition of anonymity said he hadn’t noticed any new screening equipment at the airport.

He also said he’s not aware of a special quarantine facility at the airport.

Attempts to get further details from the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria (FAAN) spokesperson for the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport Abuja, Mrs. Hope Ivbaze, were futile as she didn’t pick her calls at press time.

Port Harcourt airport on red alert

The Port Harcourt International Airport was on red alert yesterday as screening of passengers on international flights intensified.

At the international wing, our correspondent learnt that passengers were screened at the point of departure and arrival. A passenger told our Daily Trust on Sunday  that airport officials used hand-held scanners to screen them.

“Yes, we were screened on arrival by health officials and after that there were sanitisers,” he said. The spokesman of the airport, Alfred Itua, said the Federal Ministry of Health had installed a scanner at both arrival and departure wings.

Lagos airport in panic mode 

Authorities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport (MMIA), Lagos, were in  panic mode yesterday following the confirmation of the coronavirus.

Since the discovery of the virus in the Italian,  FAAN, in conjunction with relevant authorities at the airport, have intensified screening of passengers at the arrival hall.

It was observed that that as soon as passengers proceeded for immigration screening, they usually go through the thermal scanners. The screening point has full complements of port health officials fully kitted with hand gloves and face masks.

Besides, the passengers are handed a flier containing information about the virus and the symptoms to look out for. But some passengers queried the effectiveness of the screening machines.  A former Commandant of the MMIA, retired Group Captain John Ojikutu, called for strengthening of the surveillance system and effective health profiling of  inbound passengers.

Traffic reduces at Kano airport 

A visit to the Aminu Kano International Airport (MAKIA) in Kano showed a drastic reduction in air traffic. Though our correspondent was denied entrance into the international wing, investigations revealed that the only international airlines at the airport are Egypt Air, Saudi Air and Ethiopian. However, according to a source at the airport, several health personnel from the Federal Ministry of Health with their screening kits have been deployed at the arrival wing for screening of all passengers aboard every international flight.

Border checks in Jigawa, Katsina, Sokoto, Kwara 

At the Maigatari Nigerin/Niger land border in Jigawa State, movement of persons in and out of the country was restricted due to the ongoing border drills.

However, there are a few cases of border crossing, most of who are from the neigbouring villages. It was however observed that there was no special measure taken against any possible outbreak of the virus.

The officer in charge of Port Health Services, Maigatari border post, Mr. Badmus Mudasiru Idowu, explained that due to the border drills, the number of persons moving in and out of the country through the border was very minimal.

Although movement of people and goods through designated border posts in Magama (Jibia LGA) and Kongolom (Maiadua LGA) is highly restricted, the few passengers that passed through the border confided in our reporter that checks were manually done on passengers at various points of immigration, customs, and port health desks.  A student said his temperature was taken at the Magama border on his way to Maradi.

Daily Trust gathered that an emergency meeting of port health officers manning the borders was summoned yesterday by the state government to brief officers on new measures to be enforced at the border.

The officer in charge of Port Health desk at Magama border, Umar Faruk, confirmed the development.

In Sokoto, a visit to the Nigeria/ Niger Republic border at Ilela, showed no verification of persons at the entry points. Daily Trust observed that there was nothing to indicate checking of passengers for the virus.

Very few people were seen going in and out of the two countries. Some officials at the border said they were not aware of any measures against coronavirus.

Kwara maintains vigilance

The Kwara State government and relevant security and health officials have maintained vigilance at the borders and airports.

The spokesman of the Nigeria Customs Service in Ilorin said adequate measures had been put in place to ensure that the restrictions at border areas of the state were maintained. He said officials of the customs at Ilesha -Baruba, Yashkia,Chikanda, Okuta in Baruten Local Government Area and Kaima -Jebba were at alert.

CAN warns against self medication, charges FG

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has warned Nigerians against self medication over fears of the Coronavirus.

Joseph Bade Daramola, the CAN General Secretary, who gave the warning yesterday in Abuja, also urged the three tiers of government in the country to rise up to the challenge of the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) now that the country has recorded its first case.

 

Reports from Ado Abubakar Musa (Jos), Hope Chizoba Nwankwo, Chris Agabi, Abdullateef  Salau, Ojoma Akor, Abbas Jimoh (Abuja), Peter Moses, (Abeokuta), Abdullateef Aliyu, Tayo Odunlami (Lagos), Mohammed Ibrahim Yaba, (Kaduna), Victor Edozie (Port Harcourt), Ibrahim Musa Giginyu (Kano), Habibu Umar Aminu (Katsina), and Rakiya A. Muhammad (Sokoto),

 

Download Daily Trust News App