Amidst fears of the spread of coronavirus to the state, the Oyo State Government has said the state is yet to record any positive case.
However, the government said there is the suspected case of an individual, a UK returnee, who is presently observing the protocol of self-isolation, adding that contact tracing on the suspect was ongoing.
The confirmation came on the heels of information that a carrier of the virus who was confirmed in Ekiti State transited and stayed in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital city for two weeks before transiting to Ekiti State where the case was confirmed.
The government made the assertion through the state’s Commissioner of Health, Dr Bashir Bello, while giving update to the public at a press conference held at Agodi Secretariat in Ibadan.
Speaking on the suspected case, Bello disclosed that some tests currently being carried out on samples collected from the said individual had been sent to the National Reference Laboratory, LUTH, for Southwest.
He added that the test results were being expected.
As a way of increasing awareness and promoting hygiene, the state government said it had embarked on some preventive measures against the spread of coronavirus (Covid-19) in its parastatals such as the Oyo State Universal Basic Education Board and Oyo State Road Transport Maintenance Agency, in Ibadan.
Read Also: Holy Boycott: Coronavirus forces new order at worship centres
The government also distributed over 1500 hand sanitizers to staff members and guests at the SUBEB.
Responding to a question on whether the state was moving to issue restriction order, the commissioner of health urged the people to use their discretions on their movement, saying that the state is not prepared for any panic that might follow any restriction order.
He added that the result of the suspected case would be made public as soon as it was given to the government, noting that the outcome would also determine some other things.
He assured that all facilities in the state remained on high alert and adequate resources had been deployed to the facilities in case of unforeseen circumstances.
He said: “The Oyo State Ministry of Health has continued to follow the unraveling of the outbreak. Since its onset in December, 2019, over 170,000 cases and 7,000 deaths have been reported across over 150 countries of the world.
“At this point, the Ministry of Health wishes to inform the general public that despite the report of several cases of coronavirus in the country, our ministry hereby wishes to reiterate its commitment towards ensuring a disease-free Oyo State.
“This is particularly important because these cases have been in neighboring states. The Oyo state ministry of health would like to reassure the public that our surveillance system has been activated and contact tracing is ongoing.”
Leave a Reply