A medical doctor, Dominic Essien, has died in Akwa Ibom State after showing symptoms of the novel coronavirus.
Chairman of the state’s branch of the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA), Nsikak Nyoyoko, confirmed the doctor’s death in a statement on Thursday.
Nyoyoko said in the statement that Essien was taken to the Ibom Specialist Hospital in Uyo where he died.
“I was called last night by a colleague who intimated me that one of our colleagues was sick with a week history of fever, cough and shortness of breath which worsened yesterday with his SPO2 as low as 72%, requiring him to be placed on oxygen at his clinic,” he said.
“I immediately called upon a member of the State #COVID19 Response Team to swing into action and somehow, later last night, our colleague was admitted into ISH and managed by specialists in respiratory medicine.
“With the symptoms elucidated above, a suspicion of COVID-19 was entertained and he had his sample taken today awaiting transportation to the laboratory for COVID-19 testing.
“Unfortunately, this revered colleague of ours died midafternoon.”
Dr Essien, a physiotherapist, owned a private clinic in Uyo and was also a lecturer in the Department of Physiology, University of Uyo, Akwa Ibom.
The state has six confirmed cases of COVID-19.
