The ravaging COVID-19 is fast Spreading in Nigeria as three New Cases were Reportedly Confirmed by the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Lagos State.
Although, the numbers may have risen currently to twenty-five confirmed cases, whilst two have been discharged with no death recorded in the country so far.
According to the agency, all new cases are in Lagos State and the patients are being treated at the Infectious Disease Hospital (IDH), Yaba.
A multi-sectoral national emergency operations centre (EOC), activated at level 3, continues to coordinate the national response activities.
Meanwhile, Four ministers in Burkina Faso have reportedly tested positive for coronavirus, as the country slammed a curfew and closed all land, sea, rail and air links.
Name of the country’s Foreign Minister Alpha Barry is among the four ministers declared positive in a day.
He initially dismissed the news as a rumour. But hours later, in a post on Twitter, he admitted contracting the deadly virus.
“The rumour has become reality … I have just been notified positive for COVID-19”, he wrote, without revealing more information about his condition.
Barry was the third minister declared infected by COVID-19 in a single day.
The country’s education minister, Stanislas Ouaro and mines minister, Oumaru Idani also tested positive on Friday.
Also reported as testing positive was minister of territorial administration Simeon Sawadogo.
“I wish to inform the public opinion that I have been tested positive at #Covid19
Consequently, I invite all my collaborators as well as all the people have been in contact with me to kindly report themselves to the competent services by calling 3535”, Sawadogo tweeted.
Burkina Faso reported its first confirmed COVID-19 case on March 9, and now has 40 confirmed cases.
Roch Marc Christian Kabore, President of Burkina Faso, on Friday evening announced a curfew throughout the country from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., and the closure of land, air and rail borders. These measures will become effective from midnight March 21.
The Nigerian Government have also taken various measures to stem-off the growing trends of the deadly Coronavirus disease outbreaks by announcing the closure of all the country’s airports to international flights till April 23, 2020.
The Director-General of the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), Capt. Musa Nuhu who disclosed this in a letter to all foreign airlines and operators on Saturday said domestic flights will continue normal operations at all airports.
The NCAA had shut down the international wing of three airports in Nigeria on Friday.
This is in line with the directive of the Federal Government to restrict international flights in response to the ravaging COVID-19 pandemic.
The three airports closed down were; Mallam Aminu Kano International Airport, Kano; Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu; and the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa.
Schools, Churches and all forms of social gatherings have also been limited as part of drastic measures taken to curtail the further spread of the pandemic spread in the country.
The Nigerian Infectious Diseases Society (NIDS) has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to extend surveillance to land borders in a bid to check the spread of coronavirus.
Prof. Dimie Ogoina, the president of the body also urged concerned bodies to follow reasonable and evidence-based guidelines of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in the face of COVID-19 outbreak.
Speaking further, Prof. Ogoina in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja, expressed fears that most states of the Federation may not be adequately prepared to respond to the outbreak if more cases are reported.
However, More than 300,000 people have contracted the novel coronavirus and at least 12,944 have died, according to a tally by Johns Hopkins University.
A global recession is on and experts believe coronavirus could drag the world economy into a depression.
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