Dr. Amarachukwu Allison is being credited as the first doctor to have diagnosed the first case of coronavirus in the country of Nigeria. The government and others in the country are praising her for helping with the nation's early diagnosis and rapid containment of the virus.
Dr. Allison reportedly was the first to suspect that an unnamed Italian man, who was working as a consultant with a local cement manufacturer, was infected with the coronavirus.
The man reportedly arrived in the country and spent a night at a hotel before moving to the company’s facility in Ewekoro, Ogun. He eventually fell sick and was taken to the company’s clinic where Dr. Allison's intuition began to suspect that he had COVID-19. She quickly had him tested for the virus, and the results were indeed positive.
Thanks to her vigilance and brilliance, he was quickly quarantined at the Infectious Disease Center in Yaba, Lagos state and the quick diagnosis has been credited for the reason why Nigeria has not become an epicenter for the virus.
Nigeria's Ministry of Health publicly thanked Dr. Allison on Twitter, and she responded to the tweet, thanking God "for intuition and knowledge" and for the safety of her teammates who worked with her at the time.
"My special prayers to health workers around the world who have paid the supreme sacrifice and to all families who have lost loved ones. To all unsung heroes, thank you," she added.
