COVID-19: Other Passengers With Index Case Declared Wanted!

Two weeks after the case of Corona virus was reported in Lagos, Nigeria, following the arrival of an Italian man, the Lagos State Ministry of Health has declared the other passengers on the same Turkish Airline flight wanted. 

The State's Health Commissioner, Akin Abayomi, at the press briefing, revealed the names of the two passengers, who were believed to have had main contact with the Italian as: Enwelunta Obumnore Godfrey and Salami Abiodun Sadeeq.

It will be recalled that the Italian man arrived Lagos- Nigeria from Italy on the 24th of February, 2020, on a Turkish Airline, through a connecting flight from Istanbul. He passed the night in a hotel close to the airport, before proceeding to his station in Ogun state the following day. It was in Ogun state, that he complained of fever and body ache. He thereafter tested positive to Corona Virus and was quarantined.

According to information made available by the Ministry of Health, through its Boss, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, 40 individuals in Ogun state, and 20 more in Lagos, who had close contact with the index case were placed in isolation. So far, they haven't showed any symptoms of the virus.  However, three persons were tested to ascertain the possible presence of the virus in their system.

On Sunday, March 8th 2020, scientists found the presence of the corona virus in of the system of one of the Ogun state contacts with the index case; howbeit, there is no significant clinical symptoms. This development, makes it a second case of the corona virus case in Nigeria.

On Monday,  March 9th, 2020, Nigeria's Minister of Health, in what has been termed: first of its kind in Africa, announced that medical scientists from Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), in a combined efforts, successfully performed the genome in sequencing of the convirus strain brought into the country by the index case, and confirmed it to be the virus circulating in Italy and Wuham. This result was shared with International Organizations. 

World Health Organization's Director has extended congratulations to Nigerian scientists for this breakthrough.