Coronavirus patient stable, responding well to treatment - Health minister
- The minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, said the coronavirus patient in Lagos is stable and responding well to treatment
- Ehanire said so far 14 tests have been conducted aside the index and no other person has tested positive
- The health minister urged Nigerians not to panic as he gave assurance that the federal government is fully prepared to contain the virus
The minister of health, Osagie Ehanire, has given an update on the current status of coronavirus patient, an Italian, quarantined at a special hospital in Yaba, Lagos.
The minister disclosed on Monday, March 2, that the patient is responding very well to treatment, Channels TV reports.
He added that the Italian was stable and was seen walking around his room at the medical facility.
Legit.ng gathers that Ehanire made this known at a press conference in Abuja. The minister also stated that there is no new case of the virus in the country.
According to him, none of the people who had contacts with the infected Italian has tested positive to the virus.
He said so far, 14 tests have been conducted aside the index and no other person has tested positive.
The minister also said that the quarantined persons in Plateau state are under close monitoring. He said all of the cases have tested negative to coronavirus infection.
He gave assurance that the federal government is fully prepared to contain the virus just as he urged Nigerians not to panic.
The minister also warned against fake news peddling so as to avoid unnecessary panic.
Ehanire noted that screening is in place at the international airports, explaining that the reason some people believe they are not being screened is because they are not screened with the hand-held thermal machine.
He also said that people do not need to mask, especially when they are not coughing, sneezing or ill.
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Meanwhile, As Nigeria records its first case of coronavirus in Lagos, some Nigerians have expressed doubt in the ability of the country's health ministry to contain the spread.
In a poll conducted by Legit.ng on social media, Facebook and Twitter, many Nigerians said they do not trust the health ministry amid the spread of coronavirus.
On Facebook, 82% of over 1,300 respondents said they do not trust the health ministry while only 18% expressed confidence in the ability of the ministry to contain the deadly disease.
The result is similar on Twitter; 63% said they do not trust health ministry while only 16% have trust in the ministry. About 15% of the respondents said they are not sure while the remaining 6% are indifferent.
In a related development, the prices of hygienic masks and sanitising gels have skyrocketed in Lagos and other cities following the confirmation of Nigeria's first case of coronavirus.
The price hike followed the growing demands for the products by Lagosians in a bid to protect them from the deadly disease.
However, the Nigerian authorities have begun an investigation into the price hike.
The government took the action following outcries by Nigerians sharing the exorbitant prices of the products on social media.
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Source: Legit.ng
