Health Minister reveals when Susan Okpe will be discharged after testing negative

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire has stated that Susan Okpe would now be discharged after a third test on her turns out negative.

Ehanire made the clarification on Tuesday during the ongoing Presidential Taskforce briefing on COVID -19.

The minister disclosed that more COVID-19 laboratories were been activated in the country, which had led to an increase in the testing capacity for the disease.

He did not however, state the number of people being tested per day.

“We have increased daily testing capacity by activating more COVID-19 capable laboratories and we shall work with the private sector to outsource and diversify more sample collection sites and also improve logistics support,” he said on Tuesday.

He added that details of sample collection sites would be made known in due course by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC)

Speaking about the increasing number of cases in the country, Ehanire noted that it could be a fallout of the improved testing capacity.

He, however, also noted that there were evidence of increased community transmissions, and revealed that over 9,000 contacts had been traced. This, according to him, only reinforces the need for strict physical distancing as well as other safety measures.

“We have early evidence of community transmission already which reinforces the urgency of physical distancing, use of facemasks particularly where you know you can’t avoid a crowd or where you know that contact will be forced such as in markets or public transport etc,” he said.

He further said primary health care centres were not allowed to treat the disease.