Taskforce rates Ekiti high on Covid-19 response, management

Ekiti State Taskforce on Covid-19 has hinged the low prevalence of the pandemic in the state to the prompt response and proactive nature of the state governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, in combating the disease in the state.

The Commissioner for Health and Human Services, Dr (Mrs) Mojisola Yaya-Kolade, who stated this during the 48-hourly briefing of the Taskforce on Friday, said the molecular laboratory recently purchased by the state government was ready for use. She added that the laboratory would still be useful after the covid-19 pandemic.

She hailed the leadership of Governor Fayemi in curtailing the spread of the pandemic in the state as well as the support of the state’s Covid-19 Response Resource Mobilisation Committee. She said the prompt response of the state government has helped to curtail the coronavirus in the state.

Dr Yaya-Kolade, said the last fatality recorded in the state was a referral from a General Hospital in Omuaran, Kwara State, adding that the 75 years old woman died of an underlying ailment.

Giving the background story of the woman, the health commissioner explained further that the deceased’s test result came out positive on 20th May while the woman died earlier on the 19th with no contact in the state. She therefore ruled out community spread of the disease through her.

According to her, “The woman was an elderly woman, 75 years old that lived in Kwara State, she actually lived in Ayedun in Kwara State, went to General Hospital in Omuaran, after receiving some treatment in Omuaran for her medical condition which is called congestive cardiac failure, she was referred to the Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti.

“She came straight from Omuaran to Ido on the 14th, two days after her admission, the doctor suspected a possibility of Covid-19, the state was informed, we collected specimen, unfortunately, the test came back on the 20th, the 75-year-old woman died on the 19th. We know where she came from and we know she did not get infected in Ekiti State. We are still ruling out community spread.

“As of today, our patients are stable, I don’t know if you would remember an older man that I said was in a teaching hospital, we managed the patient in collaboration with the teaching hospital, he has since turned negative, he is no more Covid-19 positive.

“Our success rate in treating and getting people negative is high, we are getting good result. The only concerns and issues that we have had are those cases that come into Ekiti State un-announce. They have underlying issues and when they come, they usually come because of something.”

The commissioner also restated that efforts were in top gear to launch the molecular laboratory situated in the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, Ado-Ekiti. She added that the new Isolation centre of 120 beds would also be open along the launch of the laboratory.

Dr Yaya-Kolade said the laboratory would be useful in testing for some other viral diseases like Lassa fever as well as useful for training.

The state coordinator of the taskforce, Prof. Mobolaji Aluko, hinted that the security situation in the state was stable as there was no new incursions and hoped that at the end of the day, all the quarantine centres would not have any inmates.

Prof. Aluko, who is also the Director General, Office of Transformation and Service Delivery (OTSD) urged the residents of the state to make proper use of the face mask , adding that the state would intensify creating more awareness on the use of masks at all nooks and crannies of the state.

He assured the people of the state that government would ensure proper de-congestion of markets in the state by moving them to other markets with less congestion.