The Nigerian government through the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) today announced it has confirmed a second case of COVID-19 and the patient is a contact of the index case.
“On 8th March 2020, scientists confirmed the presence of coronavirus in one of the contacts. It is my duty, therefore, to announce a new case of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Nigeria,” Nigeria’s health minister said.
The newly confirmed case is an Ogun State contact of the index case, but he has no significant clinical symptoms. This brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria today to two.
In a statement, NCDC said contact tracing and monitoring in respect of the coronavirus index case presently receiving treatment in Lagos, has been diligently and conscientiously pursued since 27 February when the case was first diagnosed.
“A total of 217 contacts were linked to the index case. Of the 217, 45 traveled out of Nigeria and 172 are presently in Nigeria. Of the 172 contacts currently in Nigeria, 69 are in Lagos, 40 in Ogun and 52 in other States, with 11 in unknown locations,” the center said in a statement.