14 new cases confirmed, total rises to 65
Six COVID-19 patients ready to be discharged in Lagos
The minister of information and culture, Mr. Lai Mohammed, has said that the government was on the trail of at least 4,370 people of interest suspected to have had contacts with or be in close proximity to persons who had tested positive for COVID-19
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja yesterday, Mohammed prayed those who had contact with suspected cases to report to the authorities.
He said the country was on the verge of reaching the level of community spread and called for cooperation “or we will record exponential cases in the days ahead.
He regretted that the government was not getting the king of cooperation need at this time.
He revealed that some Nigerians who flew into the country gave wrong information in their forms thereby making it difficult for their tracing.
“I want to say straight away that our strategy at containing this pandemic is working, but we still have a long way to go
“We have 4,370 people of interest whom we are tracing. We urge those who have had contact with suspected cases to immediately report to the authorities.
“Let me say, without mincing words, that we are not getting the kind of cooperation that this moment deserves from Nigerians.
“Some Nigerians who flew into the country from overseas filled wrong addresses and phone numbers in their forms making it difficult to trace them when the need arises.
“Some Nigerians defied orders to stay away from large gatherings while some religious leaders willfully flouted the directives to ensure social distancing.
“The government is doing its best but we need the citizens to do their best too. We have now gone past the stage of persuasion. It’s time for strong enforcement,” he said.
Meanwhile, cases of the coronavirus disease have risen to 65 with 14 new cases recorded yesterday.
It was the highest in a day since the spread of the first index case was reported on February 27.
A breakdown of the 14 new cases, according to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), showed that 12 were confirmed in Lagos, bringing the tally to 44, while two were confirmed in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) to make its count stand at 12.
“Of the 14 cases, six were detected on a vessel, three were returning travellers into Nigeria and one was a close contact of a confirmed case,” said NCDC.
From the 65 total cases, Lagos has now recorded 44, FCT 12, Ogun three, Ekiti, Edo, Oyo, Bauchi, Osun and Rivers states, one apiece.
While 62 cases are under isolation and receiving treatment, three had been discharged after their viral load regressed to negative while one person had died.
Meanwhile, the special assistant to the Lagos State Governor on Health, Dr. Tunde Ajayi, said six of the patients at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba had recovered and would soon be discharged.
Ajayi via his twitter handle, @thetundeajai, said: “Six of our #COVID19 in-patients have recovered and will be discharged soon. There is something Lagos is doing right. Lagos takes the lead.”
Also yesterday, the state house of assembly passed an emergency bill empowering the governor with extensive powers to deal with the pandemic and stipulating punishments, including a fine of N100, 000 or imprisonment for anyone who violates the directives of the governor.
