Total recoveries from coronavirus infection in Lagos State increased to 662 on Thursday, following 13 more patients discharged from the state’s isolation centers.
The state’s health ministry delivered the update on its Twitter account on Thursday, saying the patients tested negative to the infection.
This is the first group of patients to be released without two consecutive negative tests, as stated in the update to the ministry.
“13 COVID-19 Lagos patients; 4 females & 9 males, all Nigerians have been discharged from our Onikan, Eti-Osa (LandMark), Lekki & LUTH Isolation facilities to reunite with the society.
“The patients; 1 from Onikan, 4 from Eti-Osa (LandMark), 3 from Lekki & 5 from LUTH Isolation Centres were discharged having fully recovered & tested negative to COVID-19.
“With this, the number of COVID19 cases successfully managed & discharged in Lagos State has risen to 662,” the Ministry wrote.
Discharged cases also rose Thursday to 1,907 in Nigeria, with reported cases shooting past 7,000.
The Nigerian Center for Disease Control (NCDC) Director-General Chikwe Ihekweazu said on Thursday that Nigeria should move to only one negative test for COVID-19 patients as opposed to the two negative tests that was the previous practice.
Mr Ihekweazu noted that this will help to decongest isolation centers throughout the country that are already overwhelmed by the number of confirmed cases.
“On our discharge criteria, we changed it from two tests – 24 to 48 hours apart to a single negative test,” he said. “The reason is that most of our cases that tested negative also tested negative for the second time. Of course, there will be some exceptions.”
“Given the pressure we have on bed spaces especially in Lagos, Kano, and the FCT, we made a pragmatic decision to move to one negative test sufficient to discharge people,” he said.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Health, while responding to the decision to discharge patients with one negative test, said at a press conference that the state should follow the model.
“The practice of using one negative tests to discharge patients is something that we accept and we adopt.
“By the time you get one negative, there is a chance that a day or two later, you may become positive again because the virus has managed to escape your immune system and start secreting itself in very small quantity. And then maybe a week later you clear it finally.”
Mr Abayomi said that discharging people with one negative test will be effective with home-based care practices.
“When we discharge people, we still advise them to go home and isolate themselves for another seven days, because within the seven days, if you turn positive, you will clear it a day or two later,” Mr Abayomi said.