Two persons who came into Nigeria from China have tested negative to coronavirus.
Emeka Oguanuo, an official of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), disclosed this The Cable on Saturday morning.
Chikwe Ihekweazu, NCDC director-general, had earlier said the centre was conducting tests on travellers from China.
“Last night, we had two cases and tests are going on at the moment. As soon as they are completed, it will be announced.
”If a person returns to the country, say within 20 or 30 days, there is no point wasting reagents to test such a person,” Ihekweazu had said in a statement.
“For other diseases, we usually advise people to go to the hospitals to get tested, but for suspected cases of coronavirus, patients are advised to simply put a call through to us, we will come to the patient because going to the hospital can amplify the disease if it is found to be positive.”
The centre said that a total of five people have been tested, adding that they cannot be said to be “coronavirus cases”.
The Coronavirus, which was first discovered in Wuhan, China, has claimed 1,400 lives with a total of 64,000 cases.
The World Health Organisation (WHO) had stated that it could take 18 months for COVID-19 vaccine to be ready.
