BREAKING: Nigeria records second death from Coronavirus

The Nigerian Government has confirmed the second death from coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country. The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, announced this on Monday during the Presidential Task Force Briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

He said, “Till date, three persons have been discharged after successful treatment. But sadly, another fatality was recorded over the weekend in the person of a patient who had severe underlying illnesses. “We have intensified contact tracing and our strategy remains to promptly detect cases, isolate them, and follow up with their contacts and also isolate and treat, in order to reduce the spread of the infection.”

“As of today, the 30th of March, 2020, we have recorded 111 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Nigeria of which 68 are in Lagos, 21 in the FCT, seven in Oyo, three in Ogun, two in Bauchi, two in Edo, two in Osun, two in Enugu, and one each in Benue, Ekiti, Kaduna and Rivers States,” Ehanire added.

He stressed that Nigeria has 111 confirmed cases of COVID-19, saying a majority of them were persons who came in from overseas. According to the health minister, the highest number of confirmed cases are in Lagos and Abuja because they serve as the major gateways to the country.

He also informed the gathering that all retired but able-bodied staff of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and the Federal Ministry of Health were being recalled. Ehanire warned Nigerians to protect the elderly among them, as well as those having underlying health issues as they were the most vulnerable.

In his opening remarks, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, informed the audience that the briefing would be a daily event. He explained that the purpose was to give an update and minimise the incidence of fake news in the country.

Mustapha stressed that the briefing would be the only approved briefing of the task force, although appearances on TV by relevant members would be allowed. He announced that President Muhammadu Buhari has constituted a committee headed by the Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, to care for the economic challenges that the situation may bring for the time being.

The SGF also clarified the controversy triggered by the restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). He allayed the fear of Nigerians, saying workers in the financial institutions were not included in the stay-at-home order declared by the President in his Sunday broadcast to the nation.