Coronavirus: FG Speaks On ‘Detaining Benue’s COVID-19 Patient

The Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, has debunked the report that it was detaining the first Coronavirus patient in Benue State, Susan Okpe.

The patient in a video trending on the internet had noted that the Federal Government is detaining her.

Mrs Okpe stated that FG is her for treatment against her will.

She stated in the video, “Hi, everybody, this is Susan Idoko Okpe, née Lawani. I am pleading with everybody to please tell Nigerian government to let me go.”

“This is my 16th day of incarceration. What have I done, what have I done? Benue state lied on me that I have COVID-19. I just got the result yesterday after 15 days and the result is a stage play with different date birthdays, different recordings which they themselves know and trying to put right.”

Ehanire while reacting to the development at a press briefing in Abuja on Tuesday stated that Okpe tested positive twice for Covid 19.

The Minister of Health noted that the COVID-19 patient has refused to accept the results.

He explained that she claimed the result was fake because she was not showing any symptom of the disease.

He, however, added that “efforts are being made to carry out a third test on her and if the test comes back negative, she would be discharged.”

The Minister was quoted as saying, “This is a person who came from aboard and was heading to Benue. She felt unwell and was taken to a hospital and tested positive and was placed in isolation at Benue State.”

“I had said before that some people who are infected with coronavirus can have no symptoms, mild or very serious symptoms but even without symptoms they can be infectious.”

“This person recovered from the symptoms and began to doubt the test she had undergone. Something led the authorities there to call me and the first complaint was that she was not comfortable where she was kept so we now arranged for her transfer to a more comfortable facility and requested a second test and it came back positive.”

“But in the meantime she feels very well, we are planning a third test. This is a case where people feel they are very well and wonder why you are keeping them in isolation, so we tried to engage this individual through her family and her pastor. The bottom line is she is positive but doubts the result and says it is fake.”