Cross River State Confirms New COVID-19 Case

Health officials in Nigeria have identified a new COVID-19 case in Cross River State, as reported by the News Agency of Nigeria. The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Ayuk, confirmed the details in Calabar recently. The patient is a 53-year-old Chinese national who works for Lafarge in the Akamkpa Local Government Area. He entered the country on March 17 and began feeling unwell shortly after his arrival.

Dr Ayuk noted that the man first received care at a state clinic. Later, medics transferred him to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, where staff followed standard protocols to confirm the COVID-19 case. Regarding the patient’s recovery, the commissioner said, “We are, however, happy to report that he is doing well,” and added, “But we are determined that for every ailment, every disease or outbreak, if it is identified here in the state, there should be no alarm.” He reassured the public that the state will manage the outbreak effectively. “The state will do well in terms of surveillance or containment of an outbreak. Whatever it is, we will do our best to contain it. So, there is no alarm.”

State Epidemiologist Dr Inyang Ekpenyong has now started emergency response and contact tracing. This is the first COVID-19 case in the region since 2022. Because of the timing of the symptoms, she believes the man may have caught the virus locally. She stated, “We have also activated the emergency response center and deployed rapid response teams to Akamkpa, where the victim works.” She also reminded everyone, “There is no way we can stop this disease, but we can stop the disease outbreak,” while focusing on containment efforts. Finally, Dr Yewande Olatunde from the WHO urged people to stay careful, saying, “We must explore all preventive measures to protect ourselves.”