Edo intensifies contact tracing of 830 suspected cases, clears 917

• Medical Doctor tests positive in Bayelsa
• Fear grips Delta community over suspected Covid-19 patient
• Market leaders champion containment of Coronavirus spread in Trade Fair

By Samuel Oyadongha, Evelyn Usman, Gabriel Enogholase, Perez Brisibe, Davies Iheamnachor, Ephraim Oseji & Paul Olayemi

EDO State Government has announced the discharge of 917 suspected coronavirus cases across the 18 local government areas of the state, who have completed the compulsory 14-day follow up and tested negative.

State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Patrick Okundia, who disclosed this to journalists in Benin City, yesterday, said the cleared cases comprise 338 Persons of Interests (POI) and 579 others that had various degrees of contacts with confirmed cases.

He disclosed that the state has so far recorded 95 confirmed cases, 885 suspected cases, five deaths and 35 discharges, adding that the state’s improved efforts at screening and testing were responsible for the rising number of confirmed cases.

According to him, the state has tested over 917 residents, screened over 126, 000 persons and is currently contact tracing over 830 others across the 192 wards of Edo.

The commissioner reassured that the remaining 55 cases that were yet to be discharged are on active treatment at various isolation centres in the state and were responding well to treatment.

The commissioner, who identified screening and testing as essential in the government’s efforts at containing the pandemic, said, “The Edo State Government encourages all residents with symptoms of the disease to come out for screening, testing and treatment as early detection is key to containing the virus. When detected early, a patient’s chances of survival increases.”

Medical Doctor tests positive in Bayelsa

A medical doctor has tested positive for COVID-19 in Bayelsa State, bringing the number of active cases in the state to two.

Governor Douye Diri announced the new confirmed case, yesterday,  in Yenagoa during a meeting of the COVID-19 Taskforce, which he chairs.

Diri said, “The doctor, who is a staff of the Federal Medical Centre in Yenagoa, was earlier admitted at a private hospital before he tested positive for the virus.

“His travel history showed that he came into the state from a trip to neighbouring Delta State. The hospital has been shut down for decontamination to commence.”

The governor noted that five positive COVID-19 patients had been successfully treated and discharged, as he cautioned frontline medical personnel handling active cases to adhere strictly to laid down protocols.

Arising from the resolutions taken by the taskforce, the governor directed that the presidential directives of inter-state lockdown be adopted for another two weeks as well as the dusk-to-dawn curfew of 8p.m., to 6a.m.

Fear grips Delta community over suspected Covid-19 patient

Meanwhile, there is fear in the Yoruba Road area of Sapele in Delta State after a Covid-19  case was reported.

Vanguard learned that the suspected case was a middle aged man, who was found to be abandoned in a wood house in the area, but was noticed by neighbours breathing heavily and was promptly reported to the authorities.

A source who craved anonymity told Vanguard that “The man was brought back from Lagos few days ago and left in the car for days. However, when his presence in the vehicle was beginning to raise dust, he was moved to a house built with wood and left there before we noticed his condition and raised the alarm.

“When the news got across to a community leader and activist, Chief Newumi Omolubi, he dashed down to where the patient was, and sent for the man’s relatives, who denied their brother’s illness was a case of corona virus but said it was a result of heart problem,” the source narrated.

Omolubi was said to have provided cash for the man’s relatives to move him to the hospital.

Onuesoke seeks increase in testing, quarantine centres across Nigeria

Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, chieftain and former Delta State governorship aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke has appealed to both Federal and state governments to increase covid-19 testing and quarantine centres  across the country as a measure to curtail the rising spread of the pandemic.

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He appealed to corporate organisations and well to do individual to provide funds  for the establishing of both  testing  and quarantine centres  for the treatment of covid-19 patients, adding that until there were enough testing and quarantine centres in the country, the pandemic  will still linger on.

Onuesoke in a statement, yesterday, disclosed that he has observed that Nigeria does not have enough testing centres, adding that the few  covid-19  testing centres were not enough to attend to the high population of Nigerians.

“We need more testing centres across the federation in combating this global pandemic. We need people to get tested, sensitised and have the know-how of overcoming this monster called Covid-19. To achieve it,  we need at least one testing  and quarantine centre in each local government across the country.”

ALMAJIRIS: Group task S’South govs on neighborhood watch

To check the spread of the coronavirus in the South South, Centre for the Vulnerable and the Underprivileged, CENTREP, has tasked governors of the region on the need to form neighbourhood watch to curb the influx of Almajiris into their states.

CENTREP in a statement yesterday by its executive director, Oghenejabor Ikimi, explained that the security outfit will help in possibly averting any calamity by Boko Haram insurgents, whom have threatened mayhem in the South-South and the South East in the event of an attack.

He said, “Our attention has been drawn to the movement of suspected terrorist from the North to the South-South region and other Southern states of the federation under the guise of being Almajiris while COVID-19 lockdown is on.

“We wish to timorously advice the governors of the South-South region to immediately set up neigbourhood watch in various communities within their respective states to possibly avert any calamity by Boko Haram which have threatened mayhem in the South South and the South East in the event of an attack.”

APC to Buhari: Disregard Rivers monarchs on disbandment of joint Taskforce

Dissatisfied with the call by Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers to stop the activities of the Joint Taskforce on movement of agricultural products and foodstuffs, set up by the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, in the state, the All Progressives Congress, APC, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to disregard the call.

Chairman of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers, HRM King Dandison Jaja, had as part of efforts to check the spread the coronavirus in the state, tasked President Buhari to call the IGP to order over the joint Taskforce, adding that the activities of the team would jeopardize the health of the people of the state.

But, the South South Zonal Secretary of APC, David Okumgba, in a statement in Port Harcourt, described the call as unnecessary, urging Buhari to discountenance it.

Okumgba said: “Our people are already being strangulated by actions of Governor Nyesom Wike’s – cogitare facit-  generalship in combating the virus.”

He expressed shock over the involvement of Traditional Rulers in the politics of the state, adding that the council led by King Jaja appears to be under the supervision of Wike.

He enjoined the council  to call the governor to order, adding that his frequent conduct since the outbreak of the pandemic remains a constant embarrassment to the good people of the state.

Market leader champion containment of Coronavirus spread in Trade Fair

Meanwhile, market leaders at Trade Fair Complex on Mile 2-Badagry expressway, Lagos, have put up precautionary measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus to the market.

They also, called on Police authorities to accord them the right to arrest traders, who failed to carry out stipulated directives towards achieving the aim.

The call is coming on the heels of complaints that some of the traders at the Balogun wing of the market failed to obey directives on the provision of water and soap for customers to wash their hands before entering the plaza.

Speaking with journalists on the level of compliance to the precautionary measures,  President, Balogun Business Association, Mr Tony Obi, said that on the part of the association, buckets of water were stationed at the entrance gates as well as a thermometer to test the temperature of everyone entering the premises.

He said that it was not possible to get 100 percent compliance to the Federal Government’s directive, but “On our part,  we owe it a duty to enforce the directives which include social distancing, wearing of face masks, providing and using sanitizers for customers.

Vanguard