Cross River State has recorded its first COVID-19 case.

Chief Medical Director, University of Calabar Teaching Hospital, Prof Ikpeme Ikpeme, made this known in a memo to staff on Thursday.

Some soldiers transferred from Cross River State to Sokoto State had last week tested positive for the virus. 

According to Prof Ikpeme, a rapid test was conducted on a patient and the result came out positive.

He said, “A recent rapid test carried out on a patient came out positive. However, the patient had recovered and was discharged from our isolation centre last week.

“Management on the other hand will do everything possible to ensure that staff and patients are adequately protected in line with Nigeria Centre for Disease Control guidelines.”

Ikpeme added that the UCTH management had been in direct contact with the Director General of NCDC and has approved the hospital as an independent test centre.

He added, “The implication of this is that, henceforth, we do not need to pass samples through the Epidemiology Unit of the state as was the case before.”

All 36 states in Nigeria and Federal Capital Territory have now recorded cases of COVID-19 since the country’s index case was reported on February 27.