Coronavirus Pandemic
As of today, April 17, a total of 442 people in 20 states have been confirmed to have coronavirus, COVID-19, in Nigeria.
There are 35 new confirmations and they are distributed as follows: 19 in Lagos, 9 in FCT, 5 in Kano and 2 in Oyo.
Thirteen deaths, all with comorbidities, have been recorded so far, and 152 people have recovered from COVID-19 in Nigeria and have been discharged, according to Osagie Ehanire, minister of health.
“This means there are 277 persons who have COVID-19 being cared for in our isolation and treatment centres across the country, he said at the press briefing in Abuja on Friday.
He attributed the recent marked increase in the numbers of new COVID-19 cases to the scaled up implementation of our new case-finding strategy, as well as the result of rising community transmission.
“With house-to-house and cluster testing, and using the revised criteria for sample collection, yield has icreased. More people with COVID-19 are being detected and transferred to treatment centres. There will still be more social mobilization for community testing at grassroots level and Isolation of positive cases. We shall ensure the right message is disseminated to control ongoing transmission, ” he said.
He again emphasise that citizens are obliged to disclose complete and accurate information to health workers, especially about their travel history or contact with persons who have or had COVID-19.
This is important for 2 main reasons: full disclosure allows health workers to promptly, investigate, diagnose and treat correctly, to improve chances of patient survival and recovery; the right information also keeps the health workers safe. Withholding the truth puts both the user and caregiver at risk, but also other patients on site. Several Health workers, who must then self isolate as a result of exposure to a positive patient, will also be put out of circulation. This is is not what we can afford with the limited number of Health workers in the country.
“Infected persons also need not hide themselves at home, till their condition so deteriorates that they have to be rushed to the hospital in critical state. Some among the fatalities we have seen could have been saved if they were presented earlier. It bears restating that persons who have fever of unclear origin and cough should first put on a mask or a face covering of any type, isolate themselves from friends and family and call the national emergency number 112, or the NCDC toll free number 0800 9700 0010, or report themselves to the nearest health facility for referral.
“Several persons who had COVID-19 have been successfully treated and discharged, as proof that most people do survive the disease. I again request the cooperation of those who test positive, with health officials to accept any of the designated isolation and treatment centres, even if you feel very well.
“In the interest of the general public, the Ministry of Health, through Nigeria Centre for Disease Control reserves the right to investigate suspected cases of COVID-19, who are not complying with advisory. In addition, I also urge citizens not to pay attention to rumours and sensationalism, just as I advise purveyors of fake news, to desist from spreading fake news or misinformation that cause fear and panic, ” he said.
He commended the frontline health workers who have been managing our patients, and urge all citizens to remember public health advisories and the social measures and regulations around the lockdown. “Stay home, stay safe, take precautions, ” he said.
– Apr. 17, 2020 @ 18:35 GMT |
Tags: Coronavirus: Number of infected persons in Nigeria total 442
