NIGERIA RECORDS SECOND CASE OF CORONAVIRUS DISEASE... HEALTH MINISTER

By Mike Aladenika.

Nigeria has recorded a second case of Coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The newly confirmed case is an Ogun state contact of the index case but has no significant clinical symptoms, thus bringing the total number of confirmed  COVID-19 cases in Nigeria to two.

Nigeria's Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire who stated this in Benin City at a Ministerial press briefing said the new case is however "not a new importation but a contact of the index case, who has since been in isolation and was under clinical follow up.

 The minister said both cases are currently under clinical surveillance, stressing that "recent studies have shown that increased surveillance, self- isolation and in particular, contact tracing, do reduce risk of spread, because further opportunities for transmission of the virus by the infected patient in the community are limited."

Dr. Osagie Ehanire however hinted that "all other contacts of the index case in Ogun and Lagos States remain in isolation and testing will be Carried out on those not yet tested, including some in other states.

 The Nigeria's Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire then revealed that "although discovery, management and other clinical maintenance of cases is challenging, the news is that  Nigeria's scientists have scored new point on the COVID-19 cases with global recognition."

The minister said a team of researchers " from various institutions in Nigeria, led by top scientists of the Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) Lagos combined their efforts to successfully perform the genome sequencing of the Coronavirus strain that the index case brought to Nigeria and prove it to be a match with the virus circulating in Italy and Wuhan"

He said " it is the first time the sequence of this virus has been performed in Africa.l, stressing that the result has been shared with International Authority and the Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) has  extended congratulations to Nigerian scientists for this achievement"
#SPARKNEWSNAIJA.(SNN).