Why coronavirus patient attempted to run away

In the early hours of Friday morning, the first case of coronavirus (COVID-19) was confirmed in Lagos State, Nigeria's biggest commercial hub.

According to the Lagos State Ministry of Health, the index case was an Italian man who visited a cement company, Lafarge in Ewekoro, Ogun State.

He was reportedly quarantined in Mainland Hospital, Yaba.

However, a health worker at the hospital said on Friday that the patient was angry and had attempted to escape.

The patient had complained about the state of the isolation centre, MyNigeria.com learnt.

The high ranking health worker, decried the ‘very poor quality’ of the isolation centre, lamenting that “the authorities have not matched words with action.”

This is opposed to the words of the Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Obafemi Hamzat, who said the state government had built a facility to handle the situation, adding that the patient was getting better.

Hamzat had said, “It is a lab that can accommodate 100 for now, but it is only one bed that is occupied today. Hopefully, it wouldn’t spread. We are ready and we are well equipped. He (the patient) is there and he is getting better. He is steady. The doctors say he is going to be fine.’’

MyNigeria.com gathered that the Coronavirus index case had been “very upset about the surrounding,” as the patient “complained of excessive heat and mosquitoes.”

The health worker, who did not wear any personal protective equipment required of workers in such an environment, said, “The patient wanted to run away."

The Italian man, who seems to be an engineer, was very angry that the room where he was kept was very hot.

“There is nothing there (inside the isolation ward) aside from bed and hospital locker. He almost ran away and is still threatening to do that.”

The source said the level of preparedness in Lagos State for infectious diseases such as coronavirus and Lassa fever “is zero.”

According to the source, the Mainland Hospital does not have a ready and designated facility to isolate and treat Lassa fever patients, much less coronavirus. The source noted that the place earmarked for Lassa fever treatment had yet to be completed.

The source said, “The place meant for Lassa fever patients has been under construction in the past one month. It is not yet completed. As you can see, they are makeshift structures, hurriedly put together with white tarpaulin.

“They are not permanent structures and I don’t know how this place can accommodate humans that have a highly infectious disease like Lassa fever,” he said.

The health worker noted that despite the fact that the state government had been able to track some persons that had had contact with the index coronavirus case, they could not be quarantined, allegedly because the state lacks requisite facility.

“The standard medical operational procedure is to track all contacts and have them quarantined to avoid further spread of the virus. But we cannot do that here because we lack such facility, which is why there is emphasis on self quarantine.

“Even where the Italian man is presently being isolated was a room vacated by a patient. I pray God save us in the coming months because we are not ready for the danger posed by the coronavirus.”