Governor Dapo Abiodun, on Friday, said the 62-year-old third case of coronavirus in Ogun State has tested negative and would be discharged this evening.

Abiodun said the 62-year-old male patient who returned to Nigeria from the United Kingdom on March 17 and was tested positive to COVID – 19 had been tested twice.

The patient was later treated at the isolation centre at Olabisi Onabanjo University Teaching Hospital, Sagamu.

The state government which briefed newsmen on Tuesday had said a 32-year-old patient had contacts with her father and was also tested positive to the virus.

But, the governor broke the news on Friday night at his Iperu residence, Ikenne Local Government, ahead of the total lockdown of the state.

The Governor said having tested the UK returnee twice with the results showing negative was due to be discharged.

He said as of the moment, two out of the four coronavirus cases in the state have been discharged.

According to him, the cumulative number of confirmed cases in Ogun State is just four, out of which two have been discharged.

He further said,

“The cumulative number of confirmed cases so far is just four, out of which two have been discharged.

“As a matter of fact just before I started this address, I was informed that the third person has also tested negative twice. So, he will be discharged this evening .”

Speaking on the lockdown which takes effect from 11 pm on Friday, Abiodun hinted that it would be total until Tuesday morning when the shutdown would be reviewed.

He, however, explained that the state would relax the lockdown for seven hours every 48 hours.

He said this would give an opportunity for economic activities to strive within the few hours of the relaxation time.

Abiodun spoke on t relief packages ,saying, no fewer than 500, 000 beneficiaries would enjoin the packages meant to cushion the effect of the lockdown

He said the state has acquired 12 Ventilators, eight of which are combined ventilator and anaesthesia machine and four of which are mobile Ventilators.

Abiodun thanked the General Overseer of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye for donating ventilators to the state.

The governor disclosed that the state’s molecular laboratory would be ready next for an easy and faster test of COVID – 19 cases.

He said

“In the next few day, the state will have its own molecular laboratory, this laboratory, we have acquired and he would allow for us to be able to test for our patients right here in Ogun State.

“Presently, what we do is when we take the swabs, we sent the swabs to either Lagos or Ede which has recently come up.

” But the truth is that the result, the turn around for this test could take between three to five days and during that period the period would have been very apprehensive and also the chances of contact infection, and also the faster you are able to test, the faster you are able to identity those that are likely to be positive of negative.

“Hopefully by this weekend to Monday, our molecular laboratory which is probably the first state acquired laboratory in this country, not donated to the state should be in place, which will minimise the anxiety of screened patients and their families.”