The Medical Director of the Federal Medical Centre, Azare, in Bauchi State, Dr. Abdullahi Ibrahim, has said that six staff of the hospital have tested positive for COVID-19.
Ibrahim, who disclosed this on Thursday in a chat with journalists in Azare, said the development has led to a reduction of manpower in the hospital.
“Six of our staff have been infected with COVID-19 and even on May 11 we have some who are on admission and awaiting their results apart from those that are positive,” he said.
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He explained that there is currently community transmission of the virus in Azare, adding that at least two non-clinical staff were infected as a result of this pattern of transmission.
“COVID-19 sometimes does not present itself in the usual symptoms of fever or cough but can come with the ailments of the patient,” he added.
Ibrahim said the management of the hospital has encouraged staff to adopt universal precautions while carrying out their duties to prevent more staff from being infected with the disease.
“We have enough supply of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) both from the State government and the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).
“We have hand gloves, hand sanitiser, and face masks for all our staff to protect them from COVID-19,” he said.
11 patients discharged
Meanwhile, 11 recovered patients of COVID-19 have been discharged from the hospital’s isolation ward.
The Chairman of the Rapid Response Team on COVID-19 in the hospital, Dr. Auwalu Saminu Jibrin, told journalists on Thursday that “The first set of patients comprising of 10 adults and one child have fulfilled both the clinical and laboratory criteria for discharge as their recent tests results return negative.”
Jibrin explained that the patients will be followed up for a stipulated period of time as required after the discharge.
He encouraged members of the public who have symptoms of COVID-19 such as cough, fever and shortness of breathe to come to the hospital and get tested.
He assured that those who test positive will receive prompt treatment at any of the isolation wards, adding that a positive result is not a death sentence.
He appealed to members of the public to give correct information to healthcare personnel when they come to the hospital to seek medical care.
“Information on travel history, travelling abroad to a very high-risk area or contact with a confirmed case should be disclosed.
“Further tests can be done for the safety and wellbeing of all.
“Misinformation or withholding information regarding an epidemic can make the epidemic spread further,” he added.
