Gov. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State says the state has recorded its first COVID-19 death. Makinde made the death public on his Twitter handle at about 11:30 pm on Wednesday.

He said that the deceased died at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, before his COVID-19 test result came out positive. It is believed that the patient may have contracted the virus and harboured it over a long period before seeking medical help heightening panic over surge in community transmission.

“The COVID-19 confirmation test for one suspected case came back positive.

“The patient died at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, before his result came out today- Wednesday; contact tracing has already commenced.

“As reported earlier, one confirmed case was transferred to Lagos, so, there are currently five active cases in Oyo State,” Makinde tweeted.

Oyo State has 17 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as at Wednesday night, out of which one person died and another was transferred to Lagos.

Ten persons were also discharged after testing negative twice following their first test that came out positive for COVID-19 while there were now five active cases.

Makinde, however, urged residents of the state to keep following the directives of the COVID-19 taskforce such as regular hand washing with soap and water or use of an alcohol-based hand sanitiser.

He implored people to continue to maintain social distancing, saying gatherings remained limited to a maximum of 10 persons.