The Cross River State Government has confirmed a new case of COVID-19, marking the first reported infection in the state since 2022.

The State Commissioner for Health, Dr Henry Ayuk, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press conference in Calabar, stating that the case involves a 53-year-old Chinese national working with Lafarge in Akamkpa Local Government Area.

According to Ayuk, the patient arrived in Nigeria on March 17 and later developed symptoms, which worsened at a medical facility before he was transferred to the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH), where COVID-19 was confirmed following due protocols.

“We are, however, happy to report that he is doing well,” Ayuk said, assuring residents that the situation is under control.

He emphasised that the state’s health system has been strengthened to manage outbreaks, noting that there is no cause for panic.

“For every ailment or outbreak identified in the state, we will do our best to contain it. So, there is no alarm,” he added.

Providing further details, the State Epidemiologist, Dr Inyang Ekpenyong, said the emergency response mechanism has been activated, with contact tracing already underway.

“We have deployed rapid response teams to Akamkpa and commenced line listing of all possible contacts,” she said.

Ekpenyong noted that the timeline of symptom onset suggests the patient may have contracted the virus within Nigeria, given that symptoms appeared well beyond the typical 14-day incubation period.

Also speaking, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Coordinator in the state, Dr Yewande Olatunde, urged residents to remain vigilant.

“The disease is still around. We must explore all preventive measures to protect ourselves,” she said.