Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Task Force Committee on COVID-19 has officially discharged the state’s index patient of the novel coronavirus from the isolation centre at the Kebbi Medical Centre’s isolation facility after his samples returned negative for two consecutive tests.
Commissioner for Health and Task Force Chairman Hon Jafaar Muhammad led other members of the committee to hand over the former patient to the District Head of Birnin Kebbi, Alhaji Halidu Sa’ adu.
While discharging the patient, Muhammad explained that after spending two weeks at the isolation centre, the results of tests carried out on him have returned negative.
According to the health commissioner, “we are witnessing the formal discharging of our index case of COVID-19 today after undergoing isolation rudiments for a period of two weeks. And we did follow-up tests on consecutive occasions. And through our investigations, the results turned to be negative.
“We did the second testing and the result came out on the 3rd of May 2020 and we did a follow-up investigation and it came out on the 9th May, 2020, and the result came out negative.
“Therefore, this is cause for celebration of our health procedures and our health system is working. So, we are happy today that with the collective hard work of our health workers on the front line, the management at the Kebbi Medical Centre Kalgo, who had put in all their efforts in managing the index case patient, the results came out to be negative as we are talking to you today.”
Mohammad commended the people of the state,the Kebbi State government and health workers for their cooperation to achieve the breakhrough.
In his short remark, the excited patient, identified as Mustapha Umar, praised the health workers, doctors and the task force that took care of him, saying that he was treated very well for the period he spent in isolation.
A member of the task force, Dr Abubakar Koko, the Chief Medical Director of Kebbi Medical Centre Kalgo who handed over the former patient to Birnin Kebbi district Head, confirmed that the patient had tested negative for the virus and is free to go home.