The Lagos State Government says it has discharged another 13 COVID-19 patients from its Yaba and Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) isolation facilities to reunite with the society.
The state government, through its verified Twitter handle, said on Thursday, May 14, 2020 that the patients were two females and 11 males, all Nigerians.
“The patients: four from Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba; nine from LUTH Isolation Centres, have fully recovered & tested negative, twice consecutively to COVID19.
“With this, the number of patients successfully managed & discharged in Lagos has risen to 541,” it said.
The state government on Thursday recanted its earlier statement on the COVID-19 status of the late 32-year-old Dubai returnee, saying outcome of his COVID-19 test “is negative”.
Prof. Akin Abayomi, the Commissioner for Health, made the clarification through his verified Twitter account handle on Thursday night.
“I hereby inform the general public that the Nigerian, who recently returned from Dubai as part of a group of returnees who were placed in a COVID-19 isolation programme in Lekki, developed complications and was transferred to one of our facilities where he died.
“Because of the sudden nature of his demise and without any prior knowledge of his multiple preexisting conditions, it was presumed to be a COVID-19 related death, pending confirmation by COVID-19 Gold standard test.
“This presumptive attribution is a precaution to ensure the safe clinical management of the patient and subsequent handling of the corpse.
“The definitive COVID-19 gold standard test has turned out to be negative for the COVID-19 infection, and his death is no longer considered to have been attributable to COVID-19,” he said.
Abayomi had on May 12 announced that the 32-year-old Dubai returnee died from COVID-19 infection, due to his underlying conditions.
Abayomi had said that “death of the deceased makes the number of deaths recorded from COVID-19 in Lagos to be 34”.
The commissioner had on May 13, in a tweet, apologised for the mistake in presuming the cause of the death to be COVID-19 related, adding that result of a confirmation test was awaited.
“I regret any misinterpretation this post might have caused.
“The result of COVID-19 test conducted will be published once it is ready,” Abayomi had tweeted.
He, however, noted that with the confirmation of the deceased COVID-19 test being negative, the numbers of COVID-19 deaths in Lagos now stands at 33.
According to him, the number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in Lagos State has increased to 2,057.
Abayomi on Thursday, through his Twitter handle, said that 51 new COVID-19 infections was confirmed in Lagos on May 13, increasing the numbers of COVID-19 infections to 2,057.
The commissioner added that, on the same day, 26 fully recovered COVID-19 patients; 13 females and 13 males, all Nigerians were discharged from the state isolation facilities.
️”This brings the total number of COVID-19 discharged patients in Lagos to 528,” he said.
Earlier, Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State, disclosed that a 98-year-old woman, the oldest COVID-19 patient in Lagos, was among the patients discharged.
Sanwo-Olu urged residents to continue to play their roles by following public health guidelines, observing physical distancing and wearing of face masks.
The Lagos State Government has begun an extensive public enlightenment campaign, so as to contain community spread of COVID-19.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, said in a statement on Thursday that the campaign would go across the 20 Local Governments Areas and 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) of the state.
Omotoso said the exercise was initiated after the discovery that members of the public did not comply with the directives issued by Gov. Sanwo-Olu as the lockdown was eased in the state.
”It is disappointing that residents threw caution to the winds immediately the governor announced the partial lifting of the lockdown imposed by the Federal Government.
‘People stormed banks without exercising caution despite the ravaging effects of the pandemic.
‘The enhanced public enlightenment campaign, which will involve LED and mobile billboards, is expected to strengthen the advocacy on physical distancing and other preventive measures.
“Information about the symptoms, prevention and sample collection centres for individuals who exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 will dominate the campaign.
”It has become imperative to penetrate communities with details that will attract the attention of residents to engender compliance with health experts’ directives on COVID-19,” he said.
By Oluwafunke Ishola and Florence Onuegbu
