Follow Us on Google
Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Federal Government Tuesday urged Nigerians to be prepared to adapt permanently to the new ways of living that the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Pandemic has forced on the human race.
This is even as it has set an ambitious target of testing two million Nigerians across the country for coronavirus in three months.
Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) and Chairman of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 Pandemic, Boss Mustapha, said this during the daily media briefing by the task force in Abuja.
The SGF, who touched on plans to commence a gradual easing of the restriction on movement order in designated places, advised Nigerians to continue to adhere to earlier restriction measures issued.
The SGF said Monday’s broadcast by President Muhammadu Buhari was an expression of the President’s determination to provide leadership while at the same time ensuring that the rights of Nigerians are respected, security provided for all citizens, the poor and vulnerable are protected and that minimal discomfort is experienced even in the face of a global pandemic that is ravaging the wealth and health of the world.
He added that the lockdown for FCT, Lagos and Ogun states shall remain in force till midnight of Sunday 3rd May, 2020 after which the new regime of measures shall take effect.
Mustapha said: “Let me at this point inform you that the lockdown for FCT, Lagos, and Ogun States shall remain in force till Midnight of Sunday 3rd May, 2020 after which the new regime of measures shall take effect. Law enforcement agencies shall, therefore, continue to enforce the restriction of movements.
“The PTF also implore Nigerians to please continue to adhere to the restriction orders.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the relaxation of the lockdown is to enable us gradually return to our daily lives but in a moderated manner. The COVID-19 pandemic has permanently altered our ways of life and we must begin to learn how to adjust to this new reality.
“This relaxation does not in any way imply that the danger has passed. The virus is still potent, virulent and dangerous. We must remain very vigilant and careful. We must take responsibility for our actions. We must commit to a collective victory over COVID-19”, he said.
On his part, the Director General of National Center for for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, Nigeria was targeting to tear two million Nigerians in three months which comes to about 50,000 per State.
According to him, the goal of the response team is to avoid a single case in any of the four states still without any reported case of COVID-19, adding that the goal was really to avoid transmission, infections and to keep the states with no case or few cases exactly that way.
“How are we going to do this?” The NCDC boss said Nigeria has learnt from countries that the only way to achieve this is to test many people.
“The laboratory strategic group that is responding to this outbreak has set itself a target of testing two million people in the next three months. This is a very ambitious target. We are working very hard with our development partners and all our friends to equip our labs to be able to do this.
“It is going to cost us a lot of money but we can’t do this without a lot of collaboration from everybody. A country that has achieved a lot more in terms of testing is South Africa. Not only that they have tested more, they have tested more as a proportion of their population.
“We are lagging behind, but now we have to catch up. So, when I referred to this, it is really an epidemiological indicator of how well response is doing. In order to test two million people in three months across the country, we need to test about 50,000 per state plus-minus, depending on your population size.
“There is no other way we can do this, we need cooperation and collaboration of every state government in Nigeria, every department of public health, and we need the collaboration of the people living in these states.”
He added: “The only entering point into control of this outbreak is through testing. We really cannot understand the size of the problem if we do not test. So, we are going to try, working with all our partners.
“We have built on our lab size, and expanded capacity. Now we need to build on the supplying side so that we see the samples coming. There is no other way to do this than working collaboratively with our biggest clients, for us as a government, the state government and their teams.”
Ihekweazu stressed the need for Nigerians to stay at home as that is the only reduce number of transmissions.
He said: “If we limit traveling to essential services and products, then we have a chance of reducing the impact of this outbreak on our country.”
According to him, “The Coronavirus is now in 32 States across Nigeria, it doesn’t fly about on its own from State to State; it is carried by humans. We seek to limit transmission in Nigeria by discouraging interstate travel.”
Also speaking, the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the rise in figure in not unexpected, emphasizing however that the concern at the rising figures is understandable “but not altogether unexpected.”
Ehanire said to Nigerians: “Do not underrate the infectiousness of COVID19. Only accredited facilities should handle this disease. Facilities that seek to manage infected patients must apply for accreditation from the PTFCOVID19, and this will include training.
Minister of Health disclosed that a nine-person interdisciplinary team of Health Experts has been dispatched to Kano by to support the State Government in the COVID-19 Response.
He also said ambulances are to be deployed to Kano as support to the state government in the fight against COVID19.
He said Nigeria has 1,337 confirmed COVID19 cases out of which 255 persons have been treated and discharged to go home, while 40 deaths have been recorded.
—
