The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, yesterday confirmed that the second case of COVID-19 in the country is a Nigerian in Ogun State.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the patient is a contact of the index case, a 44-year-old Italian man, and has been in isolation since the first case was confirmed. Ihekweazu, however, declined to give more information about the new patient.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The NCDC boss also disclosed that for the first time in Africa, researchers have successfully performed the genome sequencing of the coronavirus strain brought to Nigeria by the index case and matched it with the strain circulating in Italy and Wuhan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe result has been shared with international authorities and the Director-General of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has extended congratulations to Nigerian scientists for this achievement,\u201d Ihekweazu said, noting that the feat was coordinated by the Lagos State Ministry of Health and NCDC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Contrary to media reports, Ihekweazu said he has completed the WHO recommended 14-day self-isolation or quarantine for people who visited high-risk areas. He had been part of the Dr. Bruce Aylward-led WHO-China expert group that visited Wuhan early February. \u201cI have completed the 14-day recommended period and resumed work today (on Monday),\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the second COVID-19 case in Nigeria, Ihekweazu told The Guardian: \u201cThe source of infection of this case is known and we are working to manage the risk of spread. The case does not have any symptoms currently but has been placed under care at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Lagos.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He said the details of the case could not be made public because \u201cthe government of Nigeria and health workers always have an obligation to ensure patient confidentiality.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Allaying fears, the NCDC boss said: \u201cThe Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has initiated stronger public health interventions. Since the beginning of the outbreak in China and subsequent spread to other countries, one of the important response strategies, at the containment stage, has been to identify all contacts, ensure their strict isolation and follow up daily with checks for any symptoms of the disease. The NCDC has been supporting both the Lagos and Ogun State Ministries of Health in implementing these response strategies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He added: \u201cThe testing of all contacts of the confirmed case is a new strategy to ensure that new cases are detected early. In addition, we will begin to test for cases through the routine national influenza sentinel surveillance network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe have also rapidly scaled up our risk communications efforts and urge Nigerians to only share information from verified authorities including the Federal Ministry of Health, NCDC or State Ministry of Health.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
During a media parley at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) in Edo State yesterday, Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, also confirmed that a Nigerian has contracted the virus, saying: \u201cThis brings the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Nigeria to two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Director-General of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, yesterday confirmed that the second case of COVID-19 in the country is a Nigerian in Ogun State.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":134988,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[19494,19840,4630],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/NCDC.jpg?fit=354%2C203&ssl=1","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":139166,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/covid-19-cases-almost-4000-in-nigeria-ncdc\/","url_meta":{"origin":135233,"position":0},"title":"COVID-19 Cases Almost 4,000 In Nigeria – NCDC","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"May 9, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 386 new COVID-19 cases. The agency made the announcement on Friday night via its Twitter handle. A total of 3,912 cases have now been recorded in 34 states and the federal capital territory (FCT). https:\/\/twitter.com\/NCDCgov\/status\/1258888258383118337 The number of fatalities increased from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Coronavirus, NCDC, COVID-19,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/update1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/update1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/update1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/update1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/update1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137575,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/over-90-of-confirmed-contacts-of-covid-19-patients-have-been-traced-ncdc-boss-ihekweazu\/","url_meta":{"origin":135233,"position":1},"title":"Over 90% Of confirmed contacts of COVID-19 patients have been traced – NCDC Boss, Ihekweazu","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"April 11, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The director-general of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, says 91 percent of confirmed contacts of COVID-19 patients have been identified. As of March 30, 2020, more than 6,000 people were being traced in Lagos and Abuja over their contact with COVID-19 patients. At the media briefing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Lockdown, COVID-19, Coronavirus, NCDC, Nigeria,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-2.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":136806,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/staying-at-home-is-the-only-way-to-control-coronavirus-ncdc-boss-chikwe-ihekweazu\/","url_meta":{"origin":135233,"position":2},"title":"Staying At Home Is The Only Way To Control Coronavirus – NCDC Boss, Chikwe Ihekweazu","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"April 1, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Director-General of the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, has said that the country\u2019s only chance of controlling the spread of Coronavirus was for people to stay at home. Ihekweazu, while speaking on Channels Television on Tuesday, said to keep the virus under control, Nigerians must stay apart\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"COVID-19, Coronavirus, NCDC, Nigeria,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/covid-1.jpg?fit=1080%2C540&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":137870,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/ncdc-dg-ihekweazu-says-covid-19-will-spread-to-all-parts-of-nigeria\/","url_meta":{"origin":135233,"position":3},"title":"NCDC DG, Ihekweazu Says COVID-19 Will Spread To All Parts Of Nigeria","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"April 16, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Director-General, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, has declared that every state in Nigeria will have its share of the COVID-19 pandemic. Chikwe said this during his appearance on Channels Television\u2019s breakfast programme, Sunrise Daily on Thursday. According to the NCDC boss, the Federal Government was making\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chikwe Ihekweazu, NCDC, COVID-19, Coronavirus,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/NCDC.jpg?fit=354%2C203&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":134608,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/ncdc-deploys-rapid-response-team-to-lagos-after-coronavirus-surfaces\/","url_meta":{"origin":135233,"position":4},"title":"NCDC Deploys Rapid Response Team To Lagos After Coronavirus Surfaces","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"February 28, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has deployed its rapid response teams in Lagos state as Nigeria records its first case of coronavirus (COVID-19). Chikwe Ihekweazu, director-general of NCDC, made this known in Abuja. On Friday, Lagos confirmed the first case of coronavirus in the country. Nigeria becomes the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Saudi Arabia, Novel Coronavirus, China, NCDC,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Novel-Coronavirus-China-NCDC.jpg?fit=600%2C415&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Novel-Coronavirus-China-NCDC.jpg?fit=600%2C415&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/Novel-Coronavirus-China-NCDC.jpg?fit=600%2C415&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":138767,"url":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/nigeria-wont-return-to-normalcy-until-2021-ncdc-boss-chikwe-ihekweazu\/","url_meta":{"origin":135233,"position":5},"title":"Nigeria Won’t Return To Normalcy Until 2021 – NCDC Boss, Chikwe Ihekweazu","author":"Damilare Salami","date":"May 2, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"The director-general of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Chikwe Ihekweazu, says Nigeria and the rest of the world would not return to normalcy until next year \u2014 at the very least. Speaking at the 24th edition of The Platform, hosted by Poju Oyemade\u2019s Covenant Nation, the NCDC boss said\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Chikwe Ihekweazu, NCDC, COVID-19, Coronavirus,","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/NCDC.jpg?fit=354%2C203&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135233"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=135233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":135238,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/135233\/revisions\/135238"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/134988"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=135233"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=135233"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.citypeopleonline.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=135233"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}