Following the announcement of the first case of Novel Coronavirus (COVID -19) in Lagos last Thursday, Kaduna state has constituted an Emergency Operational Centre (EOC), headed by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Amina Mohammed Baloni.
A press statement issued by the Kaduna state Health Ministry on Saturday and signed by Dr Amina Baloni, stated that the committee was set up to respond quickly to any eventuality, in the event of an outbreak of the Coronavirus in the state.
“It will be recalled that on February 27, 2020, the Federal Ministry of Health had announced that the first case of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has been discovered in Lagos.
The statement further reiterated that “the general public should observe preventive measures as advised by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“People should regularly and thoroughly wash hands with soap and water or alcohol based hand sanitisers, maintain at least three to five feet distance between individuals and anyone who is coughing or sneezing.
‘’In addition, the general public is also advised to follow good respiratory hygiene by covering the mouth and nose with a handkerchief or tissue paper, or cough and sneeze into the sleeve at the bent elbow,’’ the statement said.
The Health Ministry further said that such handkerchiefs or tissue papers should be disposed off immediately after use.
The statement also advised patients who have a history of travel to China, Italy and other countries with confirmed cases of COVID-19, to ‘’self isolate for two weeks and report any symptoms of fever, cough, sneezing and difficulty in breathing to medical personnel.
‘’Above all, residents of Kaduna state are encouraged to remain calm while people with such symptoms are to seek medical attention as the state government is pooling all resources together to ensure readiness to contain the disease in the event of an outbreak,’’ the commissioner assured.
