THE Federal Government is not expecting an upsurge in COVID-19 fatality, Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Mr Boss Mustapha, said on Monday.
There is, however, more work to be done, he added.
Also on Monday, the Federal Government said Nigeria now has 11 molecular diagnostic laboratories following the activation of two in Kano and Jos.
It added that the spread of COVID-19 has slowed down, but warned against stigmatising those who tested positive for the virus.
Henceforth, governors are to handle the distribution of relief materials in states, the Federal Government said.
These are highlights of the Presidential Task Force (PTF) on COVID-19 daily briefing in Abuja yesterday.
Mustapha, who chairs the PTF, said the government had received about five tonnes of medical consumables from the United Nations (UN) to fight the disease.
He said since the President‘s broadcast on March 29, the team has made significant strides.
Mustapha said COVID-19 spread had been slowed down to avoid overwhelming the country’s fragile health system, while case identification, testing and isolation were intensified.
The SGF said the team and other stakeholders had intensified contact tracing and isolation, adding that 92 per cent of all contacts have been identified.
He said that the country had increased laboratories to 11.
Mustapha said the PTF had increased testing by 50 per cent to the current capacity of 1,500 tests per day, with over 6,000 tests done.
He said the procurement of a new high throughput testing would be concluded by month end.
The SGF said that the government had distributed Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to over 40,000 healthcare workers.
According to him, over 7,000 healthcare workers have been trained on infection prevention and control even as the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) teams have been deployed in 19 states.
“While we recognise the difficulties associated with such unprecedented action, we remain certain however that it is a step in the right direction for us to secure a healthier tomorrow,” he said.
The SGF appealed to all Nigerians to remain calm, maintain personal hygiene, observe physical distancing and stay at home.
Health Minister Dr Osagie Ehanire said it was very risky to treat COVID-19 patients in private hospitals or at home.
He advised affected persons to contact the NCDC through its toll-free lines.
The minister said non-essential travels should be postponed.
Ehanire believes that with the 11 molecular diagnostic laboratories, the country is likely to record more positive cases.
“We now have 11 COVID-19 functional laboratories in Nigeria, following two activated in Kano and Jos. We have pre-positioned laboratory testing sample and collection kits nationwide.
“We are making testing more efficient and increasing the volume of testing, so we expect to find more cases.
“We are doing more of smart testing – that is, testing that targets where you are most likely to find the cases.
“The Federal Ministry of Health (FMoH), through the NCDC continues to support response activities in states with new outbreaks, through timely deployment of Rapid Response teams.
“I enjoin states to adhere to the standards advised by the accreditation team and also again advise my professional colleagues that it is very risky to be treating coronavirus patients in private homes or their hospital establishments without IPC (infection prevention and control) training and accreditation.
“The hazard is serious with regard to self-infection and cross infection, evidence of which has manifested in some states.”
Ehanire said the PTF was working on compensation packages “to recognise the sacrifices” and “to further motivate the brave healthcare workers” who directly take on the coronavirus challenge.
“It goes beyond the well-known Group Life Insurance for public servants, the routine workmen’s compensation and health workers hazard allowance.
“Details of the new package will be made available later, but we must laud the offer of free Life insurance for 5,000 health workers, donated by a private Insurance Company,” he said.
The minister called for precaution to prevent community transmission, saying those in neighbourhoods with large positive cases, or have symptoms that are suggestive of the infection such as dry cough and fever, can be eligible for testing.
He said the NCDC would soon begin mass testing.
“What’s important is that if you test positive you need to go into isolation for the prescribed period.
“There are people who feel very well and have no symptoms but are well able to transmit the infection. Those are the ones we have troubles with.
“What is going to happen very soon is that the NCDC is preparing to have agreements with certain private-sector collection points in various areas of the town, so that you can go to a sample collection site and have your sample taken.
“First, you will be interviewed if you are eligible, and if you are eligible, your sample will be taken and a vehicle will go round, collect all the samples and do central testing.
That will reduce the work for NCDC and bring in more efficiency and get more people to be tested,” Ehanire said.
The PTF Coordinator, Dr Sani Aliyu, warned against stigmatising persons who have tested positive for coronavirus.
He urged Nigerians to help their relatives who fall within the most vulnerable to disease, especially the elderly, to stay safe.
“I will like to talk about the issues of privacy and confidentiality and request that we continue to respect the privacy of those that have been diagnosed with this disease.
“Repeated breaches of confidentiality, whether it’s by putting out the names of those that are positive in the public sphere or providing a detailed description of these persons to enable them to be identified publicly, does not help the pandemic at all.
“If anything, it drives people underground and makes it difficult for us to be able to test people.
“It creates fear in society, it creates stigma and overall, it destroys what we are trying to do, which is trying to get on top of the pandemic.
“I must remind all of us that this is a virus that does not discriminate: it could be your neighbour, tomorrow it may be you. It does not discriminate between a rich man and a poor man.
“If we don’t want to be treated unkindly, we should not treat others the same way.
“So, my plea to all of us, including our leaders, is to respect the privacy of those that have been diagnosed with this disease.
“If there’s any need to break the privacy for public health purposes, it will be done by the recognised authorities,” he said.