Highlights Of Response By HMH At The PTF On COVID-19 Briefing Of 7th May 2020

Highlights of the response of the Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire to questions raised by Media Representatives at the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 Press Briefing of Thursday, 7th May, 2020.

On Isolation:
The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire declared that “The policy we have now is that if there is anybody arriving Nigeria from anywhere either by land, by air or by sea, they will go into isolation or let us call it quarantine.., they will be quarantined and will be there for 14 days, during that 14 days, they will be observed for any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 disease. They will be tested at the beginning and at the end.  If they come and they don’t have any symptom, they will be isolated at home.  If they don’t have a provision for isolation at home, at the very beginning, we have that provision, if you come and you don’t have the symptom, you will be isolated at home; but since then, all the cases we are dealing with now, came in and multiplied and in order to reduce the incidence of cases coming in and then forming clusters of new infections, the provision has now changed to what we call Isolation 1 for those who have not been confirmed or who are under observation.  If during the period, signs and symptoms show up, they will be quarantined.  But then, if after 14 days they show no symptoms or signs of COVID-19, they are free to go which means that from all intents and purpose, they are not carrying the virus; that’s the protocol we have now.

On the case of the patient from Benue:
The Honourable Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire disclosed that she has agreed to be tested and also as much as I have been informed gave conditions that she must be given all her results which is ok, no problems.. so the instruction is that she should be tested and given all her results, what has happened since then, I will be informed when I engage the Chief Medical Director of the Hospital, but we welcome the change of heart, because before now, she refused to give any sample; now she has agreed that she will give the test sample, if she’s tested and the result is negative, then the story will end there.

Olujimi Oyetomi,
Director of Information
Federal Ministry of Health