The Federal Ministry of Health has announced five new cases of coronavirus (COVID-19) bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Nigeria to eight.
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According to the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control, NCDC, all 5 cases had a travel history to the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
The agency also urged Nigerians to remain calm as public health response activities are being intensified across the country.
The NCDC, in a statement, said: “Of the five new positive cases, 3 arrived from the United States, while 2 came in from the United Kingdom.
“We are still collating information on the travellers; 2 of the 3 from the US are Nigerian, a mother and child, making the 6-week old baby the youngest COVID-19 patient we have, and the 3rd is an American national, who crossed the land border and becomes the first COVID-19 case not arriving by air. The 2 cases from the UK are Nigerians.”
The disease control agency further stated that: “A detailed travel history of each person is being compiled and contacts currently being traced, to identify persons who have recently been in contact with anyone.
It added that: “The National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) led by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and supported by partners, is supporting response in the states. The Federal Government through Federal Ministry of Health is conducting risk assessment to help guide decision making.”
Reports suggest that one of the five new cases is in Ekiti State while the other four are being cared for in Lagos State.
This development is coming at a time when the Federal Government placed travel restrictions to China, Italy, Iran, South Korea, Spain, Japan, France, Germany, the United States of America, Norway, the United Kingdom, Netherlands and Switzerland, as part of efforts to arrest the spread of the pandemic.
The FG added that all travellers returning from these countries prior to the restriction will be in supervised self-isolation, monitored by the NCDC and Port Health Services.
