There are signs of community transmission of Coronavirus in Nigeria - Minister of Health, Ehanire Osagie

The Minister of Health, Ehanire Osagie has disclosed that there are signs of community transmission of Coronavirus in the country.

The Minister who disclosed this at the Presidential Task Force briefing in Abuja on Friday April 3, said the speculation stemmed from 30 percent of confirmed cases in the country having incomplete epidemiological information.

Ehanire said;

“We are already seeing what may be indications of sustained community transmission in the sense that 30 percent of the cases have incomplete epidemiological information while 51 percent are imported cases and 19 percent are contacts of known cases.

“We are using the small window of opportunity remaining to intensify investigations to identify cases and their sources.

“We have a policy of targeted testing. This way we identify those that are most likely to be infected – those who just came back from abroad and those who had contacts with cases.

“As the picture changes, we are worrying more about community transmission. The pattern has been extended to include those who have symptoms or probably in anyway connected in an area where the prevalence is high or criteria that indicates that a person might be positive. This way, we are able to utilise our resources more effectively”.

The Minister also disclosed that he expects to see increased cases of Coronavirus in the country, following the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.

He added;

“The global number of COVID-19 cases has crossed the one million mark, just 3 months after the outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, China.

“It is an indication that it is a public health challenge we must not take lightly.

“Here in Nigeria, we have recorded 10 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, so that cumulatively, as of the 3rd of April, we have 190 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria across 12 states and the FCT, 2 fatalities and 20 cases discharged from treatment.

“There are 98 in Lagos State, 48 in FCT, Osun 20, Oyo 8, Akwa Ibom 5, Edo, Kaduna and Ogun, 4 each, Bauchi 3, Enugu and Ekiti 2 each, while Rivers and Benue have 1 each”.