Oziegbe Okoeki, Bassey Anthony, Uyo, Bisi Olaniyi, Benin, Ogochukwu Anioke, Abakaliki and Frank Ikpefan, Abuja
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Lagos opens 20 sample centres
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Ebonyi, Edo, Akwa Ibom raise test targets
STATE governments have commenced “aggressive testing” for coronavirus in a bid to stop community transmission.
Many states have introduced different measures with effect from this week to complement the efforts of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
Lagos State has set up 20 sampling centres across the local government areas where citizens can drop their samples for testing.
Ebonyi State has started “an aggressive testing of 10 persons per ward to advance their plan of testing at least 2,000 people in the next two weeks.
The Akwa Ibom State government will start house-to-house testing of residents “to make sure everybody is safe.”
Edo State projects 1,000 tests daily.
Nigeria is lagging behind in testing for the virus.
The country has so far tested over 7,000 out of which 500 tested positive. African countries Ghana with over (50,000), Egypt (over 25,000), Morocco (over 13,000), South Africa (more than 100,000) and Kenya (more than 10,000) have tested more people than Nigeria.
The NCDC has aquired the capacity to test 3,000 people daily at 13 molecular diagonistic laboratories.
Lagos State Commissioner for Health, Prof. Akin Abayomi, said yesterday: “We have decentralised the locations where you can have yourself submitted for sampling. So what we’ve done is to move sampling stations to the local government. And if you feel that you have any of the symptoms associated with COVID19, you can present yourself to this decentralised sampling stations.
“They are not testing stations, they are sampling stations and If you meet the criteria for testing, you will be able to receive the counsel of the staff and your sample will be taken.
“We are not just testing anybody, there are criteria for testing; you either must have COVID19 symptoms to meet the case definition or be in close contact with somebody that has been confirmed with COVID19. Your samples would be taken and it would then be sent to one of our accredited testing facilities and those facilities will then perform the tests”, the Commissioner explained.
He added that the strategy would help the COVID19 response team get a better idea of what is going on in the community and also make the diagnosis of COVID19 early at the local government level.
Abayomi added that wearing of face masks does not protect against COVID19 Infection, but rather protect people around an infected person from the increase amount of aerosol generated from coughing or sneezing.
“There is some theoretical evidence that the wearing of masks may indeed reduce the amount of droplets in the environment from the person that is infected with COVID19 and that is the reason why we are beginning to define the strategy of face masks for the general community”, he said.
“Tailors and seamstresses are empowered to produce and provide standard home made face mask that the public can gain access to and wear without pulling on the limited stocks of professional face masks that health professional require such that in a couple of weeks, we will be able to mass-produce locally made face masks not medical mask”.
He noted that Lagos State is not encouraging the public to go and purchase medical mask because it would deprive the medical community of the medical mask that they require for their professional activity.
“It is important members of the public are aware that the sooner we get to know about you and the sooner we can admit you. If you have mild to moderate symptoms under the supervision of our expert we may be able to prevent you from moving from moderate to severe and prevent you from moving from severe to critical case”
“We implore the communities not to feel the urge to stay at home when you have symptoms of COVID19 because you are more likely to survive the COVID19 infection under our supervision”, Abayomi said.
Governor Godwin Obaseki on Sunday said the testing centre at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) is ready to commence operation.
He said Edo State will in the next few days begin testing 1000 residents daily.
The governor said: “Screening and testing is key if we are to understand and have the required information to control the spread of this virus. Therefore, our goal is to screen a minimum of 500,000 of our citizens.
“The first of the proposed 100 screening centres started operations last week in Oredo Local Government Area. Six of these centres are Public Primary Healthcare Centers, and four are in private hospitals.
“This would be scaled up to all the 18 local government areas in the state within the next two weeks.
“I am glad to inform you that the testing centre at the University of Benin Teaching Hospital (UBTH) is now ready. We have begun trial tests under the guidance of the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC); we expect it will commence full operations this week.
“We have also taken delivery of another PCR testing machine currently being installed at the Edo Specialist Hospital which we hope will also be ready within the next 2 weeks.
“This will give us the capacity to perform up to 1000 tests daily in Edo State. With massive screening and testing we will have sufficient information which is required to direct the decisions for proper management and control of the scourge.”, Obaseki added.
The Ebonyi State government is set to do random testing of residents.
Governor David Umahi who spoke in a live broadcast after the state Security Meeting, said the target is at least 2000 persons in the next two weeks
He said: “We have directed today for aggressive testing of at least 10 persons per ward. The chairmen, coordinators, royal highness and our people must identify the homes to be tested before the next five days”.
“This assignment must be completed within two weeks. So,within the next two weeks, we are going to test 2000 people in Ebonyi State.”, he said
The Governor also announced a 7pm to 7am curfew.
“I hereby direct a total lockdown of the entire state from 7a.m to 7p.m and anybody found outside within this period must be arrested and prosecuted. Only those offering essential services such as security agents, health workers, Media workers, who must have pass are exempted”, Umahi said.
Ebonyi is one of the states yet to record any coronavirus case.
Read Also: COVID-19: Edo imposes dusk to dawn curfew
Governor Umahi also announced the rijiging of security at the borders with seven checkpoints to forestall incidence of smuggling of people into the state.
Akwa Ibom State Commissioner for Information Charles Udoh, urged residents to cooperate and offer themselves for testing even if they were yet to display symptoms of Covid -19.
According to him the outcome of mass and aggressive testing would be “a prelude to considering whether the domestic economy would be reopened after the one week lockdown extension
“The whole idea is to make sure everybody is safe, considering that safety is paramount to the state government.
“Residents are enjoined to continue to observe stipulated personal and respiratory hygiene guidelines and practice social distancing”’, the information commissioner added.
It was learnt that the state government may have taken the decision to embark on what it calls ‘aggressive testing ‘ because of the fear that there may be more infected persons than the three active cases.
There is tension in Eket over report that the founder of a popular church and his wife are suspected to have contracted COVID-19.
The wife is believed to have returned from London where she allegedly contacted the virus.
The Nigerian Institute of Public Relations (NIPR) has urged the Federal Government to intensify efforts in providing more testing facilities to contain the spread of coronavirus.
The professional body said the testing facilities should be distributed across to every corners of the country to avoid the potential of people being infected without knowing.
NIPR’s President/Chairman, Governing Council, Mukhtar Sirajo, in a statement, said: “The government should therefore intensify efforts at providing more testing facilities and distributing same across the nooks and crannies of the country to avoid the potential of people being infected without knowing.
“Every crisis situation comes with an opportunity that needs to be seized. Covid-19 affords our governments across all tiers, an opportunity for introspection and sober reflection on the state of our healthcare system.
“For once, all Nigerians, irrespective of status, have no choice but to rely on services provided by our facilities at home. We must therefore ensure that our healthcare system becomes one of the greatest beneficiaries of this crisis through a systematic upgrade of the infrastructure and ancillary services post Covid-19.”
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