Lagos traces 1,300 as cases hit 12

The Lagos State Government on Thursday confirmed four new coronavirus cases, bringing to 12,  the total number of cases in the country.

The state Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi,  who disclosed this at a press conference in  Ikeja, also said the Italian, who was the first person in the country to be diagnosed with the disease,  had tested negative.

Abayomi stated this just as more states took steps to prevent the spread of the disease. The Federal Capital Territory and states such as Ogun, Benue, Anambra, Enugu and Niger on Thursday ordered the closure of their schools.

The Italian was diagnosed with COVID-19 on February 27 in Lagos, where he was being treated, after developing symptoms of the disease at Lafarge Africa Plc, Ewekoro, Ogun State.

A few weeks later, a   Nigerian, who had contact with him, tested positive for  the disease, making him the second coronavirus case in the country.

The third case is a 30-year-old woman, who returned to the country from the United Kingdom on Friday last week.

The cases rose to eight on Wednesday when the Minister of Health,  Dr Osagie Ohanaire, said a  woman,  her six-week-old baby and three other persons had been diagnosed with the disease. The minister had said four of the five cases were in Lagos State, while one was in Ekiti State.

The Lagos State commissioner for health told journalists that  state government was tracing  1,300 persons that might have had contact with the positive cases.

“We are following over 1,300 people right now,” the commissioner said.

Abayomi disclosed that  19 persons, who had contact with Wednesday’s cases, were tested and five of them were positive.

– Punch