As the Italian man, who was first diagnosed with Coronavirus in Nigeria was discharged from the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in Yaba area of Lagos, he has reportedly donated one unit of white blood (plasma) to Lagos State Government.
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the state, who made the disclosure, said the index case consented to the donation of the blood plasma which he said is rich in antibiotic proteins that target the coronavirus pandemic.
The blood plasma, which has now been frozen in the government’s bio-bank, according to Sanwo-Olu would be beneficial in treating new patients in the absence of a defined therapeutic drug for Coronavirus.
As the COVID-19 Incident Commander for Lagos, I am glad to inform you that the index case; the Italian gentleman is now negative.
Through a combined effort of Lagos, Ogun State and Fed Health Authorities, we were able to limit the transmission of the virus to a single contact. pic.twitter.com/PDvAsLLAnP
— Babajide Sanwo-Olu (@jidesanwoolu) March 20, 2020
Recall that in late February 2020, the Italian man, whose identity was enclosed on the ground of medical ethics by the Lagos State Government, made his way into the country on a business visit through a flight of Turkish Airlines.
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Having arrived in the country, he embarked on a journey to Ogun state, where he became ill and was transferred to Lagos, where he was diagnosed with the infectious disease.
When he arrived in Nigeria, the Italian made contacts with different persons, which had since resulted in several suspected and confirmed cases of the coronavirus pandemic.
As four new cases of the virus were confirmed in the country, the Commissioner for Health in Lagos, Akin Abayomi, stayed that the state health ministry was tracking over 1,300 persons in relation to the virus.
Meanwhile, there are now over 219,763 infected cases, more than 10,000 deaths and over 85,751 recoveries from the pandemic on a global scale.
The virus, which is fast-spreading across the world, has negatively impacted economies of different sectors and industries.
READ MORE: IMF says it can mobilize $1 trillion loan to help countries counter Coronavirus
In view of how businesses are being crippled, there are fears that the disease spread can lead to prolonged economic misery across the planet.
