Health
Lai Mohammed, Garba Shehu, more presidential aides reportedly test positive for COVID-19
A number of presidential aides have been reported to have tested positive for the coronavirus (COVID-19) disease.
According to a report by an online newspaper, Premium Times, the Presidential Villa is keeping a sealed lip on the matter, even as newspapers correspondents are advised against reporting the surge in infections at the villa.
The report listed those infected to include the permanent secretary in the State House, Tijani Umar; the President’s Aide-de-camp (ADC), Yusuf Dodo; his chief security officer (CSO), Aliyu Musa, and his senior special assistant on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, whose results were confirmed positive during the week, the minister of information and culture, Lai Mohammed, is also down with the virus.
Some of the infected officials including Mr Garba, sources disclosed, were taken out of the cabinet meeting on Wednesday when the result of their polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests came back positive.
Mr Shehu, who confirmed that he was “afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19,” in a text message shared on Saturday, said he has “no confirmation” of other cases mentioned to him.
He added that he was already fit, claiming he just completed his physical exercises, but that it would require scientific evidence to claim that he no longer had the virus.
His message reads in part; “I have no confirmation of the cases you mentioned, but yes I have been afflicted by the mild variant of the COVID-19. I felt okay from the beginning, maybe because one had received all three jabs, and right now, I feel 100 per cent. I just finished my hour-long running exercise.
“But the strange thing about this ailment is that it is the scientists, not you, that will say you are okay.
“Right now, I’m taking my prescriptions and isolating and would go back for a test to ascertain if the virus is still here or it has left me. Thanks for your goodwill.”
