The federal government said on Friday that an 18-man team of Chinese medical experts is expected in the country in a few days to assist the fight against coronavirus. “An 18-man team of Chinese medical experts including doctors, nurses and other medical advisers shall come along with the flight to assist us,” the minister of health, Osagie Enahire, said during a press briefing in Abuja.
“A special cargo aircraft shall leave Nigeria in a few days to collect the items which include commodities, personal protective equipment and ventilators.” The minister said the medical experts and medical supplies are provided through the courtesy of “a group of Chinese companies working in Nigeria.”
Enahire noted that nearly 3,000 samples have been tested for the disease, adding that Nigeria will witness an increase in confirmed coronavirus cases despite the lockdown. A similar sentiment was shared by Nigeria’s information minister Lai Mohammed last Thursday. Mohammed said the country could soon see an “exponential” increase in coronavirus infections in “days ahead.”
Since then Nigeria has confirmed an additional 139 cases against 51 cases it was when the minister made the warning, urging people to help in contact tracing and also take responsibility of adhering to medical precautions.
Nigeria has recorded 190 cases out of which Lagos state, which is the epicenter of the disease, has 98 cases. Abuja has 38: Osun 20, and Oyo, eight cases. Akwa Ibom state has five cases; Ogun and Edo states have four each; Kaduna, four; Bauchi, three. Enugu and Ekiti states have two cases each while Rivers and Benue states have recorded one each.
In Africa, over 7,000 cases have been recorded with 284 deaths spread across 50 countries. Globally, the confirmed cases hit one million on Thursday, with at least 51,300 people dead from complications of the disease. The infection has spread to 204 countries and territories since the first case was recorded in Wuhan, China, late December.