The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, has revealed that 113 health workers have been infected with COVID-19.
Ehanire revealed this on Thursday during the daily briefing of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 in Abuja.
He said the rapid speed of COVID-19 community transmission had become a major concern to the PTF, but a bigger concern is the number of health workers who have now tested positive to the virus in the line of duty.
He further dismissed reports of 300 doctors infected with the virus, adding that the sector does not have such a number of infected persons.
He said: “The over 300 doctors that are infected is not true.
“There are not so many people in the health sector who are infected.
“The latest figures we have is that they are about 113 actually.”
The minister explained that not all infected health workers are from the public sector, adding that some are from private hospitals.
He condemned the frequent rate at which COVID-19 patients are being treated in private hospitals without health workers taking the necessary precautions and training.
According to him, these health workers risk infecting themselves and their families.
Ehanire warned against treating infected patients without having adequate training and knowledge.
He, however, noted that the recovery rate in Nigeria is about 80 per cent or more.