By A milestone in the containment of COVID-19 has been recorded by the Delta State Government as the Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa on Saturday said that all known contacts of confirmed cases in the state had been traced.
As guest on Channels Television programme‘’The Platform Nigeria, Battling The COVID-19’’ monitored by The Pointer, Governor Okowa said that 182 contacts had been identified, excluding two recent cases who are currently being monitored.
Giving a status assessment of the COVID-19 and structures established to flatten the curve of infections in the state, Governor Okowa said that over 400 medical personnel and auxiliary staff had been specially trained to manage the situation.
‘’We have also provided logistics for the contact-tracing team because it is very important that for every case confirmed, the contact-tracing must be adequate and comprehensive. Thus far, we have traced all the contacts of all our patients-182 at the moment apart from those recorded just two days ago. We are still in the process of con-tact-tracing of these (new) patients,” he said.
At the moment, we are fully prepared and our medical team has shown high commitment and passion to the very difficult work. We have also ensured that we provided enough Personnel Protective Equipment (PPE) for them,’’ he said.
Besides the inauguration of a taskforce to manage all issues of COVID-19 on March 16 ,2020, the Governor noted that the four isolation and management centres in Asaba (2), Warri (1) and Oghara (1) had been fully equipped, adding that a mini-laboratory had been provided for testing samples in the state.
With the adverse effect of COVID-19 on the populace, Governor Okowa said that adequate consideration wiould be given in the adjustment of the 2020 budget on Human Capital Development.
He said that, while capital infrastructure projects which had reached advanced stages of completion would be concluded, others might be postponed until the year 2021.
Governor Okowa maintained that the state healthcare insurance programme would be sustained for cater pregnant women, under-five children, senior citizens and the widows to ensure that they do not feel, so hard, the impact of COVID-19 on their finances.
