Coronavirus: Oyo has no Confirmed Case Yet – Commissioner

Oyo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. B.V.A. Bello has said the state is yet to record any confirmed case of coronavirus.

Bello who addressed a press conference on Thursday at the Oyo State Ministry of Health assured the people of the state not to panic that the government is on high alert.

“I am here today to further address the unfortunate incidence of confirmation of cases of coronavirus in Nigeria. The Oyo State Ministry of Health has continued to follow the unravelling of the outbreak.

“Since its onset in December, 2019, over 170,000 cases and 7,000 deaths have been reported across over 150 countries of the world.

“At this point, the Ministry of Health wishes to inform the general public that despite the report of several cases of coronavirus in the country, our Ministry hereby wishes to reiterate its commitment towards ensuring a disease-free Oyo State. This is particularly important because these cases have been in neighbouring states.

“The Oyo state Ministry of Health would like to reassure the public that our surveillance system has been activated and contact tracing is ongoing. For instance, the individuals involved in the confirmed cases in Ekiti State, transitted through Ibadan, our state capital. Contact-tracing is on.

“As of today, we have a case of an individual who just returned from the UK, but the individual is observing the protocol of self-isolation.  Some tests currently being carried out on samples collected from the said individual have been sent to the National Reference Laboratory, LUTH, for South West .The test results are being expected tomorrow.

“At this point, all facilities in Oyo State remain on high alert and adequate resources have been deployed to all facilities in case of unforeseen circumstances. I wish to reassure the people of the State that there is currently no confirmed case of corona virus in Oyo State until the result of the said individual returns to us.

“The public is therefore implored to remain calm but ensure strict adherence to hygiene practices (Regular hand washing with soap and running water or use of alcohol based sanitizers), and observe good respiratory hygiene (Covering of the nose and mouth with tissue paper when sneezing or coughing and proper immediate disposal of the used tissue paper, as well as, immediate hand washing).

“More importantly, the Ministry wishes to strongly implore all individuals arriving Oyo State and other parts of Nigeria from countries with ongoing COVID-19 outbreak to notify the Ministry of Health on arrival, and undergo supervised self-isolation for at least fourteen days before moving around. Such individuals should promptly report any symptoms observed during self-isolation to Oyo State Ministry of Health” he said.