181 students, staff contract COVID-19 in Lagos school

Lagos State Government has confirmed 181 positive COVID-19 cases in a private boarding school in Lekki area of the state.

Lagos Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, who broke the news, yesterday, said 181 students and staff members of a private school located in a suburb of Lekki tested positive to COVID-19 during surveillance and case investigation in the school. There are 441 students and staff in the school.

Abayomi said a 14-year-old SS1 female student took ill on the October 3 and was sent home after receiving first aid at the school. He added that the student subsequently tested positive for COVID-19 on Tuesday, October 6 in one of the accredited private labs in Lagos.

He assured Lagosians that the State government, through the incident commands system, has the situation under control, stressing that appropriate steps have been taken to contain the spread and manage the positive cases.

He noted that all parents have been contacted and counseled via a family zoom call on October 13 to further allay their fears, and communication between school authorities and parents continues.

The zoom call was attended by the Commissioners for Health and Education, and all relevant responders and stakeholders.

“There is a total lockdown and movement restriction in the school with the Epidemiology and Surveillance Pillar of the EOC and Ibeju-Lekki LGA State Disease Surveillance and Notification Officer (DSNO) reporting at the school daily to conduct further investigation while positive students and staff have been isolated on the premises and given the COVID-19 home-care treatment packs and are being monitored in isolation within the school premises,” Abayomi said.

The Commissioner stated that the school authorities, supported by the State Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education are following the COVID-19 guidelines as set out by the government.

According to him, “students are to be isolated in the School premises and if unwell will be admitted in one of the accredited isolation centres in Lagos. Students are discouraged from going home to avoid infecting members of their families.

“The Ministry of Health is working closely with the Ministry of Education to jointly manage this minor but significant outbreak in this boarding school. I am pleased to announce that all the infected students are predominantly asymptomatic while some have very mild symptoms. No student has required hospitalisation,” he said.

He urged Lagosians to call the 08000EKOMED or 08000356633 toll-free line if they notice any sign or symptoms of COVID-19, which include fever, cough, sore throat, fatigue or loss of taste or smell.