COVID-19: 6000 cases are being monitored – NCDC

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The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has disclosed that about 6000 suspected cases are currently being monitored in Nigeria, due to their contact history with the 111 confirmed cases of COVID-19.

According to the Director-General of the NCDC, Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, this figure was behind the NCDC recommendation of the lockdown in Lagos, FCT and Ogun States.

Speaking on the Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Ihekweazu noted that it was difficult for the health body and other related agencies to do their job when these persons continued to encounter more contacts on a daily basis.

“Every time we have a new case, we add about 50 to 60 contacts that we then have to follow every single day for 14 days. 

“We can’t do this if we don’t have access to these cases, so this is really one of the reasons why Mr President took this very difficult decision and it is not just to stop movement,” he said.

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The NCDC boss noted that apart from keeping Nigerians safe, the lockdown and the curfew would help reduce the pressure on the health workers and available facilities.

“It is to enable us and our team, Lagos State team, FCT team to reach the contacts, keep them at home, make sure they are supported and see whether we can really use this time to buy some time to get ahead of the case and ultimately, we will see that curve start going down,” Ihekweazu explained.

Explaining the importance of the curfew imposed on Abuja, Lagos, Ogun States by the President, he admitted that it was a tough decision to reach, especially Lagos and Abuja which were known for high level of commercial activities.

On Sunday evening, President Muhammadu Buhari had ordered the restriction of movement in Lagos and Ogun States, as well as the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.

According to him, this declaration was based on recommendations from the NCDC and the federal Ministry of health, and targeted at curtailing the spread of the disease.