The Lagos State Government on Thursday confirmed four new coronavirus cases, bringing to 12, the total number of cases in the country.
The state Commissioner for Health, Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this at a press conference in Ikeja, also said the Italian, who was the first person in the country to be diagnosed with the disease, had tested negative.
Abayomi stated this just as more states took steps to prevent the spread of the disease. The Federal Capital Territory and states such as Ogun, Benue, Anambra, Enugu and Niger on Thursday ordered the closure of their schools.
The Italian was diagnosed with COVID-19 on February 27 in Lagos, where he was being treated, after developing symptoms of the disease at Lafarge Africa Plc, Ewekoro, Ogun State.
A few weeks later, a Nigerian, who had contact with him, tested positive for the disease, making him the second coronavirus case in the country.
The third case is a 30-year-old woman, who returned to the country from the United Kingdom on Friday last week.
The cases rose to eight on Wednesday when the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ohanaire, said a woman, her six-week-old baby and three other persons had been diagnosed with the disease. The minister had said four of the five cases were in Lagos State, while one was in Ekiti State.
The commissioner disclosed that the Italian who brought coronavirus to Nigeria had tested negative for the disease.
He said the index case, who had been receiving treatment at the Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba would be discharged if he tested negative one more time.
“I have the good news to tell you that the index case has now cleared the virus. We will check him one more time and if he is negative, he will be discharged,” Abayomi said.
