Official figure of confirmed cases of COVID-19 coronavirus disease in Nigeria has risen to 12 following the confirmation of four new cases in Lagos State on Thursday. The state’s health commissioner, Akin Abayomi, announced the new cases at a press conference.
He revealed that a total of 14 people were tested but four tested positive for the coronavirus adding that one of the new index cases had contact with the third confirmed case in Nigeria. One of the patients, a Nigerian female, came into Lagos on Saturday, March 14, 2020, via Turkish airline flight number TK1830.
On the other hand, a Nigerian man in his 50s who never travelled anywhere is among the new four cases. Abayomi said the last patient is a Nigerian male who arrived the country in a Lufthansa (airline) LH568 on Friday, March 13, 2020. Abayomi said the patients have been isolated for treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, Lagos.
The commissioner, however, said more tests are being carried as there is a “combination of imported cases and local transmission. The Executive of Lagos State is meeting on the next stage of social distancing.
“The best way to slow the rate is to halt the movement of the virus from person to person. Currently, we are following over 1,300 people right now to find information about the state of their health and the number is increasing.”
He appealed to people on the two flights to self-isolate themselves and contact the government.