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Abdulrazaq Mungadi, Gombe
The statistics released by Gombe State Task Force on COVID-19 on the spread of the Novel corona-virus in the state has indicated that no fewer than 26 out of the 33 active cases of the pandemic in the state were yet to be accounted for as they are neither on official isolation nor receiving treatment.
According to the task-force at a press briefing on Monday in Gombe, the state has had a total of 1,512 suspected cases of which 1, 088 have been tested.
Chairman of the task-force Prof. Idris Mohammed, explained that of the 1,088 suspected cases that have been tested, 127 turned out to be positive while 960 returned negative.
He further disclosed that 91 cases have successfully recovered and discharged from isolation facility while 7 confirmed cases were still being managed at the isolation facility in Kwadon and the state specialist hospital, adding that 5 of the 7 positive cases are in Kwadon while 2 are in the specialist hospital.
The task-force had also reported 3 COVID-19 related death in the past 2 weeks.
When asked on the whereabout of the 26 unaccounted patients the chairman said: “There seems to be misunderstanding on the figures being given,” However, the state commissioner of health Dr. Ahmed Gana explained that the differential that are unaccounted for are patients the task-force were unable to evacuate into the isolation centers.
He said: “That was why those twenty plus were missing, we have not been able to reach them, somehow they have runaway or they have refused to be evacuated, which means they have remain in their communities”.
The health commissioner had on Tuesday 12th May, lamented the increasing number of attacks on the Rapid Response Teams (RRT) of the task-force, while on contact tracing.
He said the attack on the team while on contact tracing was the greatest challenge in achieving a COVID-19 free Gombe State. “Just yesterday, our team was attacked in Funakaye Local Government Area of the state and their vehicle vandalized,” Dr. Gana stated during the committee’s daily briefing of the task-force on Tuesday 12th May while citing the act as a major problem hindering evacuation of patients into isolation facilities.
However, the chairman on Monday 18th confirmed that the situation has improved and that the attack on the RRT has reduced following continuous sensitization.
