Thread by @DigiCommsNG

Daily #PTFCOVID19 Briefing

1,337 confirmed #COVID19 cases in Nigeria. 255 persons treated and discharged to go home. 40 deaths recorded. #PTFCOVID19

Minister of Health @DrEOEhanire: 9-person interdisciplinary team of Health Experts has been dispatched to Kano by @Fmohnigeria, to support the State Government in the #Covid19 Response

ADVISORY:

Use Non-contact greetings such as nodding or waving

Use your mask if you must leave your home

Elderly people and people with underlying health conditions should stay at home and refrain from receiving guests at this time.

#PTFCOVID19

ADVISORY:

Avoid all non-essential travel. The #Coronavirus is now in 32 States across Nigeria, it doesn’t fly about on its own from State to State; it is carried by humans. We seek to limit transmission in Nigeria by discouraging interstate travel. — @Chikwe_I #PTFCOVID19

.@Chikwe_I: Our Laboratory Strategic Group has set itself a target of testing 2 million people across Nigeria in the next 3 months - which comes to about 50,000 per State. That’s a very ambitious target. #PTFCOVID19

.@Chikwe_I: We are working very hard to equip our Labs to be able to achieve this. It will cost a lot of money and require a lot of collaboration. We are lagging behind in testing in Nigeria but now we have to catch up. We will need the support of all the States. #PTFCOVID19

SGF: As Mr President stated in his Speech PTF will provide specific details on the gradual easing of the Lockdown. The National Coordinator will provide these details which are applicable nationwide. #PTFCOVID19

Health Minister: Do not underrate the infectiousness of #COVID19. Only accredited facilities should handle this disease. Facilities that seek to manage infected patients must apply for accreditation from the #PTFCOVID19, and this will include training. #PTFCOVID19

DG @NCDCgov: There’s a longstanding WHO Reference Lab in Dakar, and they have a new #Covid19 test in development at the Lab. When the media carry a story there‘s sometimes hyperbole. The test is not available yet, & it also won’t be that cheap ($1) when it’s eventually developed.

DG @NCDCgov: I can confirm that the Molecular Laboratory at AKTH (Kano) is now back open and carrying out tests. #PTFCOVID19

DG @NCDCgov @Chikwe_I: Verbal autopsy is not new at all. It’s a long established way of establishing the cause of death in people, where you don’t have the opportunity of doing a standard autopsy. #PTFCOVID19

DG @NCDCgov, @Chikwe_I: There are many reasons for ‘verbal autopsies’ in our context: sometimes no access to body samples and body fluids... It’s not a foolproof method, but it’s also not unique to Nigeria. There are WHO guidelines about it. #PTFCOVID19

Minister of Health @DrEOEhanire: The @Fmohnigeria has established a Committee of Experts led by Professor @WALETOM, to advise on our #COVID19 Response. Other members will be announced shortly. #PTFCOVID19

National Coordinator, #PTFCOVID19: PTF will release implementation guidelines for the gradual easing of the Lockdown as communicated by President Buhari. These guidelines will be communicated to the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF), for implementation and adaptation at State level.