Coronavirus: FG sets up test centres in Lagos, FCT, Edo

.As Lagos places hotels, resort centres on surveillance

Doosuur Iwambe with agency report

Federal Government, on Wednesday, said it has set up three test centres to detect any possible case of coronavirus in the country.

Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided over by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo.

The three designated laboratories, according to him, are in Lagos, Abuja and Irrua in Edo State.

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He said equipment for the centres were acquired about eight days ago, adding that no case of the virus has been detected in any African country.

“Since about eight days ago, we obtained the reagents necessary; we have the machines. They are called Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) machines which we have here for molecular diagnostics; but we didn’t have the reagents.

“Because for every pathogen, you have a specific pathogen that you will use to detect it and that one for coronavirus being a new disease was not very much available but we acquired it about eight days ago.

“And now three laboratories in Nigeria can test corona virus and in fact, they have tested two cases already which were negative—Lagos, Abuja and Irrua.

“Irrua, as you know is Nigeria’s centre of excellence for this viral hemorrhagic fevers which is the category to which Corona virus and Lassa fever belong particularly.

“As far as corona virus is concerned, it is human to human transmission. Maybe we have been lucky that no person carrying that corona has entered our country and none has come here undetected.

“And we are particularly happy that the Chinese government is conducting what is called exit screening. They not only screen those who are entering their country, they screen those who are leaving; so that if they, themselves see any person who has any sign of being sick or having corona virus, they will restrain that person from travelling.”

The disease, which first broke out in the Wuhan province of China, has infected 42,708 people and claimed 1,017 lives.     

Meanwhile, the Lagos government, on Wednesday, said it has placed hotels and resort centres in the state on surveillance as part of its measures to prevent Coronavirus.

The state Commissioner of Health, Akin Abayomi, disclosed this while dismissing the rumour that some Chinese, who recently returned to Alimosho Local Government Area of the state from their country, have severe symptoms of Coronavirus disease.

Abayomi said investigations revealed that there are no Chinese residing or conducting any business in Osoba close of Gowon Estate where people speculated that the incident occurred.

He said the surveillance team set up by the Ministry of Health also interrogated the chairman of Gemade Estate known to have affiliation with Chinese expatriates but discovered that the Chinese who had worked in his factory at Igbesa, Agbara, Ogun State, had returned to China in 2019 when their work permit expired.

“There are no suspected or confirmed cases of Coronavirus in Lagos State contrary to fake news being circulated in the media.

“In a bid to further investigate the rumour, the surveillance team of the Lagos State Ministry of Health and the Alimosho community stakeholders were in Gowon Estate and its environs – the alleged scene of the suspected cases, on February 9, 2019.

“The team interrogated residents living in and around Osoba Street in Alaguntan Ward, Segun Majekodunmi Street and other randomly selected houses in Alimosho but there were no Chinese nationals residing or carrying on business in and around any of the streets and communities visited.

“The team expanded its search to hotels around Alimosho and Gowon Estate where a Taiwanese lady was identified to have visited one of the hotels but nothing concrete linking her to China was found, ”Abayomi said.

Continuing, he said: “Three Egyptian nationals, who were sighted buying drugs at a particular pharmacy were also interrogated but were found to be businessmen who had no link whatsoever with China.

“The State surveillance team has scaled up its search by placing hotels and other resort centres on active surveillance to closely monitor visitors, travellers and non-nationals especially those of East Asian and Chinese origin.”

The commissioner added that phone numbers of Alimosho LGA disease surveillance notification officer were given to relevant stakeholders in the area in case they come in contact or have knowledge of any Chinese national living around the area or anyone arriving from China into the state.