A suspected COVID-19 case has been reported in Potiskum town in Yobe State.
This came after a 30-year-old man reportedly exhibited some symptoms of the deadly virus.
The development has thrown residents of the densely populated town into state of confusion and panic.
Meanwhile, Yobe State Commissioner of Health, who is also the Co-Chairman of the State Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Dr. Mohammed Lawan Gana, has confirmed the suspected case at a press briefing held in Damaturu on Friday.
He said the press briefing was necessitated on account of a suspected case of COVID-19 presented to General Hospital Potiskum yesterday, hence, the need to allay the anxiety by putting forward the right information especially to the general public.
“A 30-year-old truck driver, presented to the General Out Patient Department of General Hospital, Potiskum on the 2nd of April, 2020 with symptoms of cough, fever and difficulty in breathing of six days duration.
“The patient had travelled to Lagos 7 days earlier. He left Lagos on the 23rd of March, 2020 and had to stop over at a primary healthcare centre in Bauchi on account of the aforementioned symptoms when he couldn’t continue his journey to Potiskum.
“The State Rapid Response Team arrived the hospital around 8:30pm yesterday just few hours after being presented to the hospital to commence case investigation and to institute clinical and public health actions.
“These actions include: immediate arrangements for safety measures, provision of personal protective equipment.
“Other materials include; hands gloves, disinfectants were provided to the facility”, Dr. Gana explained.
According to him, the patient was placed on isolation for detailed assessment and detailed history, physical examination and other investigations were carried out to arrive at possible differential diagnosis.
He added that a Contact Tracing Team was proactively constituted to conduct monitoring of contacts in the hospital and within the community.
“As at today, a sensitization message was also carried out by Imams in Potiskum during the Friday sermons and the public are responding positively and the whole aim is to calm members of Potiskum community.
“As it is he (the patient) is being investigated for respiratory track infection, tuberculosis and Coronavirus disease.
“Basic samples of materials were collected and ware transported to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control, (NCDC) and WHO accredited lab in Abuja. The result is expected between tomorrow and the next”, he noted.
The Commissioner acknowledged that the patient is so far doing well at the isolation facility and is not in any form of distress, hence further actions would be guided by the result of the test being carried out.
“I will like to inform the general public that the state COVID-19 committee and the State Ministry of Health are on top of the situation and assure all that, we are working tirelessly to ensure the health and safety of the population are guarded”, he assured.
The committee through the Commissioner, urged members of the public to remain calm and continue to observe preventive measures such as frequent hand hygiene, observe respiratory etiquettes and maintain social distancing.
This was the second time a suspected case was recoded in the state; with the result of the first case turned out to be negative, while the latest one has been sent to Nigerian Center for Disease Control, (NCDC) for test.