The Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) and the Amuwo Odofin Local Government (AOLG), Lagos State denied being the source of the voice note making the rounds on social media with an alarming figure of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Amuwo-odofin.
The viral voice note claimed that residents of the council area had been heavily infected by the coronavirus disease.
They made the denial at a press briefing organised by AOLG at its secretariat in Festac Town on Saturday.
According to the council Chairman, Mr. Valentine Buraimoh, the person who recorded the audio – whom he identified as Dr. Faith Anyanwu – is neither a staff of the Lagos State Government nor that of the NCDC.
“The active case search in AOLG is to identify people with symptoms to enable them qualify for screening to know the number of positive COVID-19 patients in the local government area.
“Persons with symptoms are then sampled to determine whether they are positive or negative,” he said.
Buraimoh said that samples were sent to the NCDC Emergency Operation Centre in the state, where they were tested and results communicated to the concerned people, privately.
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The chairman stated further: “This is a zonal office that includes Ajeromi, Amuwo-Odofin, Ojo, Badagry and Apapa.
“All these local governments I have mentioned come here to do collation of tests; so the 23 index cases are not only in Amuwo-Odofin, it cuts across the five local government areas I mentioned.”
Buraimoh urged residents of the council area to remain calm and observe all preventive measures as directed by governments and medical experts.
Also, Dr. Oyeladun Okunromade, Lead, Rapid Response Team, Surveillance, NCDC, said that Anyanwu was not a staff of the agency and not in any position to divulge such information.
“She is not by any means an agent of NCDC, she does not work for NCDC,” she said.
In the viral voice note, the sender claimed that Amuwo Odofin was a ‘hot mess’ because of an alarming number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the council area.
