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Olanrewaju Lawal, Birnin Kebbi
The Kebbi State Governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, has confirmed that two health workers related to a 60-year-old COVID-19 patient who died in his house had admitted the deceased at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Birnin Kebbi, as a diabetic patient.
Bagudu, who stated this while briefing reporters after a closed-door meeting with the Kebbi State Task Force on COVID-19 and other stakeholders, disclosed that eight of the samples of contacts with the deceased sent for testing in Sokoto had returned positive.
Governor Bagudu, expressing concern over the actions of the two health workers, whom he said are personnel of the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, explained that their failures had exposed innocent people to the virus.
“The second positive patient was a relative of two public health workers in the state and he was attended to as an outdoor patient at Usman Dan Fodio Teaching Hospital, Sokoto, from Wednesday 22nd, April 2020 to Friday 24, April 2020,” the governor said.
“However, his relative, from Kebbi, who is an employee of Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi, travelled to Sokoto on Saturday 25th April 2020 and for reasons that are still not clear to us, brought him to Birnin Kebbi where, together with the second relative, also an employee of Federal Medical Centre, the two of them took him to FMC where they both work and got him admitted as a diabetic patient.
“Later in the day, he was exposed to an emergency unit and admitted in the ward. Later in the day, he was examined for coronavirus testing and the sample was taken and he was referred to this isolation centre.”
Governor Bagudu noted that, rather than have the patient transferred to an isolation centre, he was taken home by his two relatives where he died.
“Unfortunately, the sample came back positive even though he was late and that making it the second death in the state.
“The State Task Force and Rapid Response team assisted by the staff of the Federal Medical Centre promptly set up for contact tracing… mostly staff of the Federal Medical Centre, Birnin Kebbi.”
Bagudu said that of the samples sent to the Sokoto State testing centre, eight returned positive, bringing the total number positive cases confirmed in the state by the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) as of May 5th to twelve.
He disclosed that all COVID-19 positive patients are currently at an isolation centre, while samples of people they have had contact with have been taken with result being awaited.
Governor Bagudu, appealling to people of the state to remain calm, explained that isolation centres or quarantine facilities are not death sentences or jail terms, stressing that anybody who might have been to high risk places should, as a matter of responsibility, voluntarily isolate themselves and that the Kebbi State government would take care of such people.
Speaking on the new restriction order by President Muhammadu Buhari, Governor Bagudu said the state government would fully implement the curfew.
“The curfew put in place by Mr President will be observed in Kebbi State… Security agencies are being mobilised to ensure compulsory quarantine for all those that are coming from outside the state. We have adequate quarantine facilities and we would enforce it.”
The governor added that the state government would also implement the wearing of face masks in designated public places, stressing that state residents must endeavour to put on the masks and adhere to social distancing protocols.
