The COVID-19 Report: Doyin Okupe and wife, Atiku’s son, and other prominent Nigerians who have recovered

In the midst of rising figures of COVID-19 cases in Nigeria, there are still some positive reports behind the scary four digits number of confirmed cases.

As of Tuesday May 12, 2020, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has confirmed 4787 cases. From this figure, the nation has lost 158 while 959 have recovered, representing about 20.5 percent of the total confirmed cases.

While some have survived the virus, some prominent Nigerians have also died from complications of the virus. They include – Mallam Abba Kyari, the former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari; a former Managing Director of Pipelines and Products Marketing Company (PPMC) a subsidiary of NNPC, Suleiman Achimug (Nigeria’s first coronavirus victim), among others.

So far a commendable number of prominent people have won the battle against the deadly virus and have since left the isolation centers to reunite with their families.

According to NCDC, the decision to discharge a patient should be taken on clinical grounds and supported by laboratory results.

“A negative PCR means that the virus can no longer be detected in the respiratory samples,” and the patient would be discharged if there is “significant improvement in respiratory symptoms and respiratory nucleic acid negative for 2 consecutive times (samples taken at least 24hrs apart)”.

After discharge, NCDC says the “patients should be followed up weekly for the first four weeks and monthly for the next three months”.

Here is a list of high-profile Nigerians who have recovered from the virus:

1. Mohammed Atiku-Abubakar

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, announced on Sunday March 22 that one of his sons Mohammed tested positive for the virus. He was discharged after spending 40 days at the isolation center when he tested negative for the virus.

The case of the 31-year-old is amongst the longest ever recorded in the country among those who have recovered.

2. Dr Doyin Okupe and wife, Aduralere

A former Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe and his wife Aduralere, spent about two weeks in an isolation center in Sagamu, Ogun State, where they were treated for Covid-19. They were discharged on Tuesday May 12.

Okupe who announced that he has been discharged in a post on his Facebook page wrote, “On April 23, my wife Aduralere and I tested positive for the Covid-19 virus. That same day we were moved to the isolation ward facilities in Sagamu. Glory be to God Almighty Jehovah and His Son Jesus Christ through whose blood that was shed for us at Calvary and by whose stripes we became healed and tested negative twice for the Covid-19 Virus. We were discharged from the isolation centre, in the early hours of today.”

3. Governor Nasir El-Rufai

The Kaduna State Governor became Nigeria’s 90th COVID-19 patient when he announced on March 28 that he has tested positive for the virus. He is also one of the public office holders infected with the virus shortly after Mallam Abba Kyari was confirmed to have been infected with the virus.

After spending about four weeks treating the virus, El-Rufai was discharged on April 22.

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Announcing his recovery via Twitter, the governor wrote: “I am delighted to report today, that after nearly four weeks of observing a strict medical regime, I have now received the all-clear after two consecutive negative test results.”

4. Governor Bala Mohammed

Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, was the first Nigerian governor to contract the virus. He tested positive for coronavirus on Monday March 25 and was discharged on Thursday April 9.

Announcing his latest test on April 9, Mohammed said on Twitter: “I just received the green light. My second test for #COVID19 returned negative”.

5. Governor Seyi Makinde

After being widely criticized for hosting a rally of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in his state amid COVID-19 outbreak, the Oyo State Governor on Monday March 30 announced that he has tested positive for coronavirus. A week after, on April 5, he announced that he has recovered after his second test showed that he is negative.

His case has been described as one of the shortest ever in the country.