Patronage of hand sanitisers, face mask, hand-washing soaps and gloves has increased on request as Lagosians increase their level of preparedness of the outbreak of coronavirus in the country.
Following the confirmed outbreak in the Lagos, Nigeria, BusinessDay checks on pharmaceuticals stores in Ikeja, Ikorodu and Apapa show that in the early hours of the day, after the first case of the deadly disease was reported, people had come to request for these products.
“We sold about 10 hand sanitizers this morning. About more than 20 people came in to buy them. And the people that did not get, placed orders for more. For now, we are not sure if we will get more but by Monday we will know,” Tomisi Akinyemi, a pharmacist at HealthPlus Limited, Ikeja said.
The same situation also happened in another pharmacy. According to Tolu Esan, a pharmacist at Teen Pharmacy & Stores, the rush was much as it sold all the sanitizers and face masks that they had.
Other Diverse products like, health personnel protective equipment, hand-held infrared thermometer, among others, to help check the virus.
The first case of the virus was reported by when an Italian working in Nigeria tested positive in Lagos. The Italian citizen who works in Nigeria flew into the commercial city of Lagos from Milan on 25 February. Authorities say he is stable with no serious symptoms and is being treated at a hospital in the city.
Nigeria joins other African countries such as Algeria and Egypt who have confirmed cases of the virus. The World Health Organization (WHO) had warned that Africa’s “fragile health systems” meant the threat posed by the virus was “considerable”.
Meanwhile, South Africa’s health ministry has announced that two nationals aboard a cruise ship docked in Japan have tested positive for the virus. In Kenya, the High Court has ordered the temporary suspension of flights from China following a petition by the Law Society of Kenya.
It comes amidst public outrage after China’s Southern Airlines resumed flights to Nairobi amid concern about the spread of coronavirus. Globally, more than 80,000 people in nearly 50 countries have been infected. Nearly 2,800 have died, the vast majority in China’s Hubei province.
