The second confirmed case (a Nigerian) of the Covid-19 also known as coronavirus, who tested positive in Ewekoro, Ogun State, has been moved to the isolation and treatment centre in Yaba, Lagos.
This is also as the Lagos State government says the search for two passengers among others who arrived Nigeria on February 24, 2020 on board same Turkish Airline with the Italian index case is being intensified.
Osagie Ehanire, minister of health, had confirmed the second case that tested positive on March 8 but was yet to manifest clinical symptoms.
“The new case is not a new importation, but a contact of the first index case, which has since been in isolation and was under clinical follow-up,” Ehanire had said.
Speaking also at a news conference in Lagos on Monday, the state commissioner for health, Akin Abayomi, said: “What has transpired is that the contacts in Ogun State that are working at Larfarge Cement, Ewekoro who came in contact with the index case had been under isolation.
“Out of the 40 contacts, we detected one positive and who happens to be the individual who spent a lot of time with the index case by virtue of his job.
“But the good news is that we have the individual under surveillance and that significantly minimises the chance of transmission to a large number of people,” the commissioner said.
The commissioner, however, expressed concern over the inability to locate two passengers onboard the Turkish Airline which brought in the index case on February 24, 2020.
“We have two passengers on the Turkish flight number TK 625 that arrived from Istabul into Lagos on February 24, 2020.
“We have tried our best to find them even with security operatives and as of this morning (yesterday), we still have not been able to find them and as promised, we will reach out to the media for assistance.
The commissioner gave the names of the two wanted passengers as Obumnore Godfrey (male) and Salami Abiodun Sadeeq (male).
He appealed the two passengers to approach the ministry and report themselves.
“Please we need to contact you, get in touch with the ministry of health. We have tried to reach you by the address you put on your form and by the numbers but none of those numbers are working. It is vitally important that you reach out to us,” the commissioner urged the wanted passengers.
He said the index case was doing very well. According to Abayomi, “the only reason he is still with us is that his tests are still positive. That means that he is still secreting the virus but his body has overcome the virus and with time, he will eliminate the virus and as soon as he eliminates the virus, he is free to go back to the community.”
ANTHONIA OBOKOH
