The federal government has said the team of 15 Chinese medical personnel, who arrived Abuja on April 8, 2020, would be tested for COVID-19 at the end of their mandatory 14-day isolation.
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, disclosed Wednesday during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
“I have ordered for the tests swap for COVID-19 to be done tomorrow (Thursday) and the test will be done for us to finalize if any of them is infected,” he said.
The Chinese medical team is made up of doctors, nurses and laboratory technicians came to Nigeria to support the fight against the spread of with medical equipment worth about $1.5 million.
The team is expected to begin work tomorrow after the completion of the 14-day quarantine period.
The minister also told journalists that all persons diagnosed with COVID19 would henceforth be treated in the state where the diagnosis was made rather than to be referred to another state.
“All persons diagnosed with COVID-19 be henceforth treated in the State where the diagnosis was made, rather than be referred to their States of origin except there is a medical indication to the contrary. This is to avoid the high risk of exposure of other persons in the course of transfer.
“Patent and Proprietary Medicine Vendors (PPMVs) and Pharmacists be forthwith prohibited from attempting to treat persons diagnosed as, or suspected to be COVID-19 patients, or else have their operating licenses cancelled,” he said.
On the issues raised by the Director of Centre for Infectious Diseases Research of the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, Professor Isah Abubakar, that the centre had run out of test kits such as reagents, the minister said government has reacted immediately.
“There was a report that there have reduced availability of regents and they supplied that. But in addition to that, there was temporarily halt in activity because some of the workers in laboratory got infected and the laboratory has been shut down for decontamination.
“That was just temporary. But with regards to supply of reagents, there have been replenished, they have the PPE and reagents and they are working,” he said.
He said as of April 22, 2020, about 782 people in 24 states and the FCT have been confirmed to have COVID-19.
