Adekunle Yusuf, Kelvin Osa Okunbor, Oziegbe Okoeki, Omolola Afolabi, Lagos and Moses Emorinken, Abuja
AVIATION authorities on Tuesday commenced intensive contact tracting of over 300 passengers aboard the British Airways Boeing 747-400 plane that flew in the third case of COVID -19 (Coronavirus) in Nigeria on Friday.
Investigations by The Nation revealed that officials of the agencies – the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) and the Federal Airports Authority of Nigeria ( FAAN)- at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport (MMIA), Ikeja, Lagos are scrutinising the forms filled by the passengers on arrival with a view to keep a watch on them.
Officials of the Federal Ministry of Health, their counterparts in the Lagos State Ministry of Healh, the Nigeria Immigration Service ( NIS) and the Nigeria Customs Services ( NCS) are also said to be involved in the task.
A source close to BA, who did not want his name in print, said the officials had also requested the manifest of the passengers in their bid to ensure that no one was left out. He said the airline was cooperating with the government officials.
He however did not state the number of passengers aboard the Boeing 747-400 aircraft which maximum capacity is 345, including the crew.
The third case, a 30-year-old Nigerian lady who stays with her parents was taken to the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba.
Her nuclear family members are also quarantined at the same centre where three new suspected cases are being observed by health workers.
Health Minister Dr Osagie Ehanire and the Lagos State Health Commissioner Prof. Akin Abayomi had at separate news briefings in Abuja and Lagos yesterday, said the lady obeyed the instructions on the prevention of the virus by confining herself to their home.
They assured that the their ministries and relevant agencies had moved to ensure that all those that had direct and indirect contact with the lady were traced.
Ehanire said: “The stringent surveillance efforts of the Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH) have identified a new case of Coronavirus disease within our borders, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to three.
“The latest case is a Nigerian national in her 30s, who returned from a short visit to the United Kingdom on March 13.
“Fortunately, she decided, upon returning home, to go into a 14-day self-isolation, but subsequently developed symptoms of fever and cough on March 16, at which point she voluntarily called the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) toll-free call line, to report her condition.
Lagos State Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) was immediately dispatched to her home to collect samples, which upon testing, came out positive for the coronavirus.
“The lady is currently at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH) in Yaba, where she has remained clinically stable and is responding to treatment.
“Intensive contact tracing has begun, to help identify all persons who the patient has been in contact with since her return.
“We expect the number to be small, because of her sensible decision to go into self-isolation from the time of her arrival. We commend her for following the recommended guidelines to the letter.”
In Lagos, Abayomi also confirmed that contact tracing of all the passengers on the BA flight had started. He implored all those on the flight to reach out to his ministry through its emergency number.
The commissioner explained that out of the three persons suspected to be COVID-19 carriers, one was a Nigerian and the others foreigners.
The Nigerian, according to him, returned from the United States on March 10 through Middle East and thereafter developed symptoms of high fever and body pain.
The second person, according to him, returned from the UK on March 12 .
*Italian still potntially contagious
Abayomi added that in spite of the fact the Italian index was in a stable condition, he was still potentially contagious and would therefore remain in isolation.
His words: “The Italian has continued to remain in excellent form; our last test yesterday (Monday) shows he is still potentially contagious. So we are very conscious till our test confirms that he is totally negative and poses no danger to the community.
The global practice is to conduct two negative tests 48 hours apart before releasing the Coronavirus patient”
“We are still going to test the secretion from his lungs and urine to make sure he does not have any virus from his secretion. As soon as he is negative, we will discharge him.
“The secondary case first tested positive and later tested negative, he was discharged yesterday (Monday) morning as he has recovered from the virus.”
*No hug, No handshake
The Minister and the commissioner listed the following as precautionary measures:
- Wash hands regularly with soap and water or use an alcohol-based sanitiser if no water and soap is available.
- Maintain at least two metres distance between yourself and anyone who is coughing or sneezing. Persons with a persistent cough or sneezing should stay at home and maintain a distance in gatherings.
- follow good respiratory hygiene like covering your mouth and nose with a tissue or handkerchief when coughing or sneezing. Dispose of the used tissue properly, into a dustbin. If none is available, cough into your elbow or the sleeve of your dress..
- Stay more at home and avoid congregating, especially if you feel unwell with symptoms like fever, cough and difficulty in breathing. Call the NCDC toll free number 0800 970 0010, which is available 24 hours a day, Monday to Sunday for guidance.
- Do not self-medicate. Stay informed on the latest developments about COVID-19 through the official Federal Ministry of Health, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Lagos State Ministry of Health and other State health department official channels on TV, radio and social media platforms.
- Do not rely only on social media, as pranksters tend to abuse this medium for misinformation and disinformation that cause fear and panic,”
- senior citizens should to stay more at home as they are more vulnerable
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