Coronavirus Update: Italian still in Isolation, has recovered but still contagious – Prof Akin Abayomi
Amidst widespread rumours and fake news that Nigeria has been certified coronavirus-free following the news of the infected Nigerian (second case) testing negative, the Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on Friday said the Italian index patient was still at the isolation centre.
Abayomi said “he is still secreting a little bit of the virus, meaning he’s potentially still contagious.”
He spoke at a briefing with journalists in Alausa.
“Our test suggests that his immune system will soon clear off the infection. The moment we pick that up, we will be looking for a second negative”, Abayomi added
“Let’s say the next test tomorrow is negative, we will repeat it after 48 hours, and if we still get negative, that means he’s deemed to be non-contagious”.
Abayomi noted that the index case would pose no danger to the community at that point, saying that he was almost at that stage and would be released soon.
The commissioner disclosed that the state government had intensified its surveillance at the nation’s airports.
He added that more health personnel to the airport to assist the Federal medical team to boost their surveillance.
The commissioner said that all the 179 people that had contact with the index case had been identified including the two that was earlier declared wanted by the Lagos State government for filling wrong information at the airport.
He said: “40 of them were quarantined in Ogun State, while 139 were monitored in Lagos State”.
“The contacts in both states have been discharged; they have exceeded the 14 days of quarantine and isolation at home without developing any symptom of the disease.
Here is a short video of Prof Akin Abayomi updating Nigerians about coronavirus during a press conference yesterday in Lagos.
