The Nigerian government has confirmed the second case of coronavirus in the country.

The Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, announced this on Monday at a press conference in Benin City, the Edo State capital.

Ehanire briefed reporters at the boardroom of the University of Benin Teaching Hospital, where he gave an update on the coronavirus infection in the country.

He, however, noted that the newly confirmed case was a contact of the index case and not an importation into the country.

The minister said, “It is my duty, therefore, to announce a new case of coronavirus disease (CIVID-19) in Nigeria.”

“One of the important response strategies at the containment stage has been to identify all contacts, ensure their strict isolation, and to follow up daily with checks for any symptoms of the disease.

“Following recent experience from other countries and evident from newly published studies on non-symptomatic infections, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), advised that samples should be taken from all contacts of the index case for testing.

“It is in this process that these two cases were detected.”

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The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) also announced the confirmation of the second coronavirus case via its verified twitter handle.

According to it, the case is a contact of the index case in Ogun state and has been in isolation and was tested as part of strategy to check all contacts of the index case.

Since the first case was confirmed in Lagos, the NCDC said it has been supporting the Ogun State Emergency Operations Centre to respond accordingly.

It, therefore, urged Nigerians not to panic as the situation was under control and take necessary measures to protect themselves from the virus.

The Honourable Minister @Fmohnigeria has announced a second confirmed case of #COVID19 in Nigeria. This second case is a contact of the index case, in Ogun state. The new case has been in isolation and was tested as part of our strategy to test all contacts of the index case. pic.twitter.com/aTkzEy3qXo — NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 9, 2020

Read the minister’s full text below: