Our reporters
Following the confirmation of the first reported Coronavirus case in Lagos, the first in sub-Saharan Africa, the governors of the 36 states of the federation said they have initiated mechanisms for surveillance and emergency in all the states to ensure quick response and attention to anyone showing symptoms of the disease.
This is even as they have assured that emergency responses at the sub-national level have been strengthened.
An Italian citizen, who works in Nigeria and just returned from Milan, Italy on February 25, was confirmed positive with the virus at the Virology Laboratory of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, which is part of the Laboratory Network of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire who confirmed the case, said the patient was clinically stable, with no serious symptoms, and is currently being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
The Chairman of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, in a statement he personally signed said: “Since the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was designated as a global epidemic, state governments have been strengthening emergency response preparedness and capabilities in conjunction with the Federal Government and all other relevant agencies.”
The NGF chairman commended the Federal Government through the Federal Ministry of Health and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) for activating its National Emergency Operations Centre and working closely with the Lagos State Ministry of Health to respond to this case and implement firm control measures to prevent further widespread.
“As a forum of proactive governors, we have initiated surveillance and emergency response in all states to ensure that quick response and attention is given to anyone showing symptoms of the disease. We encourage the citizens to self-quarantine if they notice symptoms related to the viral disease and contact the nearest health facility within the states. We will deploy all resources available to respond and contain further spread of the virus,” he promised.
Three Chinese under observation in Plateau
In Plateau State, the state government said it has put in place stringent surveillance mechanism to checkmate and prevent the spread of Coronavirus disease.
This is just as residents of the state, particularly those who live in areas where foreigners reside, said they have taken precautionary measures to avoid any form of contact with them as three Chinese nationals who arrived in the state have been placed under observation with a view to ascertaining their status on the disease.
The state Commissioner for Health, Dr Lar Ndam Nimkong said that the Chinese would be isolated and observed for 14 days in an event that they do not manifest symptoms of the disease.
He said that if they show the symptoms of the disease, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control would be contacted immediately to take their sample and would be place in isolated wards.
“So far, we recently had three Chinese personnel that are mining in Wase Local Government Area, they came down two day ago and we are not sure of their status; we have dispatched a team of health personnel there to meet with them.
“We have put all measures in place to prevent the disease, we have our isolated wards ready in case we will have some people who have the symptoms. I was with the state governor, Simon Lalong and he is ready to release some money to buy all the necessary equipment that are required to handle the disease,” he said.
Sunday Sun correspondent in the state reported that there was a surveillance team at the Yakubu Gowon Airport Haipang examining people, particularly Chinese and those who are suspected to have the symptoms.
Lagos assures residents of dealing with outbreaks
In Lagos State, where the Italian who believed to have imported the virus into the country touched down before moving to Ogun State, the government said that its emergency operations centre has been activated to attend to the first case of novel Coronavirus reported in Nigeria.
The state governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu assured residents of the state that the government through the Lagos State Ministry of Health has been strengthening measures to ensure that any outbreak in the state is quickly controlled and contained.
He said the state is already working in collaboration with the multi-sectoral Coronavirus Preparedness Group, led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and assured the people of the state not to panic, but to observe basic hygiene.
Sunday Sun reporters who visited Lagos Airport observed palpable anxiety among airport officials and informal workers. Right from the Taxi Park, a handful of cab operators, hawkers and food sellers were seen on Saturday morning wearing face mask, while attending to clients.
Many of the cab drivers while expressing dismay at the airport authorities, disclosed that things are no longer easy in their parks since the news filtered in that the virus has come into the city.
Responding to panic surrounding the detection of coronavirus in the country, a senior official of Port Health Services said adequate precautions are being taken to curtail the spread of the virus. “We are on ground here to screen people coming into Nigeria. We have a special emergency ambulance always on standby to move anyone found with the virus. Nigerians should not panic,” the official who craved anonymity, said.
Ogun ready to prevent spread
Since the confirmation of Coronavirus in Ogun State on Friday, the state government said it had begun to put measures in place to prevent further spread of the virus.
One of such measures, according to the state Commissioner for Health, Tomi Coker, was the decision by the government to establish an Emergency Operation Centre to monitor and curtail the spread of Corona Virus in the state.
She added that the Centre would be equipped with special computers and manned by trained personnel to gather information about the virus all over the state.
She said that the whole facility of Lafarge Africa Plc, which played host to the Italian consultant who was infected with the virus, had been quarantined following the incident.
Meanwhile, two toll free lines – 08188978393 and 0818897892 – had been activated where residents can call and report any emergency for quick intervention by the government.
Oyo sensitises airport workers on preventive measures
The Chairman, UCH Committee on Response to Emergency and Outbreak of Disease, Prof Kayode Osungbade, said that the Oyo State government is prepared to tackle the virus. This is just as the management of Ibadan Airport has organized a workshop to sensitise workers on how to help prevent the spread of the virus right from the airport.
Prof Osungbade added that with the synergy formed by the government with strategic stakeholders, including the military, the state government, the UCH, private facilities, officials of Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) among others, is indicative of the readiness and commitment of the relevant stakeholders to tackle the challenge of any outbreak.
The Manager, Ibadan Airport, Alakia, Mrs Oghenetega Aiyenuro, said that the workshop was necessary because the staff of the airport are the first contacts with travellers, either coming to Ibadan, or leaving Ibadan via the airport, which serves only local travellers.
Ebonyi, Imo, Borno, Bayelsa, Taraba, Gombe, Enugu, others activate emergency mechanisms
Meanwhile, the Imo State government has ordered the activation of health platforms to protect Imo citizens against the Coronavirus.
As part of the measures to contain the disease, Governor Hope Uzodinma through the state Ministry of Health, the Health Department and Primary Healthcare Development, has instituted robust emergency response measures with the procurement and pre-repositioning of protective equipment, enhanced border surveillance, community awareness and mobilization, distribution and hand sanitizers together with clinicians and other health workers in readiness of any outbreak.
Similarly, the governments of Borno, Bayelsa, Taraba and Gombe states said that efforts have been intensified in the various states to forestall outbreak of the diseases in the states.
Commissioner for Health in Borno State, Dr Salihu Kwaya-Bura told Sunday Sun that the state government was aware of the presence of expatriates working with humanitarian support organisations.
He said the ministry and other partners were already meeting on response to the first case recorded in Lagos early in the week even as Bayelsa State government said that it has set up as an Emergency Operational Centre (EOC) to safeguard residents of the state against the Coronavirus outbreak.
Though Governor Douye Diri has not announced a Commissioner for Health, officials of the Ministry have swung into action by stepping up awareness campaigns to sensitize residents of the state about the symptoms and prevention of the disease.
In Taraba State, the Chief Epidemiologist, Doctor Udi Aketemo disclosed that the state had earlier acquired all necessary gears to contain the Lassa fever and still has some of the gears in place ready to be used in the unlikely event of the Coronavirus breaking out in the state.
He said that efforts are already underway to set up a quarantine and to install necessary equipment at the state Danbaba Suntai Airport to make sure that people arriving the state are well screened before they begin to mingle with others.
In Gombe State, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said the state is currently taking proactive steps to protect the citizens and other travelers in the state against the spread of the disease.
According to the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Ahmed Gana, measures initiated include the placement of Public Health Emergency Operation Centre (PHEOC) and heightened situation awareness and intelligence gathering in the state.
Efforts to combat the outbreak and spread of the virus in other states are also in top gear as state governments step up mechanisms to combat it.
In Ebonyi State, while assuring residents of government’s preparedness, the Secretary to Ebonyi State Government, Dr Kenneth Ugbala, said that the government has set up seven quarantine centres and procured buses and ambulances in addition to nurses and doctors drafted to be on ground in case of any outbreak in the state.
Sunday Sun also gathered that Governor David Umahi had in January directed that council chairmen and Development Centre Coordinators, councilors, traditional rulers and town union presidents to profile and provide a comprehensive data of all Chinese people residing in their areas to the government on or before Wednesday February 12, 2020.
The governor also directed that all returning Chinese expatriates must also submit themselves to medical examinations and must not be allowed to work anywhere in the state until after 14 days of their arrival date to ensure that they are safe from the communicable diseases.
Also in Benue, Ekiti, Anambra, and River states, Sunday Sun gathered the state governments are not leaving any stone unturned in an effort to tackle the spread of the disease should the virus finds its way into the states.
The Commissioner for Information and Public Enlightenment in Anambra State, Don Adinuba, told Sunday Sun that the state has also set up isolation centres in different locations in the state where patients suspected to have contacted any of the deadly diseases could be quarantined.
“Anambra people are the most travelled people in the whole of Africa. We travel a lot. And for business, it is usually China. We import all kinds of things: machinery, equipment, technology, textile and other things from China.
“Because of this, we were conscious of the fact that Anambra people could be vulnerable, so we began early enough to sensitise our people and mobilize them accordingly. Therefore, we became the very first state to issue a statement, advising our people on going to China and 16 other places affected by Coronavirus.”
In Kwara, the state government said it has begun intensive surveillance and screenings at its land borders and the Ilorin International Airport to check the spread of dreaded Coronavirus and Lassa fever into the state, calling on the public to be vigilant and report any suspicious case at the nearest health centre.
The state Commissioner of Health, Dr Raji Rasaq, said the government has also completed the construction of an isolation centre and activated State Epidemic Preparedness and Response, Rapid Response Teams and Incident Command System at the Kwara State Emergency Operation Centre to coordinate any outbreak of the disease.
Kaduna and Katsina state governments have also assured residents of that they have put in place pro-active measures to deal with the outbreaks of the virus in both states.
The Kaduna State Commissioner for Health and the Executive Director, State Primary Health Care Development Agency (PHCDA), Katsina State, Dr. Shamsudeen Yahaya listed measures put in place by their respective state governments to include the constitution of Emergency Operational Centres and the activation of Incidence Management System.
In Enugu State, the Commissioner for Information, Mr Chidi Aroh, said that the state had prior to the discovery of Coronavirus in the country, put measures in place to avoid being caught unawares.
“The state has a regular emergency control unit that has been active since we had this issue of Lassa fever. You can acknowledge that Enugu State has done very well in managing Lassa fever. So side by side with the Lassa fever issue, Enugu was conscious of the fact that there is already an international emergency with the outbreak of Coronavirus.
“In that process, the Ministry of Health and all the collaborating agencies have had preparations on ground to activate emergency control centre, emergency hospitals that is operating from the Colliery Hospital base,” Aroh said.
Also in Rivers, the Director, Planning, Research and Statistics of the Ministry of Health in Rivers State, Dr Chinwe Atata, said that the state government has strengthened surveillance at the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, adding that the state would place all asymptomatic travellers coming from countries that have already been affected by the virus on self-isolation and close monitoring.
The Niger state government said it has set up emergency response centres for the Coronavirus across the four major cities in the state, just as it has also directed that all health institutions in the state to be on 24 hours alert.
The state governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello gave the directives in Minna on Saturday when he flagged off the state monthly sanitation exercise, saying that emergency units should also be established in all the major motor parks across the state.
FG resumes screening of inbound passangers
Meanwhile the Federal Government has resumed screening of inbound passengers of international airlines using infra-red heat detectors and other devices, as it was the case during the outbreak of Ebola virus, this is just as Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has directed churches to make water, soap and hand sanitizers available for worshippers before and after service, beginning from Sunday (today), as hygienic measures against Coronavirus.
The resumption of the screening of inbound passengers, Sunday Sun gathered, is part of the inter-agency containment strategy designed to avoid the spread of the dreaded disease.
A top member of the inter-agency Port Health Emergency Contingency Plan (PHECP) told Sunday Sun that an emergency meeting involving the Minister of Health, Aviation, Humanitarian Affairs, agencies, ground handlers and other relevant stakeholders will hold on Monday to review the next line of action now that the disease has been recorded in Nigeria.
On the need for churches to maintain hygienic measures against Coronavirus, CAN General Secretary, Joseph Daramola, in a statement released in Abuja, called on politicians and other health care system managers not to politicise the matter, but join hands with local and international authorities and partners, to ensure the disease does not spread beyond Lagos.
He strongly advocated cooperation and understanding between states and Federal Government, as well as international agencies, particularly the World Health Organization (WHO) to ensure coordinated response to the global health challenges.