The minister of health, Dr. Osagie Enahire has revealed that about 70 per cent of persons who test positive for COVID-19 are men aged between 30 and 60 years.
The minister who spoke during the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 briefing in Abuja yesterday also revealed that no fewer than 2,000 persons have been tested for the disease.
“About 70 per cent of those who have tested positive are males. The age range is between 30 and 60 years. However, we must note that both men and women of all ages can be affected.
“Over 2000 persons have been tested. We are expanding our diagnostic capacity to test across the country. This is expected to improve turnaround time and enhance timely access to testing,” he said.
The minister also said the country’s diagnostic capacity was being expanded.
“Between last week and this, two new laboratories have been added to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) network of molecular laboratories for COVID-19.
“These are Virology Laboratory of University College Hospital, Ibadan, Oyo State and Federal Teaching Hospital Abakaliki (FETHA), Ebonyi State.
“With this addition, we have increased our daily testing capacity from 500 to 1,000. Hopefully, by next week, it is expected that this will be significantly increased.
“From what we know, the incubation period for COVID-19 is generally two-14 days, that is, the time it takes for an infected person to show symptoms.
“Therefore, we are using the window of opportunity presented by the lockdown in the FCT, Lagos and Ogun States to promptly detect, isolate and effectively treat cases,” he said
He said any test result not obtained from any of the seven COVID-19 designated molecular laboratories is worthless.
“Unless you have been tested in one of the seven molecular laboratories for COVID-19 in Nigeria, your results are most likely useless.
“In the absence of a vaccine, interventions such as social distancing and self-isolation have become even more important to curbing the spread of the disease.”
Ehanire also said with nearly 1,000 bed spaces in the FCT, the number of isolation centres and intensive care units (ICUs) across the country were being expanded.
He said they were mainly for those who may have severe complications from the disease due to being immune-compromised, such as those above 70 or those with critical underlying health conditions such as cancer, tuberculosis and HIV.
“Several states have also identified and established isolation centres for the treatment of mild and moderate cases.
“Lagos State has expanded its isolation wards and surge capacity. Yesterday, the Ogun State Governor commissioned isolation centres of over 200 bed capacity in the state.
“I urge states to urgently prioritise identification of these within their states, particularly tertiary hospitals,” he added.
He announced that that hundreds of ad-hoc staff were being engaged, while Port Health Authority staff previously stationed at the airports were being redeployed to key roads that serve as key entry and exit points.
The minister said the national case definition for COVID-19 was being been expanded to include persons with acute respiratory illness in an area with a medium or high prevalence of the disease.
