Special adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, says there is no cause for alarm following reports of presidential aides testing positive for COVID-19.
Garba Shehu, senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, among other aides, had tested positive for COVID-19 and is undergoing treatment.
There were also reports that the affected presidential aides are currently in isolation.
Speaking on the development, Adesina, in an interview with Channels Television on Sunday, said presidential aides are also humans.
“What I like to say is that presidential aides are just humans. They can fall sick. If anything happens to human beings, it can also happen to presidential aides,” he said.
“The fact that we are presidential aides does not make us immune to certain things. If there is a virus that is ravaging society, well, it can touch anybody.
“So Mallam Garba Shehu has confirmed that, yes, he tested positive but he said it’s mild. And I believe that by now, because it happened since Wednesday, by now, he should almost have beaten it if he has not beat it already. There is no cause for alarm.”
Asked how many presidential aides in the state house have contracted the virus, Adesina said it is not within his “purview” to reveal the details.
“That will not be within my purview to discuss, maybe if you get the presidential doctor or anybody on the medical side, they will tell you, I wouldn’t know because it is a private thing,” he added.
“If it happens to anybody, it’s between that person and possibly the doctor. It is not going to be general knowledge. So I may not be able to say.”
Asked if Buhari is currently in isolation considering that he may have come in contact with Shehu, he said the president is “quite fine” and currently going on with his normal routine.
“Well, I think Mr. President is quite fine, he is doing his normal routine, following his normal schedule. But if anybody close to him test positive, that person is required to stay away till he tests again, and he tests negative,” he said.