Health authorities in Cross River have dismissed reports of 10 new COVID-19 cases, confirming only one active case in the state. Commissioner of Health Henry Ayuk made the clarification on Thursday during an interview on Channels Television's The Morning Brief. He stated that the misinformation likely stemmed from confusion over 10 identified contacts being mistaken for confirmed cases. The sole confirmed case involves a Chinese man who arrived in Nigeria from China on March 17 and later traveled to Calabar for work. He developed symptoms and tested positive for the virus on April 17.
The patient was initially treated at a local facility but showed no improvement, prompting a referral to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital. He is now being managed at the isolation centre in Calabar and is reported to be improving daily. Ayuk confirmed that all close contacts of the patient have been listed and are under active surveillance for 14 days. The state has activated its public health emergency operations centre and reinforced surveillance and risk management structures across local governments. Ayuk emphasized that any single case is treated as a potential outbreak and is being taken seriously.
Henry Ayuk claims Cross River is taking the single COVID-19 case seriously while simultaneously downplaying public concern by correcting "false" reports of 10 cases, yet offering no explanation for how such misinformation spread unchecked. The Chinese national was already circulating in Calabar for a month before testing positive, raising questions about border screening and early detection. Nigerians in Cross River were exposed during that period, and the delayed identification of the case suggests gaps in monitoring international travelers. The state's swift activation of emergency protocols now contrasts with the apparent lag in initial detection.
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