FG says coronavirus cases in Nigeria are expected to rise dramatically
- The federal government says it expects the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to rise
- Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, stated that the government is worried about Nigerians returning to the country through land borders
- The minister points out that those persons have a higher risk of infecting others while in a confined space for a long time
The federal government has said that it expects the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country to rise.
Osagie Ehanire, the minister of health, made the disclosure on Wednesday, April 1, at the presidential task force briefing on COVID-19 in Abuja, The Nation reports.
Source: UGC
"As contact tracing and testing capacity are being ramped up, more and more cases will be found and the number of new confirmed COVID-19 cases is expected to rise initially," the minister said.
He said the government was worried about Nigerians returning to the country through land borders. Ehanire noted that such persons have a higher risk of infecting others while in a confined space for a long time, like transit in a crowded bus or car.
Meanwhile, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state who is also the incident commander of the #Covid19Lagos has announced the recovery and discharge of 11 more patients from the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, after testing negative twice.
Nigerian Tribune reports that the patients comprised nine males and two females, making the number of those who have recovered to 18.
Legit.ng gathered that the governor said he was very happy to break the news to the good people of the state.
In another report, the request by the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning for ventilators from a United States’ billionaire, Elon Musk, has been withdrawn by the federal government.
The request for the ventilators which are used for the coronavirus patients in Nigeria was made earlier on Thursday, April 2, The Nation reports.
However, Yunusa Tanko Abdullahi, the special adviser to the minister, on media and communications, said that the request which came in form of a tweet was unauthorised and as such has been brought down.
Musk, a South African-American billionaire who is the founder of Tesla, had earlier tweeted on Tuesday, March 31, that there are FDA-approved ventilators to be distributed free to countries hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
PAY ATTENTION: Get the Latest Nigerian News Anywhere 24/7. Spend less on the Internet!
Responding to the tweet, the federal government through the official handle of the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning begged Musk for ventilators, adding that the country was in need of about 100-150 of the ventilation-producing devices.
The finance ministry's controversial response to the billionaire's tweet, however, sparked outrage on the microblogging platform with many Nigerians calling out the government for gross irresponsibility.
A check by Legit.ng showed that the ministry's response had been pulled down following criticism from Nigerians.
NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng We have upgraded to serve you better.
Street gist: Coronavirus no suppose affect people wey dey suffer | Legit TV
Source: Legit.ng
