The man was initially placed at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital before later moved to a ward were persons suffering from stroke are treated.
At least four doctors at the University of Medical Sciences Teaching Hospital, Ondo Town, Ondo State, have been placed in isolation after coming in contact with a man suspected of having Coronavirus.
The patient named David, came into Nigeria from Maryland, United States of America, to visit family members and was rushed to the government hospital on Wednesday after developing symptoms related to the deadly virus.
The man was initially placed at the Accident and Emergency Unit of the hospital before later moved to a ward were persons suffering from stroke are treated. [story_link align="left"]78914[/story_link]
A staff of the hospital, who spoke with SaharaReporters, said that the Ondo State Government seemed unprepared for the situation at hand.
“I understand a call was put through to the Commissioner for Health yesterday (Wednesday) evening and the unpreparedness in his tone was in bold letters,” the source said.
On Wednesday, SaharaReporters had revealed how the man’s blood sample was taken for testing.
His presence at the facility was said to have caused panic among health workers, who feared that they could be exposed to the virus.
Commissioner for Health in the state, Dr Wahab Adegbenro, had while confirming the situation on Wednesday said that the case was still being suspected.
He said, “We are still suspecting the case of the old man since he returned from the US but he has been isolated in the hospital's ward. [story_link align="left"]78908[/story_link]
“So, we would be sending over his blood sample for further confirmation because the man has cough and I feel this could give us a lead into his case.”
Governor of the state, Rotimi Akeredolu, is expected to address residents of Ondo by 7:00pm on Thursday (today) following the development.
Recall that Nigeria announced five new cases of the deadly virus on Wednesday.
The country has now recorded eight cases in total, raising fears of the virus spreading further in the coming days and weeks.
To curb the spread of the disease, the Nigerian Government on Wednesday announced the formation of a Presidential Task Force to come up with recommendations on how to tackle the scourge.
In addition, several state governments have announced the closure of schools and banned public gatherings of more than 50 persons to curb the spread of the virus.