Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has disclosed that 75 contacts of the COVID-19 patients have been traced and are being monitored the Rapid Response Team of the medical advisory committee.
POLITICS NIGERIA reported how two cases of the pandemic were discovered on Monday.
This also came with the suspension of a Senior Consultant, Kazeem Alakija Salami, who kept vital information from the management of the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, about the first suspected case, Muideen Obanimomo, who later gave up the ghost.
It should be noted that the two cases of COVID-19 which have been confirmed in a statement by Mr Rafiu Ajakaye, media aide to the state governor and also Kwara State Technical Committee on COVID-19 press secretary on Monday, includes the wife of Mr Obanimomo, a UK returnee.
In a statement of Tuesday, Mr Abdulrazaq said: “Our job is cut out for us and we are definitely not dropping the ball. Contact tracing by the Rapid Response Team of the medical advisory committee has so far netted 75 persons who have had contacts with the cases and the suspected case at UITH.”
“Fellow Kwarans, this is a trying moment for the whole of mankind. But we are definitely not helpless or without reasonable preparation in Kwara State. We are also blessed with committed professionals who are up to the task and willing to stand up and be counted at this time — while also taking all precautions.”
He added that in a bid to “flatten the curve of transmission”, he “signed the newly prepared Kwara State Infectious Diseases (Emergency Prevention) Regulation 2020 on Monday, April 6th to provide legal backings for the local management of the global health situation”.
“This is an emergency and the regulation, built around some enabling laws like the Quarantine Act of 2004, empowers us to invoke various drastic measures in the days ahead if the occasion calls for it.”
“Highlights of the regulation include sanctions for anyone caught endangering public safety in whatever form or seeking to unfairly profit from our collective vulnerability and need for essential commodities at this time,” the statement read in parts.
Mr AbdulRazaq, however, announced the plans of the Federal government to install testing centres across the country.
He the only COVID-19 testing centre close to the state is that of Ibadan, adding that federal government is making efforts to expand the installation of testing centres across the country and Kwara state will be part of the third phase for the installation.
Meanwhile, as at the time of filing this report, 238 Covid-19 cases have been recorded so far across 14 states in Nigeria.
