CROSS RIVER CONFIRMS FRESH COVID-19 CASE

The Cross River State Government has confirmed a new case of COVID-19 in the state.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Ayuk, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing in Calabar.

Ayuk said the index case involved a 53-year-old Chinese national working with Lafarge in Akamkpa Local Government Area, who arrived Nigeria on March 17 and later developed symptoms.

According to him, the patient’s condition deteriorated at a medical facility before he was referred to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, where samples were taken and the infection was confirmed after due protocols were followed.

He, however, noted that the patient was responding to treatment and in stable condition.

The commissioner added that the state Ministry of Health had strengthened its capacity to detect and manage infectious disease outbreaks, assuring residents that there was no cause for panic.

He said, “When the case was reported a few days ago, we ensured that all necessary procedures for confirmation were strictly followed. The situation is under control.”

Also speaking, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Inyang Ekpenyong, said the emergency response system had been activated, with contact tracing and monitoring of possible contacts already underway.

She explained that although the last confirmed COVID-19 case in the state was recorded in 2022, preliminary findings suggested the patient might have contracted the virus within Nigeria, given the timeline of symptom onset.

Ekpenyong added that rapid response teams had been deployed to Akamkpa to contain any possible spread.

“We cannot completely eliminate the disease, but we can effectively contain it and prevent fatalities,” she said.

Similarly, the World Health Organisation Coordinator in the state, Dr Yewande Olatunde, urged residents to remain vigilant and adhere to preventive measures, noting that COVID-19 had not been eradicated globally.