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Omokuvie Orude, Bauchi
Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, said yesterday that another seven COVID-19 patients were discharged to go home from the Mainland Infectious Disease Hospital, Yaba, after recovering from the disease.
This brings the numbers of discharged patients in Lagos to 39.
Sanwo-Olu, through his verified Twitter handle, yesterday, said the patients included one female and six males. He said three of the discharged male patients were foreign nationals; two Ukrainians and one Italian.
“I bring you awesome news from IDH, Yaba, which is as a testament to our resolve to overcome the lethal #COVID19 pandemic ravaging the world. Today, we discharged seven more patients who have fully recovered and tested negative twice consecutively for #COVID19. This brings to 39 the number of discharged patients in Lagos,” he said.
Sanwo-Olu implored residents to support the government’s efforts against COVID-19 by complying with directives and taking responsibility for themselves and their communites.
He added that, in the coming days, health workers would be moving around in pairs to administer an electronic questionnaire at homes and healthcare facilities to make enquiries about some symptoms like cough, cold and fever.
“This is in a bid to intensify our search for possible cases of #COVID19 in different communities across the state known as Active Case Search,” he said.
The governor said the health officials could be identified with a COVID-19 outbreak response tag or a letter from the local government area: “I implore you to give them your maximum support by providing accurate information that would help in containing this #COVID19 pandemic quickly.”
Sanwo-Olu assured residents that everyone would be victorious at the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Bauchi State government has disagreed with the claim by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) that two new cases of coronavirus had been recorded in the state.
The NCDC, on Tuesday, published an update of new outbreaks of COVID-19 in the country, disclosing that two new cases were recorded in Bauchi State, bringing the total number of those that have tested positive for the disease in the state from six to eight.
Deputy Governor of the state, Baba Tella, at a press briefing yesterday, said the disclosure by the NCDC was incorrect, as the total number of positive cases for coronavirus in the state remained six.
Tella said there was a mix-up of sex and addresses of samples collected and accused the NCDC of reporting old cases whose samples were taken to Abuja for second tests as new cases.
He said the problem started when samples were sent for a re-evaluation and “the NCDC didn’t tell us to detail hospital and management, saying the centre ended up treating old cases as new ones. No new case was recorded in Bauchi; two tested positive and we had four index cases. Two turned out negative. The NCDC added two to the already two that tested negative,” Tella said.
“We implore with the NCDC to sit with our officials, because we know that they are overwhelmed. We have written to the NCDC to correct it on their website. The NCDC website reports added two new cases for Bauchi, we are not disputing it, but there is a mix-up. Initial three were on medication. We sent three samples, which they returned positive, making three total cases for Bauchi State six. They returned the names and there was mix up of sex and addresses. The two new cases being reflected as new cases is not correct because we discovered there was a mix-up,” he said.
LASU VC urges students to study online
Vice chancellor, Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, has urged students of the institution to keep learning during the lockdown by studying online.
He said the university was putting in place online platforms for the students. The platforms would include WhatsApp, Drop Box, static pages on the varsity’s website, Google Classroom and free conferences, among others.
“Recently, LASU management had a meeting online with all deans of faculties, provost of the LASU College of Medicine and the dean, Post-Graduate School, to agree on the modality for online lectures for our students,” he said.
Fagbohun noted that the idea was to continually engage the students and keep them learning until school reopened.
UBTH says 2 patients recuperating
The University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH), says the two COVID-19 patients receiving treatment at its facilities were fast recuperating.
Dr. Benson Okwara, UBTH head of the Rapid Response Team on COVID-19, disclosed this while speaking with newsmen on Thursday in Benin.
He was reacting to a report alleging that there was panic at the hospital over the COVID-19 patients receiving care at the isolation centre.
“One of the patients is almost asymptomatic. Our healthcare workers in medical emergency unit have always put on their medical face masks and hand gloves while treating them. They have also maintained other standard precautions, which have been enshrined in UBTH’s care processes,” Okwara said.
Prof. Casimir Omuemu, chairman of the medical advisory committee of the hospital, said global best practices were being maintained in handling the patients.
He stressed that members of the Rapid Response Team have so far activated 12 doctors, 33 paramedics and 30 nurses, who were on hand to receive any case and provide guidance.
