Kaduna State Government on Saturday announced that a four-month-old girl and 19 other persons have tested positive for coronavirus in the state.

“The Kaduna State Ministry of Health has confirmed that 20 new Covid-19 cases were recorded in the state on Friday, 15‘h May 2020,” Kaduna State health commissioner Amina Baloni said in a statement.

“A four-month-old girl is regrettably one of the new patients, and investigations indicate that her father has travel history to Kano.”

Baloni disclosed that fifteen of the 20 new cases are family members or close contacts of previously confirmed cases.

She said the four-month-old, who was taken to the hospital for respiratory issues, was tested in accordance with the updated guidelines which advise that persons presenting with such symptoms be tested. Her parents have also been tested and their results are being awaited.

The 20 new cases, Baloni said, are spread across seven local government areas. Chikun LG has seven cases which include five members of the same family.

Giwa LG recorded four from the Shika community while three cases are in Kaduna North. Sabon-Gari and Kaduna South have two cases each, while lgabi and Zaria LGs have one each. Six health workers are among the new cases, underlining the risks associated with containing and managing Covid-19.

The latest cases show that Covid-19 has spread into nine LGAs – Chikun, lgabi, Giwa, Kaduna North, Kaduna South, Makarfi, Sabon-Gari, Saba and Zaria in Kaduna State.

“This widening spread of Covid-19 means that the risk of infection has increased for persons who do not stay at home or who fail to observe necessary precautions when they go out,” Baloni said.

Baloni advised parents to shun non-essential travel or interactions to avoid taking the virus home and infecting their children and loved ones as one of the Covid-19 fatalities in the state got infected when he received visitors at home.