COVID-19: Nigeria continues to monitor new opportunities, developments in other countries

Nigeria’s health minister, Dr. Osagie Ehanire while speaking at the PTF COVID-19 media briefing stated that “we are working with agencies & partnering with state governments to serve rural areas by making sure that we maintain routine services including immunization”.

“State epidemiologist are required to kindly speed up the processing of test results, facilitate treatment & isolation of positive cases to address the gaps in COVID-19 response”.

“Nigeria continues to monitor new opportunities & developments in other countries including the new technology like saliva based COVID-19 test that is under development”.

“The National Health System is responding to COVID-19 challenges. Collaboration with states & LGAs remain the cornerstone of a successful strategy.

“The Government of Nigeria is supporting funding in states through the Basic health Care Provision Fund & REDDISE program.”

“The continuity of routine health services, capacity building of health workers & their protection is very important.

“We urge our health workers to continue to focus on; travellers screening, surveillance, sample collection, lab analysis & hospital care.

“I have directed that This Day Dome COVID-19 treatment center should be updated to a comprehensive level 3 centre with ventilators, dialysis facilities and  other clinical machines needed for a functional ICU”, the minister concluded.