•As confirmed cases hit 139 •9 discharged

The Federal Government will deploy 300 GeneXperts Machines, to test for the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic outbreak in the country.

Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, disclosed this at the Presidential Taskforce Briefing in Abuja, yesterday.

Giving an update on the confirmed cases; the minister said that as at 8pm, confirmed cases had hit 139 in Nigeria with two deaths, and nine discharged.

GeneXpert machines were widely deployed about a decade ago to rapidly detect tuberculosis, including milt-drugs resistant strains;

It had since been adapted to enable rapid testing of many other pathogens, including not only HIV and hepatitis C, but also influenza, Ebola and sexually transmitted infections.

Ehaire said the recent inclusion of University College Hospital, Ibadan into the network laboratories for COVID-19, and ongoing assessment to include seven other laboratories in the next three weeks would enable increased testing capacity and improved turn-around time.

He said the laboratories would assist other response activities, thereby reducing the number of deaths.

He said it would be critical to reduce turnaround time between identifying a suspected case and confirmation.

Ehanire said the closure of the airports and also the land borders would reduce the number of importation of new cases.

He, however said that Nigerians should be aware that the elderly among them were particularly vulnerable groups.

Director-General of Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu, said the agency was applying containment strategy.

Chairman of the Presidential Task Force for the control of COVID-19, Mr Boss Mustapha, said they had just begun the first day of restrictions in Lagos, Ogun and Abuja.

Mustapha said that PTF was observing developments around the country as they received reports.

He disclosed that the PTF had however met with Security Chiefs to smoothen the rough edges of implementation and within the first day of implementation and an appropriate restriction protocol and exemption guidelines would be issued.

“Initial feedback is that there are violations of restrictions by the citizens that we desire to protect. Let me emphasise that the decision to lockdown is to prevent community spread which may be dangerous to manage. It can only be done by Nigerians and for Nigerians,” he declared.