FG confirms death of second COVID-19 patient

.Says 3 persons discharged after successful treatment

.Lagos discharges five patients as NCDC confirms 20 new cases of COVID-19

The Federal Government has confirmed the second death from the dreaded Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

This development is coming barely one week after the country’s first death was recorded. The deceased was Suleiman Achimugu, a former managing director of the Pipeline and Product Marketing Company (PPMC), who also had underlying health conditions.

This is as the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), on Monday night, said 20 new cases of COVID-19 have been reported in the country with 13 in Lagos, 4 in FCT, 2 in Kaduna and 1 in Oyo State.

“As at 09:00 pm 30th March, there are 131 confirmed cases of #COVID19 reported in Nigeria with 2 deaths,” the NCDC disclosed on its verified twitter handle.

Speaking during the Presidential Task Force Briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja, the nation’s capital on Monday, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said that the patient had severe underlying illnesses believed to have weighed heavily on his health from the infection.

He said: “Till date, three persons have been discharged after successful treatment. Sadly, another fatality was recorded over the weekend in the person of a patient who had severe underlying illnesses.

“We have intensified contact tracing and our strategy remains to promptly detect cases, isolate them, and follow up with their contacts and also isolate and treat, in order to reduce the spread of the infection.

According to the Health minister, the highest number of confirmed cases are in Lagos and Abuja because they serve as the major gateways to the country.

He also informed the gathering that all retired but able-bodied staff of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Health were being recalled.

Ehanire warned Nigerians to protect the elderly among them, as well as those having underlying health issues, as they were the most vulnerable.

On his part, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, in his opening remarks, informed the audience that the briefing would be a daily event.

He explained that the purpose was to give an update and minimise the incidence of fake news in the country.

Mustapha stressed that the briefing would be the only approved briefing of the task force, although appearances on TV by relevant members would be allowed.

He announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has constituted a committee headed by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to care for the economic challenges that the situation may bring for the time being.

The SGF also clarified the controversy triggered by the restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun states, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), adding that financial institutions were not included in the stay-at-home order declared by the President in his Sunday broadcast to the nation.

The Daily Times recalls that the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), had on March 23, 20202 confirmed the death of Achimugu.

According to the NCDC, the 67-year-old deceased had underlying medical issues and was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer.

Achimugu, a native of Kogi State, was said to have returned from the United Kingdom two weeks ago.

Meanwhile, Lagos State Government on Monday discharged five coronavirus patients at the Infectious Disease Centre, Yaba Mainland Hospital.

This brings to eight the total number of discharged patients from the Centre.

The patients who had been quarantined at the isolation centre for weeks looked stable and unruffled.

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Although, the discharged patients preferred annonimity, they expressed joy and satisfaction over the treatments they received.

While thanking the State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, for his support and proactiveness, they pleaded that the workers at the Centre be given life insurance.

While speaking to the press, one of the patients said: “I came in here on the 15th and after the test showed positive, I was asked to come back the next day. So I was admitted here.

“Initially, there were hitches, but it later turned out fine. The health workers did fine, all our challenges were attended to. I’m a living witness together with my other colleagues.”

He gave an impressive ray of hope, saying people should not panic as the virus could be defeated.

“We can beat it, I want to assure others that this is not their resting place. Encourage yourselves, take your medications and in no distant time, you will get out of here.

“I want to appeal to the Federal Government and Lagos State Government that they should remunerate all those workers who have volunteered to work accordingly, so as to serve as encouragement to others. If they were not here as first responders, many would have died.”

Another patient said: “I was admitted last Sunday. Initially there were challenges, the following day, they brought bed, mask and some equipment.

“Apart from what my colleague said, the workers should be insured. Proper insurance will let people do what they have to do.”

He narrated a scenario where the workers could not attend to him because he tested positive, saying “they went back and I slept off, I woke up around 3 a.m. So they deserve life insurance to encourage them to do their job.”