COVID-19: There are signs of community transmission- FG

 

The Federal Government has warned of sustained community transmission of COVID-19 especially with 30 percent of the cases having incomplete epidemiological information.

The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said this while giving updates on the COVID-19 on Friday at the Presidential Task Force briefing in Abuja.

According to him: “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”.

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”.

Ehanire explained that during and following the lockdown in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja, it expects to see an increase in cases as a measure of improvement in case finding.

THE NATION

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