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Ekiti State health commissioner, Dr Mrs Mojisola Yahaya Kolade, has, revealed how the patient who brought the dreaded disease was fished out in the state. It was learnt that following the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire’s announcement of a positive case of Coronavirus in Ekiti State, the State Taskforce on Covid-19, headed by Governor John Kayode Fayemi, recorded an incident of a Nigerian male, 38 years old, of Ekiti origin, who tested positive to Covid-19.

A statement by the state Commissioner for Health, Dr Mrs   Kolade, and made available to newsmen in Ado-Ekiti, stated that ” the patient was suspected to have been infected while driving an American Caucasian, male, 27 years old, who was visiting Nigeria from Richmond, Virginia, USA in the company of his caregiver, a Nigerian female age 31, of Ekiti origin. Preliminary investigations showed that the American male and his Nigerian female caregiver, arrived Nigeria on 3rd March 2020 through the Murtala Mohammed International Airport Lagos and stopped by in Ibadan for two weeks, before their arrival in Ado-Ekiti on March 13th, 2020. The statement further read that the victim fell ill and was taken to hospital where he died, “a day after their arrival, the American male fell ill and he was taken to a private hospital where he was referred to a tertiary hospital. Unfortunately, he died from complications of his illness. The hospital authorities alerted the State Taskforce and samples were taken from the American male as well as his two companions. The test for the male driver came back positive; the test for the female caregiver came back negative while the test for the American male was inconclusive.

In line with the Nigeria Center for Disease Control (NCDC) protocols, the Ekiti State Taskforce on Covid-19 has already quarantined the confirmed case in the State Isolation Centre, while the caregiver who tested negative, is presently under observation in self isolation. We have commenced the process of contact tracing, working with the Federal Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) following the team’s itinerary since they landed in Nigeria on the 3rd of March 2020.
“We have also contacted the Oyo State Government since it was recorded that they stayed in Ibadan for two weeks before arriving Ekiti State. The confirmed case is very stable and not showing any symptoms while NCDC will repeat the test for the caregiver who is also in self isolation. The Ekiti State Task Force on COVID-19 is following the NCDC Case Management Protocols with diligence. We want to urge Ekiti residents to stay calm and ensure they observe the prevention steps that are being publicised on all credible media. It is important to state that this likely index case was on a short visit and had not been in Ekiti State for up to 72 hours before his death. The Ekiti State Taskforce on Covid-19 advises residents to continue to take self preventive measures by washing their hands with soap and water, covering their mouth when coughing or sneezing, observing social distancing and to alert the necessary authorities, The Government of Ekiti State will continue to update the public on new developments as necessary in our commitment to ensuring the safety and protection of all Ekiti residents.