COVID-19 Not A Hoax – NCDC

The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) says the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in the country, is not a hoax.

Director General of NCDC, Chikwe Ihekweazu stated this on Wednesday during the Presidential TaskForce Briefing on COVID-19.

Ihekweazu was reacting to a question by a journalist on the rumours in public space that the disease was just a scam in the country,and that it never existed.

The NCDC boss said those in doubt of the existence of the virus should go and asks patients, who had been discharged, about their experiences.

According to him, the minister of health was in touch with some of the patients, adding that it would be out of place for any member of the presidential task force to ask patients to share their experiences of the disease with the press.

He further revealed that as at 5th of April, the centre had trained a total of 3888 health workers for prevention and control of the pandemic.

He added that the trainings have built capacity among health care workers in the country, stressing that they would not only be useful now, but also for the future.”

Speaking on measures to fight the virus, Minister of Environment, Mohammad Abubakar said “We have mapped out 96 facilities and places to disinfect. I am happy to report to you that we have already done 88 of that 96 and we have just 8 to go.”

Abubakar said isolation and treatment centres must have adequate water supply, adding that there should be reservoirs to make sure that there was continuous flow of portable water.

While responding to safety measures put in place in the aviation industry, Minister of Aviation, Hadi Sirika said the ministry was vetting all approved flights into and out of the country.