Lagos Government Discharges Italian After Testing Negative
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Posted On March 21, 2020
he first case of Coronavirus in Nigeria, an Italian, who flew into the country via Istanbul, Turkey, has tested negative and certified fit to go home, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu announced.
In a statement signed by Chief Press Secretary to the governor of Lagos, Mr Gboyega Akosile, on Saturday, the government said that after weeks of medical attention by health workers at the Infectious Diseases hospital, Yaba, that the patient has now tested negative to the virus and had been released to return home.
Sanwo-Olu said, “As the COVID-19 Incident Commander for Lagos State, I am glad to inform you that the index case, an Italian gentleman, is now negative.
“Through a combined effort of Lagos State, Ogun State and Federal Health Authorities, we were able to limit the transmission of the virus to a single contact. This involved aggressive contact tracing and containment strategies.”
The governor said that there were new imported cases, saying that he hopes that the same contact tracing strategy method can be applied along with social distancing practices to slow down the outbreak.
Sanwo-Olu revealed that index patient graciously donated a unit of white blood before he was discharged, adding that the white blood, otherwise called plasma, was rich in antibody proteins that target COVID19 virus.
Speaking further, Sanwo-Olu applauded the professional handling of the index patient by the Lagos State medical personnel, the EOC team and others, who collaborated with the state government and the Federal Government for the success recorded.
