Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso, has said the state will this week commence the clinical trial treatment of COVID-19 using chloroquine as approved by NAFDAC.
The state, which is the epicentre of the virus in the country, had previously disclosed plans to carry out the chloroquine clinical trial.
Omotoso, in an interview with Sunday PUNCH on Saturday, said, “We are ready for the chloroquine clinical trial because we have just secured all the approvals. The documentation has also been completed. Those that will be used for the trials are ready too. By next week we should be ready for the trial.
“Also, Lagos got a supply of additional 20,000 testing kits, although we were expecting 40,000. It means that the testing will increase now.”
In a related development, a COVID-19 patient was successfully delivered of a baby boy at the Gbagada Isolation Centre in Lagos on Saturday.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Gboyega Akosile, said the delivery of the baby through a caesarean was another pointer that the state’s strategy in combating the virus was working and yielding the desired results. “Both mother and baby are doing well,” he added.
The governor also announced that 67 more patients, comprising 22 females and 45 males including three foreign nationals; two Indians and a Chinese were discharged from four isolation centres in the state on Saturday.
“The patients; 24 from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba; 22 from Onikan; 11 from Agidingbi; two from Lekki and eight from Lagos University Teaching Hospital isolation centres were discharged having tested negative for COVID-19 in two consecutive readings.”
While commending the dedication of health workers in the state, he said the number of patients successfully managed and discharged from isolation facilities in the state had increased to 608.
He urged the populace to adhere strictly to all safety advisories being the only way to break the chain of the transmission.
Bayelsa discharges two COVID-19 patients
Two COVID-19 patients in Bayelsa State were also discharged on Saturday.
The two patients, who were in the isolation centre at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital in Okolobiri, were linked to the index case that was discharged about a week ago.
A statement signed by the deputy chairman of the state COVID-19 task force and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Dr Inodu Apoku, said the repeat tests of the remaining cases linked to the index case returned negative.
He said, “These patients have also met all other guidelines of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control for discharge. Consequently, they have been discharged on Saturday.
“Therefore, there is only one active COVID-19 case in the state after discharging the index case and the other four linked cases.
