Monday, March 02, 2020 / 4:43 PM / Nifemi
Taiyese for WebTV / Header Image Credit: Nigeria Health Watch
The Federal Government today held an Inter-Ministerial
Meeting on the Coronavirus pandemic and the strategies in place to contain it
in the country.
Health Minister Dr. Osagie Ehanire disclosed this in
an interview on Channels Television yesterday, where he discussed measures to
ensure the first recorded case of the coronavirus in the country, does not
spread across Africa's largest economy.
Dr. Ehanire said the meeting involved the National
Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, Nigeria Immigration Service, NIS, Nigeria
Customs Service, NCS, National Civil Aviation Authority, NCAA, and other
relevant agencies.
The meeting, according to him, would provide an
opportunity to review the steps to address the likely spread and explore fresh
strategies to averting a pandemic.
The Health Minister said since the first recorded case
of the coronavirus traced to an Italian who visited the country on a business
trip, the authorities of the International Airports in Nigeria, from Lagos,
Abuja, Kano, Port Harcourt and Enugu have been working closely to step up
checks and surveillance.
He assured Nigerians that the surveillance at the
airports and other points of entry in the country are thorough and robust with
the deployment of technology to trigger an alert in the event of any foreigner
or Nigerian that may contract the virus.
Since the first coronavirus case, the Ogun State
Health Ministry has placed over 39 people, who were in contact with Italian on
quarantine to monitor their health status.
The Italian is already at the Lagos State specialist
center for disease control facility in Yaba, and according to the Commissioner
of Health, Professor Akin Abayomi is responding to treatment.
Since the outbreak of the virus, over 50 countries
have recorded cases, even as researchers and scientists seek vaccines and
medical solutions.
So far, the COVID-19 has recorded 3,057 deaths and
89,081 cases, with China accounting for the highest death rate of 2,912 and
Iran, the second highest with 54.
Nigeria became the first Sub-Saharan African nation to
record the coronavirus disease, which the World Health Organization, WHO,
warned that it poses a major public health challenge to the globe.
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