Lagos State Government has confirmed more positive COVID-19 cases in another secondary school in the state.
The state’s Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Lagos, said the infections occurred in a boarding school.
Abayomi said that a staff of the school fell ill, received first aid treatment at the school clinic, but later tested positive for COVID-19 at the Lagos State Biobank on Nov. 2.
He noted that contact tracing revealed that a student and four contacts of the staff member were positive for COVID-19.
The commissioner noted that most of the infected persons are predominantly asymptomatic, while some have mild symptoms.
He said that the state COVID-19 Incident Command System through the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) was investigating the incident
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The statement read in part: “We would like to assure members of the public and stakeholders of the school that the situation is completely under control.
“Steps are being taken to contain the spread within the school and reduce exposure to the outside community.
“All parents are being contacted first through the PTA and a family zoom call is being arranged to further allay their fears.”
Abayomi noted that COVID-19 presents with very mild symptoms in children and teenagers, compared to other age groups, but warned that there was risk of infected children transmitting the disease to adults who they interact with daily, and who might be at higher risk of severe disease and death.
His words: “Students who test positive are to be isolated in the school premises and, if unwell, will be admitted in one of the accredited isolation centres in Lagos.
“Students are discouraged from going home to avoid infecting members of their families.”
According to him, the Ministry of Health and NCDC are working closely with the Ministry of Education through a joint approach to manage the outbreak in the school.
“COVID-19 is still very much with us and we must strive to prioritise the safety of all, including students and teachers, by adhering strictly to prevention protocols and guidelines issued by the government to prevent its spread,” he added.
He urged residents to observe and practice high standard of personal and environmental hygiene by using face masks in public places, hand washing and maintaining physical distance to help prevent the spread of the infection.
The commissioner further advised residents to call the 08000EKOMED or 08000356633 toll free line, if they notice any sign or symptoms of COVID-19, which include fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue or loss of taste or smell.
