Yobe Records Index Case Of COVID-19

Yobe State has recorded its first case of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The state Deputy Governor and Chairman of COVID-19 Prevention and Control Committee, Idi Barde, announced this on Thursday during a press briefing.

He explained that the patient is a 29-year-old man who has no travel history, adding that his result back positive after the government sent three samples of suspected cases to Maiduguri, the Borno State capital on Monday.

According to the deputy governor, the committee has immediately swung into action to trace the contacts of the patient and have so far isolated members of his family.

He, however, urged the residents not to panic but observe all the precautionary measures put in place, such as social distancing, and regular washing of hand with soap and water among others.

Earlier, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) said 196 new confirmed cases and five deaths were recorded on Wednesday.

It said Yobe reported its index case in the last 24 hours while the figure of total confirmed COVID-19 cases rose to 1728.

Three hundred and seven people have been discharged following their recovery and 51 deaths have been recorded in 34 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

The new cases were found in Lagos (87), Kano (24), Gombe (18), Kaduna (17), FCT (16), Katsina (10), Sokoto (eight), Edo (seven), Borno (six), Ebonyi (one), Yobe (one), Adamawa (one).

Meanwhile, the Lagos State government has confirmed the death of one more patient at one of its treatment centres.

In a tweet on Thursday, the state Ministry of Health revealed that the patient was a 25-year-old man.

It added that the patient was in a state of severe breathlessness at the time of admission.

According to the ministry, this brings the total number of people who have died of COVID-19 in the state to 20 from 947 confirmed cases.