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Timothy Olanrewaju Maiduguri
No fewer than 104 persons that had contact with the first coronovirus index case in Borno have been placed on isolation.
Deputy governor and Chairman, High Powered Response Team for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19, Umar Kadafur said 34 of the contacts tested negative while three were confirmed to be having the pandemic disease.
“So far, we have three cases: two persons who had contact with the deceased health worker and the other from neighbouring Gombe State. A total of 34 tested negative,” he disclosed.
He said the state has an isolation centre with 15 ventilators. He said the state has the capacity to handle the situation with trained health workers. He enjoined people not to panic.
“People should not panic. We are managing the situation and those infected will be given adequate treatment. COVID-19 can be treated and it is not a death sentence,” he stated.
He said government was working on decongestion of the internally displaced persons (IDPs) camps in the state to contain spread of the virus.
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Borno was recorded on Sunday. The man, a nurse working with an international health organization, died on Saturday.
Coronavirus can be prevented by regular hand washing, good hygiene, social distancing including abstaining from shaking of hands and gathering according to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
