COVID-19: Nigeria on course to stop pandemic, Taskforce assures

LAGOS, Nigeria – Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on Coronavirus Disease, COVID-19, and Secretary to the Federal Government, Mr. Boss Mustapha, has expressed optimism that the current challenge of the ravaging Coronavirus, COVID-19 pandemic in Nigeria, will soon be a thing of the past, in view of concerted and sustained efforts to curtail the pandemic in the country.

Mustapha equally commanded efforts of the Lagos State Government towards curtailing the ravaging pandemic, saying, “Lagos is doing a great job” on containment of the pandemic. Mustapha, however, urged residents of the state to continue to give government the necessary support in the fight against COVID-19, in  order to kick it out of the country.

The taskforce, accompanied by Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, inspected isolation facilities at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, Lagos Island; Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, IDH, Yaba; University Teaching Hospital, LUTH, Idi-Araba and Gbagada General Hospital, Isolation Centre, Gbagada.

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Also in the entourage was Minister for Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Muhammed, among other personalities. Speaking with newsmen, Chairman of the Taskforce said, “Thank you for the great job that you’re doing in supporting the work that is being undertaken by His Excellency, the Governor of Lagos State and his team.  We’ve just taken a tour of this facilities that is very important place in anticipation that we’ll have to receive patients here. 

“So far, I think Lagos State is doing a great job. From what I’ve seen here, they’re putting up a first class and a world class facility that will help us in the management of those that are affected with COVID-19.  I think we are on course and the basic strategy of the national response is containment, try as much as possible to reduce spreads to tracking of those that have already been infected so that we minimize the the case of community transmission.

“We are doing very well. So far, processes that have been put in place, the plans, the objectives are being achieved.  I listened to the briefing of the commissioner for Lagos State yesterday, where there was quite a clear indication that the reason for the lockdown and the processes that have been put in place is achieving its desired objective.”

Mustapha, charged the media to continue to broadcast to the people on the need to “maintain social distancing, we need to maintain personal hygiene and we need to report anybody within the community who has shown symptoms of the infection, so that as quickly as possible, the help that is desired can be extended to those persons. So thank you very much.”

Meanwhile, in a related development, governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has announced the discharge of yet another female patient from the isolation centre in Yaba, after testing negative to the Coronavirus Disease. 

“It is with immense joy, I announce the discharge of another patient (a female), who has fully recovered from our facility at Yaba. This brings to 32, the number of patients we have successfully managed and discharged in Lagos. 

“I look forward to sharing more great news in the coming days. This is indicative of the successes we are recording in our offensive against #COVID19. We are resolute in our resolve, we have the upper hand, we are winning and victory is surely ours,” the governor said.