Coronavirus: Delta State gets testing center

testing kits

Some of the equipment for the COVID-19 mobile Laboratory Inaugurated at the Asaba Specialist Hospital.

Secretary to State Government, Mr. Chiedu Ebie (right); Commissioner for Health, Dr. Ononye Mordi (left) and Commissioner for Information, Mr. Aniagwu Charles, during the Inauguration of COVID-19 Mobile Laboratory at Asaba Specialist Hospital, Delta State. Wednesday 29/4/20 .JIBUNOR SAMUEL.

Delta State Government on Wednesday said it had established a testing centre for COVID-19.

Secretary to the State Government, Mr Chiedu Ebie, made this known while inaugurating the laboratory at Asaba Specialist Hospital where he said that the centre would enable the government to control and scale-up diagnostic capacity in the state.

According to him, the facility came at the right time as it will enable suspected cases of coronavirus to be tested in the state and the result received on time.

Ebie thanked the management of Irrua Specialist Hospital and Pandora Group for deploying the laboratory to the state and called on others to partner the government in the fight against the dreaded virus.

Some of the equipment for the COVID-19 mobile Laboratory Inaugurated at the Asaba Specialist Hospital.

“We have just had a brief tour of this test centre which is a partnership between PANDORA ID NET and Delta State Government and facilitated by Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital (ISTH).

“This is the first in the series of test centres that we will be establishing here in Delta and what this means is that we will be able to wrap up our testing of suspected COVID-19 patients or samples so that the results will come out faster within the shortest time possible.

“We are very grateful to PANDORA team and the representative of the Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and also to the Commissioner for Health for all the good work he has been doing and the team from NCDC.

“We thank you so much for your support,” he said.

In his remarks, the Commissioner for Health, Dr Mordi Ononye, said that the laboratory was a dream come-through as the centre could run many tests as possible.

He said the state government was doing its best in the containment of the disease and advised anyone with symptoms of the ailment to report to the appropriate medical facilities of government for treatment.

Ononye stated that Delta had recorded two deaths to the disease, because the patients reported very late, stressing that the team handling the virus in the state had all the technical know-how to treat suspected cases.

some of the equipment for the COVID-19 mobile Laboratory Inaugurated at the Asaba Specialist Hospital.

“Over the past weeks, people have been asking how we could get testing centres in Delta. The Irrua Specialist Hospital has been the designated place for the South-South for this type of tests.

“We are glad to have Irrua Specialist Hospital and PANDORA partner with us to establish this testing Centre here in Asaba.

“Obviously, we are doing a lot of active search for contacts and with the establishment of this testing centre, we will be more on top of the containment of the coronavirus pandemic in Delta.

“The state government is doing all that is possible so that Deltans enjoy robust health at a time such as this and I must appreciate our dear Governor, Senator (Dr) Ifeanyi Okowa, who has given every support so that Delta is truly on top of the fight against the pandemic.

“We have a case management team that is capable and equal to the task. Although, it is a new disease and everybody is learning but be that as it may, the team has capacity.

“Two of our cases have been discharged successfully and they have reunited with their families; we have three active cases now on treatment.

“The deaths we have recorded so far were deaths that happened even when diagnosis were made, and we encourage persons who have symptoms similar to COVID-19 to report to any of our centres and attention will be given to them,” he stated.

He advised Deltans to always go out with their face masks as directed by Governor Ifeanyi Okowa in his state broadcast.

The commissioner urged the people to observe proper hand and respiratory hygiene and as much as possible, social and physical distancing.

The representative of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Dr Reuben Eifediyi, said the deployment of the centre was to enable suspected cases in the state have access to medical facilities for testing before treatment could commence.

He charged residents of the state to maximize the opportunity to avert reporting to the hospital when the situation had become critical.

The Commissioner for Information, Mr Charles Aniagwu and officials of Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital and Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) witnessed the event.

Meanwhile, Mr Olisa Ifeajika, Chief Press Secretary to Delta Governor, has explained that Tuesday’s announcement of relaxation of the lockdown in the state was predicated on the governor’s compassion for citizens, saying it was to rekindle micro and small business activities.

Lockdown in the state began on April 1 for 14 days and was extended for another 14 days from April 15 as part of measures against the spread of COVID-19. The order was preceded by the closure of all entry points into the state, including airports and seaports, on March 29.

According to Ifeajika, in an interview with Silverbird News 24 monitored via Skype in Asaba on Wednesday, the governor compassionately relaxed the lockdown to enable daily income earners seek a living.

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He said that since the stay-at-home directive was given, majority of persons in daily income bracket were cut off from their sources of “daily bread” and had mounted agitation and plea to the government to reconsider the order.

“The governor, being a very compassionate leader, with the interest of his people at heart, had to partially relax the lockdown for economic activities to resume.

“It is, however, with a provision that everyone must wear a face mask in public places henceforth,’’ he said, adding that there were still some rules that the people must abide with.

The governor’s spokesman stated that “so far, it’s been fine in the state because from the onset, the governor took proactive measures even when the state had not recorded any confirmed case of the virus.

“We put all the things that needed to be on ground; we established four isolation and treatment centres while frontline health personnel were adequately trained and re-trained for the pandemic.

“Incidentally, two weeks into the scourge, we recorded the index case in the state and then the second one, who died in the process because he presented himself very late and also had underlying health issues.

“So far, we have seven cases, with two deaths and three are active and doing very well while two were discharged yesterday (Tuesday), having tested negative two times. It’s been wonderful and we pray that nothing negative happens again as far as the pandemic is concerned.”

On why government partially relaxed the lockdown, Ifeajika stated that Okowa, “being a leader, who listens to his people and cares about their plight, allowed businesses to resume so that those who earn a daily living can continue to fend for themselves.

“For the type of person he is, the governor listened to the people and relaxed the lockdown partially to allow some business activities to resume but with a proviso that everybody coming to the public must have the face mask on.

“And, to help in this regard, the state government produced one million face masks to distribute free to the people. These may not be enough, but will definitely go a long way in letting people know that it’s what we need to save lives.”

Ifeajika said that distribution of the face mask had commenced on Tuesday, adding that a law would be enacted to enforce its compulsory usage in public places.

“The distribution of the face masks started yesterday at the Ward level; the whole essence is that from tomorrow, April 30, it will be enforced seriously – everybody coming to the public from wherever must wear the face mask, and it is going to be backed by a law.

“A Bill on it will go to the House of Assembly for a proper law to be enacted so that it becomes unlawful for you not to have your face mask on in public places.

“It’s all about caring for the people because there are those who live by the day; if they don’t work they won’t eat. So, the governor felt that let all the people come out and eek a living.

“For transporters, the Keke or tricycle, for instance, the new law is that the Keke operator will only carry two persons at the back, and the taxi will carry one person in front and two at the back.

“Buses that have the capacity to carry between 16 and 18 persons, they are now permitted to carry between 10 and 12 persons. Anything outside this is unlawful.

“For restaurants, canteens and bars, they are permitted to run on a take-away basis – anybody who comes, buys whatever he wants to buy and takes it away.

“The night clubs, cinemas and bars remain banned until May 31. The relaxation of the lockdown is to allow people eek-out a living somehow, but that is not to say that it is total relaxation.

“We still have some guides that they will have to abide with, and that is where we are,” he added.

Ifeajika also stated that the governor called for support from well-meaning individuals and organizations for the production and distribution of more face masks to Deltans, as he did for food palliatives to the people.

“Like the food (palliatives) distributed to the people, you will recall that the governor, when he announced that the state had established a food bank, also called on well-meaning Deltans and institutions to support the government.

“Truly, some persons, groups and organizations came and supported the government to give to the indigents.

“The same way it is that the one million face masks will not go round everybody and it is believed that those who can afford it should be able to make some for themselves and even give to their neighbours.

“There are so many public places that people will want to access and the idea is to continue to save lives and stop the spread of the virus.

“So, the governor has asked Deltans, who are well-meaning, to support the government by producing face masks, because if I have one and the next person also has, it will help to reduce the spread of the virus,” he stated.

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