The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control has disclosed that 138 National Youth Service Corps members have tested positive for COVID-19 so far.
NCDC Director-General Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu revealed this in Abuja yesterday during the briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19.
He said those positive were among the 34,785 corps members and members of the camp communities tested so far in the last weeks.
He said the cases recorded was 0.4 percent prevalence and one in 200 people.
He, however, noted that the safe reopening of the NYSC camps nationwide was successful and that none of those who tested positive was allowed into the camps.
“Those who tested positive were either managed at home or in a treatment centre depending on if they have symptoms and what state they were in,” he said.
PTF National Coordinator Dr Sani Aliyu, urged schools to send home, any child with respiratory symptoms consistent with coronavirus to reduce risk of transmission.
The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said the government would, this week, inaugurate an 18-man National COVID-19 Vaccine Task Team to ensure vaccine security for the virus.
He said the reported strange deaths in Delta, Enugu, Ebonyi, Benue, Bauchi and Kogi States had turned out to be yellow fever outbreak.
The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and PTF Chairman, Boss Mustapha, said the taskforce discovered that some returnee travelers had indulged in presenting fake documents on COVID-19 tests and other information.
Mustapha said the PTF was concluding steps to work with relevant institutions and legal authorities to impose appropriate sanctions on those defaulting on the protocols.
He said within the last two weeks, flights from Europe (the Air France, Lufthansa and KLM) resumed their operations into Nigeria subject to details agreed to with the aviation authorities.
Mustapha said: “Ahead of the upsurge in travels for the Christmas and New Year festivities, we urge strongly that for this year, such trips should be put on hold firmly because of the risks involved.”
