Adekunle Yusuf, Kelvin Osa Okunbor and Oziegbe Okoeki
Two men who were declared wanted for having contact with Nigeria’s first coronavirus case have been found, the Lagos State government said on Wednesday.
The duo – Enwelunta Obumnore Godfrey and Salami Abiodun Sadeeq – boarded the same flight that brought the Italian that tested positive to coronavirus in Lagos.
They were declared unreachable on Monday after efforts by the state government yielded no effort.
Health Commissioner Prof Akin Abayomi, who gave the update, said the two men were identified within 24 hours after their names were made public.
He said: “As you know, we published their names and within 24 hours, we identified them and we’ve been in touch with them. I thank the media for putting those names out and for social media, it was very quick. It shows that the Lagos community is responsive and very responsible because I was surprised at the speed they were identified.”
Abayomi said the Italian who has been in isolation for about two weeks and the second index case have doing very well.
He added that the three persons in isolation from France, England, and China have been discharged after testing negative to the virus.
The commissioner said: “He (the Italian) has no symptom, but the test shows that he’s still secreting the virus, although the level is going down significantly.
“So, if the virus secretion hits zero, we will test him one more time to be sure and he will be discharged from the hospital. The second case is doing well. He hasn’t developed any major symptoms; just some minor aches and pains and he seems to be doing well and we are satisfied. We will repeat his test tomorrow and we will determine what happens next based on his test.”
Abayomi also disclosed that four children and their teacher from the United States (U.S.) and another man from the United Kingdom (UK) have been placed under isolation.
Abayomi said: “We have admitted a family of four children and their teacher who came from the United Kingdom. Apparently they are in close proximity with somebody who has coronavirus infection.
“We have had them in isolation for the past two days. The first test is negative; we will repeat the test in forty-eight hours and see what happens. We also have another gentleman from the United Kingdom. So, we will run his test today and the result will define what happens.”
In Ibadan on Wednesday, the Oyo State Epidemiologist, Dr Akinfemi Akinyode, said no fewer than 10 cases have been investigated and screened for COVID-19 since the outbreak of the disease in the country.
Akinyode disclosed this yesterday on the sidelines of a special Continuing Medical Education (CME), organised by the state branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA).
It was tagged: “Coronavirus Outbreak in Nigeria: Emergency Preparedness and Response.”
The epidemiologist said that all the cases investigated and screened within the state were negative, adding that the state was alerted to those cases based on surveillance, anonymous tips and directives from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Ogun and Lagos states.
“We have had several alerts that have been investigated for coronavirus since the index case was recorded in the country.
“However, none of these met the case definition for suspected case.”
Also on Wednesday, Turkish Airlines mandated its passengers in Nigeria to complete the self-reporting forms distributed by the Federal Ministry of Health.
The airline said the step became imperative as part of global containment measures rolled out by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and International Air Transport Association (IATA) since January 2020 when it became international health emergency.
In a statement, the airline said it will cancel more flights into and out of Nigeria as it will continue to monitor latest developments by national and international authorities as they take precautionary measures to curtail the spread of the deadly virus.
The statement reads: “We would like to inform our passengers that due to the lowered load factors caused by the suspension of other routes, several of our flights to/from Nigeria will be undergoing cancellations in March.
“Passengers with tickets to the cancelled flights will be able to refund or change their tickets free of charge until the end of May, if they start the process until March/April depending on the route.
“As an airline that always puts the travel security at the forefront, Turkish Airlines will continue to monitor the latest developments on the situation with the national and international health authorities and take appropriate precautions.
“As the World Health Organisation declared the potential risk of the virus, we have been acting in accordance with the recommendations and instructions of World Health Organization, IATA, and related national and international authorities since the first week of the January 2020.”
The statement further said: “As Turkish Airlines, we would like to advise our passengers that some reported news mentioning Turkish Airlines’ full suspension decision on its flight operations to/from Nigeria do not reflect the reality.
“Due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in various countries, Turkish Airlines has been changing its flight schedule to several destinations around the globe in accordance with international and national authorities.”
