First Case of Covid-19 in Rivers State: A Case Report on the Public Health Response
Owhonda Golden *
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Des-Wosu Ihuoma
Department of Community Medicine, Rivers State University, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Eze-Emiri Chidinma
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Patrick Foster
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Nwadito Ifeoma
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Princewill Chike
Department of Human Physiology, University of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Ndidi Utchay
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Abiikor Victor
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Aaron Friday
Department of Surgery, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Arugu Godswill
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Omosive Maduka
Department of Community Medicine, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria.
Obelebara Adebiyi
Department of Public Health and Disease Control, Rivers State Ministry of Health, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Five days after arrival in Nigeria, a 19-year-old female model called the Public Health Emergency Operation Centre with complaints of fever, cough, sore throat, catarrh, sneezing, and diarrhea. A nasopharyngeal swab Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) confirmed the diagnosis of COVID-19 on the 26th of March 2020 making her the very first coronavirus (COVID-19) case in Rivers State. Following the diagnosis, the case was moved to the treatment center. Contact tracing of all possible contacts was conducted; one hundred and five contacts were located and asked to self-isolate for fourteen days. The patient had a relatively mild illness; she was treated and discharged home after two weeks when she had two consecutive negative PCR results.
Keywords: COVID-19, polymerase chain reaction, treatment centre, contact tracing