Ogun Government Commends Doctor Who Suspected Coronavirus In Italian Man

Michael-Azeez Ogunsiji

ABEOKUTA - Ogun State Government on Saturday has commended the young female doctor who suspected the dreaded virus disease, COVID-19 in the index case in Nigeria.

Dr. Amarachukwu Karen Allison who works at Lafarge clinic discovered the symptoms in the Italian man and recommended early diagnosis which led to the rapid containment of the first COVID-19 disease. 

The state government on its twitter handle @OGCovid19update expressed pleasure and commended the doctor for her brilliance performance. 

Similarly, the state government has called on Nigerians to cue from the management of the index case of the dreaded coronavirus within three weeks who has been discharged to reunite with his family.

 In a press statement by the Ogun State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Tomi Coker, the government congratulated the Italian on completion of his treatment, expressing delight of the state government that he will be reunited with his family and friends after being cleared of the COVID-19 disease.  ‬

According to her, there are valuable lessons to take from this case towards the successful management and limitation of transmission of the COVID-19 disease. ‬

“A heightened index of suspicion, amongst frontline health workers such as Dr. Amarachukwu Karen Allison who suspected COVID-19 in the Italian. Private Healthcare providers are of keen note in this because they are the first port of contact for sixty percent of the populace,” she said.

‪The Commissioner added that early diagnosis and prompt intervention by health personnel trained in the  management of COVID-19 disease should not be taken for granted, pointing out that strict self- isolation and social distancing are effective in curtailing the spread of the disease.

‪She underscored the need for collaborative efforts of a multi disciplinary and mullti sectoral team comprising of the federal government, Ogun and Lagos States governments respectively as well as both international and local partners.

Coker said that the private  sector, where latent resources, ranging from infrastructure to financial were tapped into to mount an appropriate response to COVID-19 disease should not be left out, affirming that the success story of the index case being discharged and integrated back into society within three weeks of diagnosis was predicated on these factors.

“Early diagnosis and prompt intervention by health personnel trained in the  management of COVID-19 disease should not be taken for granted. Strict self- isolation and social distancing is effective in curtailing the spread of the disease as shown by the 40 contacts of the index case who were quarantined within designated facillities for 14days, until they were deemed fit to resume normal life. 

“The private  sector, where latent resources, ranging from infrastructure to financial were tapped into to mount an appropriate response to COVID-19 disease should not be left out. The success story of the index case being discharged and integrated back into society within three weeks of diagnosis were highed on these factors,” the Commissioner stated.