Coronavirus: Lagos now epicenter of transmission, but contagion least serious of all nations in Africa

As Nigeria’s commercial hub and most populated state, Lagos is having more to contend with in managing the spread of the deadly Covid-19 which has now infected 13 Nigerians so far, with 1300 other citizens under investigation.

Going by the updates coming from the state commissioner for health and that of Ekiti, 13 of the 53 cases tested have been confirmed positive.

No fewer than 11 of them are Nigerians, coming from the US, the UK, Germany, and France, including four others infected in the country.

One death recorded so far, two survived the infection, and others are quarantined largely in Lagos.

Only three of the ten index cases (all imported) have transmitted the virus in the three states affected so far: Lagos, Ogun, and Ekiti.

One community spread case has been detected—in Lagos

Timeline

Feb 27

First index case (Italian) detected imported to Ogun, detected and quarantined in Lagos

March 9

Second case (Nigerian) infected through contact with first index case, detected in Ogun, quarantined in Lagos

March 13

Third (second index) case (US) imported to, detected, and died in Ekiti

Fourth case (Nigerian) infected through contact with the third case (second index), detected and quarantined in Ekiti

Fifth (third index) case (Nigerian) imported from UK, detected and quarantined in Lagos

March 18

Five new (Index) cases (4 Nigerians from UK and one US) all imported to, detected and quarantined in Lagos

March 19

Four new cases (2 of them index): One (Nigerian) imported from France, one (Nigerian) infected through contact with the third index, one Nigerian from Germany, and one (Nigerian) through community infection—all in Lagos

Total confirmed cases: 13

Total Nigerians positive, detected and quarantined in Lagos: 9

Nigerians positive in Ogun (quarantined in Lagos): 1

Nigerians positive, detected and quarantined in Ekiti: 1

Positives (Nigerians) imported to Lagos: 5 from UK, 1 from France, I from Germany

Positives (Nigerians) through contact: 3

Positive (Nigerians) through community spreading: 1

Positive (foreigners) imported to Lagos1:

Infected foreigners imported to Ogun 1

Infected foreigners to imported to Ekiti: 1

Infected foreigners dead: 1

Infected Nigerians dead: 0

Survivors:  Foreigner (Italian) 1

Nigerian: 1 (Italian contact)

But the information from the federal government doesn’t stack up with the details out there, especially as the Lagos Health Commissioner Akin Abayomi and his counterpart in Ekiti update Nigerians.

According to Health Minister Osagie Ehanire , there were 53 persons tested, 12 confirmed cases, zero death, 1 case discharged, and 3 states with confirmed cases were Lagos, Ogun, and Ekiti States, while the type of transmission showed six cases imported from Italy, United States of America and the United Kingdom.

To the World Health Organisation, this stats, and those of other African countries, 233 in all as March 19, is not credible. The world health body expects the virality and fatality to have galloped way higher.

“Even if there truly were no more than 233 cases of the disease in Africa, that number could scale up quickly,” WHO’s Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

“Africa should wake up. Probably we have undetected cases or unreported cases.”

On the continent, 36 countries have recorded incidents in the region of 800, with 19 deaths and 69 recoveries.