By Martins Ifijeh
The Lagos State Government has stated that the 179 persons who had contact with the Italian index case and subsequently placed on quarantine have been declared free of the virus and then released to integrate with the public.
Of the 179 people who had contact with the index case, 40 of them were quarantined in Ogun State while the remaining persons were monitored in Lagos State.
Announcing this at a press briefing in Lagos Friday, the Commissioner for Health, Lagos State, Prof. Akin Abayomi said the 179 contacts were put on mandatory 14 days quarantine, and that only one person tested positive for the virus, who is still presently at the Infectious Disease Centre in Yaba, along with the index case.
Today marks the 15th day since the index case was confirmed positive to the virus. it also marked the 15th day those who had contact with him were placed on quarantine.
Abayomi said: “The index case is recovering very fast. He is still with us because the virus has not totally left his system. Once he stops secreting the virus, and his test returns negative, we will know he is safe enough to be integrated back into the society. If he is negative, we will conduct another test within 48 hours after and if he is still negative, we will set him free.
“We are close to discharging the index case, we want to be sure he poses no danger to the society anymore.”
On the Nigerian who initially tested positive for Coronavirus for being in contact with the index case, Abayomi said he had now tested negative twice and might have been released by now.
“His tests initially showed that he was positive to Coronavirus twice and now, he has tested negative to the virus twice on two consecutive tests carried out. The remaining contact in Ogun and Lagos State remain symptom-free and they have exceeded 14 days surveillance which means that we have been able to interrupt the transmission between the index case and others. The threat of the index case to Nigeria has been eliminated.
“Those isolated in Ogun State have been discharged, in Lagos, we will not follow up the contacts again because none of them has developed symptoms. We are discharging all,” he said.
Abayomi said the state will improve on its efforts to ensure the outbreak is contained.
