Treatment of Coronavirus victims. Photo credit: The Straits Times

The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on Thursday said a Nigerian, who returned from France, has been placed in isolation at the Infectious Disease Centre, Yaba.

Abayomi, at a media update on COVID-19 in Lagos, said that the patient, a man, who returned from France on March 2, was referred to the Infectious Disease Hospital by a private hospital in Lagos.

The commissioner said that outcome of the test conducted on the patient would be released soon.

According to him, the patient, who spent seven days in France, returned to Lagos and presented with headache and some respiratory symptoms.

“Because he has been in a country where there is active person-to-person transmission, it could be a common cold and there is a possibility it could be Coronavirus.

“He has been put in isolation, the test is being run right now, I am expecting the result,” Abayomi said.

He said that outcome of the test on the patient would be announced as soon as it was received.

On the update of an Italian man that was quarantined at the hospital, Abayomi said that he was responding to treatment and improving daily.

“As of today, he is in a better spirit, he requires some psycho-social support, because he was getting depressed being in isolation, and the only person in the ward, and of course very few visitors and his family is not here.

“He has been receiving phone calls because we provided him with a phone with enough airtime and wifi for him to be in touch with his family, friends and the Embassy here, with the Consulate being very supportive.

“We have also provided some psychological support to him, some specialists have been in touch with him,” he said.

Abayomi noted that his last viral note was reducing, showing that he was recovering, saying if the trend continues, he would be released soon.

He said that once results of two tests to be conducted on him show negative, which means he was not secreting the virus, and would not pose a threat to the society.

The commissioner urged citizens to stay calm, and desist from false news.

He assured them of the government’s continuous efforts to safeguard the health of the public.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the state on Feb. 28 confirmed its first case of COVID-19 (coronavirus), making Nigeria the third Africa country to confirm the virus.

The virus was brought into the country by an Italian citizen who entered Nigeria on Feb.25 from Milan, Italy for a brief business visit.

The index case is presently being managed at the Infectious Disease Hospital in Yaba, Lagos.