Today, the Nigerian government just announced that its third potential Covid-19 patient, a person who showed symptoms in Enugu state, in Eastern Nigeria is negative.
The laboratory result of the patient in Enugu suspected to have #COVID19 is NEGATIVE
It is important to wait for confirmation from NCDC before spreading information on social media.
NCDC will continue to provide updates to the publichttps://t.co/zQrpNeOfet https://t.co/chldqET4Wz pic.twitter.com/SLS4Dw8Zyk
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 15, 2020
The news that the virus might have escaped contact tracing in Lagos and Ogun state and popped up in Eastern Nigeria was worrying at the very least, seeing as far as we know, the government has centered its preventive campaign solely in the South West. But its swift responses to reports of a possible case and the speed with which we have gotten updates, keep us reassured that the government, in this one instance is on top of things.
But the government knows that, preventing the Coronavirus from becoming an epidemic in Nigeria will take more than just preventive measures, it will also take prompt dissemination of verified information and the early discovery and debunking of fake news. For once, the government is also being realistic about how people find and consume their news and fighting fake news on those platforms especially social media.
To make sure it is on top of information dissemination, happens, the Federal government has partnered with social media platform Twitter, to create a dedicated tab that disseminates information from the Federal Ministry of Health and the CDC of various countries to keep Nigerians abreast of developments in the pandemic.
?#COVID19Nigeria Update?
All Nigerian Twitter users will now be directed to our new microsite when searching for information on #COVID19:https://t.co/zQrpNeOfet
This is part of @Twitter’s support to NCDC, to promote verified information on #COVID19 in Nigeria pic.twitter.com/fWULL3HLPC
— NCDC (@NCDCgov) March 14, 2020
Take the tab for a spin, and let us all keep the news we share about the Coronavirus verified.
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