The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (NCDC) has moved to douse public anxiety following the confirmation of a fresh COVID-19 case in Cross River State, maintaining that there are currently no signs of widespread transmission.
All identified contacts are being followed up appropriately, and there is no evidence at this time of widespread transmission,” the NCDC said in a statement released by its director-general, Jide Idris.
On Tuesday, the Cross River State Government confirmed a fresh COVID-19 case, years after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared an end to the global emergency phase of the virus. The disease shut down economies and killed millions of people globally.
A laboratory technician holds a Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 vaccine at the Bidafarma wholesale distribution cooperative in Santa Fe, on the outskirts of Granada, on January 21, 2021.
According to the Cross River State Commissioner for Health, Henry Ayuk, the index case, a Chinese national who works in Akamkpa Local Government Area of the coastal state, arrived in Nigeria on March 17. He later developed symptoms of the disease.
But the NCDC says the case has been isolated and managed according to standard protocols.
“The patient is in stable condition and responding to care,” Idris said.
Following the confirmation of the case, the NCDC, support partners, and the Cross River State Ministry of Health have “activated response measures, including contact tracing, surveillance, and infection prevention & control”.
“We continue to maintain routine surveillance for COVID-19 and other respiratory infections,” the public health institute said.
A makeshift camp set up for Covid-19 patients due to limited space inside is pictured outside the Caritas Medical Centre in Hong Kong on February 18, 2022, as the city faces its worst coronavirus wave to date. Peter PARKS / AFP
Nigerians are advised to maintain basic hygiene, including regular handwashing and respiratory etiquette, and to seek immediate medical attention if they are unwell.
The confirmation of the disease came years after the COVID-19 pandemic, which was first discovered in China in 2019, gripped the world, leading to deaths and millions of cases. At the height of the pandemic, Nigeria recorded over 3,000 deaths and 266,000 confirmed cases, leading to unprecedented economic lockdowns.
In the wake of that global crisis, authorities worldwide imposed stringent measures such as lockdowns to contain the spread.
However, health officials are now urging calm, following the fresh case in the South-South state.
