THE Government of Cross River State has confirmed a fresh outbreak of COVID-19, with authorities linking the index case to a Chinese national working with Lafarge, raising renewed public health concerns in the state.
News Point Nigeria reports that the state Commissioner for Health, Henry Ayuk, disclosed the development on Tuesday during a news conference in Calabar, the state capital.
According to him, the first reported case involved a Chinese national employed by Lafarge, who arrived in Nigeria on March 17 before falling ill.
The commissioner explained that the patient’s condition deteriorated while receiving care at a medical facility under the ministry, prompting his transfer to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
At the facility, he said samples were taken in line with established protocols, and it was subsequently confirmed that the patient showed symptoms of COVID-19.
“We are, however, happy to report that he is doing well,” Ayuk said.
He added that the Ministry of Health had been repositioned by the current administration to effectively manage any situation, including disease outbreaks and epidemics.
According to him, there had been instances of silent infections and confirmed cases from time to time.
“But we are determined that for every ailment, every disease or outbreak, if it is identified here in the state, there should be no alarm.
“The state will do well in terms of surveillance or containment of an outbreak. Whatever it is, we will do our best to contain it. So, there is no alarm.
“When this case was reported about three or four days ago, we decided to be careful to confirm and ensure that the processes involved in identifying and confirming every case of COVID-19 are duly followed.
“The protocols have been followed and confirmed that a 53-year-old Chinese who works in Akamkpa Local Government Area of the state has COVID-19,” he said.
On her part, the State Epidemiologist, Inyang Ekpenyong, said the state emergency response unit had been activated in response to the case.
She noted that contact tracing and line listing of individuals who may have come in contact with the patient were ongoing.
While stating that the last confirmed case of COVID-19 in Cross River occurred in 2022, Ekpenyong said preliminary findings suggested that the patient may have contracted the virus within Nigeria.
“The incubation period for this virus is usually between two and 14 days, but the Chinese flew into Nigeria from China on March 17 and started developing symptoms on April 10.
“This is well beyond the 14-day incubation period. Like I said, we are doing the line listing of those he may have come in contact with, as part of our containment efforts.
“We have also activated the emergency response centre and deployed rapid response teams to Akamkpa, where the victim works.
“There is no way we can stop this disease, but we can stop the disease outbreak.
“It will be wrong not to contain or manage it by ensuring that people do not die,” she said.
Similarly, the World Health Organisation Coordinator in Cross River, Yewande Olatunde, cautioned that the disease remains present.
“We must explore all preventive measures to protect ourselves,” she stressed.