The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, on Wednesday confirmed that the World Health Organisation is tracing some passengers who flew in the Turkish Airlines with the Italian man who brought coronavirus to Nigeria.
Recall that the Italian arrived Lagos from Milan on February 24 and was diagnosed with the novel disease on February 27.
He is currently undergoing treatment at the Infectious Disease Centre, Yaba.
The Commissioner also disclosed that the Italian’s identity has been kept a closely guarded secret because it would be against the ethics of medical practice to reveal it to the public.
The commissioner explained that out of the 149 passengers that were on the plane with the Italian, 84 were based in Lagos, while 65 have travelled out of Lagos.
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He said: “The 65 passengers who have travelled out of Lagos are being tracked by WHO and state epidemiologists because they are no longer under our jurisdiction.
“Out of the 84 based in Lagos, 49 are reachable, 35 are unreachable. We are trying our best through other means to contact them.
“The 35 passengers are unreachable because of the abnormal data they might have provided for us in their forms; wrong information via telephone numbers, residential addresses and next of kin.”
The commissioner added that 35 people who might have had contact with the Italian in Ogun State were still under the 14-day quarantine period.
“I spoke with the Commissioner of Health there yesterday (Tuesday) and so far nobody has developed the symptom. Six people from the hotel he lodged in Lagos are also being monitored. The drivers that were involved are also being monitored. We don’t have any case at the moment. Nobody is in isolation except the index case. Four people have been tested so far, three were negative, one positive,” he added.
