Imo State at the weekend recorded its index COVID-19 case.
The government said it has begun contacts tracing of those the patient came in contact with.
Secretary of the State Committee on COVID-19 Prevention and Control, Dr. Austin Ikeji, confirmed the index case in Imo State.
He said the patient has been taken to the isolation centre for treatment.
On the identity of the patient, Dr. Ikeji said it would be quiet irrelevant to know where the person is coming from, adding that the most important thing now “is to know that we have recorded a case in Imo State and therefore people have to be very careful and comply with instructions.”
He said that the duty of the health officials in the state “is to enlist the contacts of the person and track them up.”
According to him: “The confidentiality of the person is sacred and we recognise the need of ethical consideration. We cannot be answering certain questions that will breached the ethical provisions.
He advised people to be very careful and take seriously instructions given to them on the virus.
“The most important thing is people must be very careful. You know people have not been taking most of the instructions given or advice been given to them. When they are asked to stay at home, they don’t stay. When they are told there is a lock down, they don’t observe.
“We are asking them to observe all these instructions for their own good. Now we have it, it has become reality that coronavirus is here with us.”