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Femi Folaranmi, Yenagoa
Governor Douye Diri is expected to brief Bayelsans on the death of a COVID-19 patient at the Niger Delta University Teaching Hospital (NDUTH) isolation centre, Okolobiri, Yenagoa Local Government Area.
The case, a serving military officer who had a travel history to Delta and Lagos States had tested positive along with his son and a domestic help and was kept at the Federal Medical Centre(FMC) Yenagoa.
However his condition worsened prompting his transfer to NDUTH where he later passed away over the weekend.
Investigations revealed that Diri has been briefed by the State Task Force on COVID-19 and it was agreed that the governor should addressed the people of the state especially those still living in denial that COVID-19 does not exist in Bayelsa.
The COVID-19 State Task Force is said to be worried about the indifference approach many residents of the state especially those in Yenagoa pay to prescribed safety measures.
Sources said the state government may roll out very strict protocols going forward for residents of the state to enforce safety measures.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health and implementation chairman of the task force, Dr Inodu Apoku who confirmed the death of the patient also disclosed the plan by the governor to address Bayelsans because of the seriousness the state attached to the need for residents of the state to adhere to safety measures.
Apoku who decried people opting to treat malaria at home instead to subject themselves to COVID-19 test said there is need for residents of the state to take the threat posed by the infection serious.
According to him an address by Diri would strike the right chord in residents of the state on the dangers of flouting safety procedures.
Meanwhile findings indicated that seven contacts of some positive cases have made themselves available for the contract tracers to access.
Two of the contacts have their phones switched off, three cannot be reached by phone, one refused to grant access to contract tracers and one has travelled to Abuja.
This has created a dilemma for the state task force in its efforts to reduce the spread of the infection in the state.
Also the operations of the state task force which is being bogged down by lack of funds is now being compounded by threat of Resident Doctors at the NDUTH to embark on strike and suspend services to patients at the Isolation centre if the issue of their stipends are not addressed.
Sources said the state task force has scheduled a meeting with the Doctors and also trying to source fund from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
