The federal government on Tuesday said that it has dispatched a delegation of health workers to Azare in Bauchi State; Katsina and Jigawa states over the rising cases of unusual deaths associated with the COVID-19.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said this in Abuja during the 29th joint national briefing of the Presidential Taskforce on COVID-19.
“A federal ministry of health (FMoH) delegation of experts is presently in Bauchi State on a fact-finding mission to work with Bauchi State government and look into reports of unexplained deaths in Azare, Bauchi State.
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“Similar mission to Katsina and Jigawa identified needs in those states, which include the need for a molecular laboratory in Katsina to reduce the backlog of pending tests and the turn-around time for results. This will be looked into.
“Other high burden areas or states grappling epidemic control issues will be offered similar support.
“In this connection, I must commend the ongoing initiative being developed by the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, to give each other mutual support, by rallying available human resources for health volunteers from states, to support other states with a high burden and manpower shortages,” Ehanire said.
He commended the governors of Lagos and Ekiti states in this respect.
He also said that as of Tuesday morning, 242 new COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Nigeria, giving a total of 4,641 in 34 states of the federation and the FCT, saying150 deaths had been recorded.
He added that 902 cases have been cured and discharged from care.
“The federal ministry of health is working with its agencies, other organs of government and multinational organisations in continuous efforts to control transmission with tried, tested and innovative measures.
“The nature of this outbreak, as we have observed in other countries, is such that the sustainability of any strategy may be challenged as time goes on, by evolving realities at home and across the globe. We, therefore, encourage the organs of the state to maintain vigilance at our borders, including our port health services to keep up the good work and not to tire or relent.
“The FMoH has been closely monitoring and reviewing the unfolding situation in some states, where COVID-19 appears to have gained ground. We had responded to the situation in Kano by dispatching a team of medical experts to provide technical support to the state ministry of health.
“I am happy to inform that the team has done well in their assignment and has reported a lot of success in helping to stabilise the state’s health system and assuage the disquiet among health workers, who are to restart routine service delivery,” the minister added.
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