Comprehensive facts have emerged about the Italian who happened to be the first case of the novel Coronavirus disease in Nigeria.
The Italian is identified as 44-year-old senior staff of Lafarge Cement Manufacturing company Ewekoro Ogun State of Nigeria.
Nevertheless, he has been quarantined at the Mainland Hospital, Yaba, Lagos. The Mainland Hospital was formerly known as Infectious Diseases Hospital.
Nonetheless, a health worker at the hospital stated on Friday that the Italian patient has been angry. And had attempted to escape due to the state of the isolation centre.
MEASURES ON THE COMPANY
An employee of the company, who drove the Italian infected with Coronavirus with an ambulance to Lagos for medical attention, has also been arrested.
Furthermore, a clinic situated inside the cement factory has also been shut down. While staff are currently locked inside a room.
This is coming after growing fears that the Italian had been in contact with many persons in Ogun State before being rushed to Lagos for medical help.
THE ITALIAN’S ROUTE TO AND IN NIGERIA
The Italian entered Nigeria aboard Turkish Airlines on Monday, February 24th, 2020 around 9:40pm. This is against February 25th claimed by the Lagos and Nigerian health sectors.
The decision to move the Italian to Lagos was soon hatched following the non-existence of a facility to handle his case in Ogun.
According to findings, the ambulance used to convey the man to Lagos was not from the infection control centre in Lagos as claimed by the state government. Rather, the ambulance was from another clinic in Sagamu, Ogun State.
The driver, who drove the Italian to Lagos, was exposed to him for at least five hours. The driver was not isolated or quarantined but he was allowed to go home.
Consequently, he was also exposed to several other person especially his immediate family members. This has heightened the risk of the virus spreading further.
According to a source at Lafarge cement manufacturer in Ogun,
“I am just concerned about the primary contacts.
The man (driver) is back here now, there are no plans of taking him into isolation
The health care providers were not also isolated. The driver was allowed to go home, claiming he didn’t break any protocol when he delivered the man.
The company tried to smuggle the Italian out of Lagos by air by pretending that he had Malaria”.
The source further stated thus:
“There are so many persons that had been exposed to the index case. And if these people are not found and quarantined, we could be in big trouble.”
Meanwhile, the Lagos state commissioner for health has visited the coronavirus patient in the quarantine facility.
Professor Akin Abayomi, has visited the Italian corona virus patient at the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Yaba, where he is being isolated and treated.
The Commissioner said he spoke with the man and assured him that he would be taken care of.
While there, Professor Akin Abayomi took time to inspect the ongoing renovation of the isolation wards. The renovation is expected to be completed in a couple of days.
